Zonal Business Manager | Cipla | Bangalore

Job Purpose

Frame and drive execution of a profitable sales strategy for a specific therapy within the assigned geography within regulatory norms and organizational policies with the objective of achieving the zonal goals in terms of overall sales and therapy area sales targets

Key Accountabilities

• Define and communicate a profitable sales strategy for the relevant division aligned to overall business targets
  • Given BU priorities, define a divisional strategy to achieve the stated objectives, including overall sales targets, therapy area sales targets, etc.
  • Finalize targets for the year along with Divisional Sales Head, BU Head, and Marketing Head and drive the communication of these targets to the sales force
• Drive sales performance across the zone, ensuring the achievement of business objectives
  • Conduct periodic reviews of geographies to review sales achievement against targets
  • Make mid-year corrections to the sales plan based on the progress
  • Analyze reports created by support teams to identify gaps in performance and create plans to bridge the same before they affect business
  • Set standards for sales processes and drive adherence to these processes, including financial, regulatory, and legal norms
  • Review expenses on a regular basis and identify areas for improvement/reduction in costs
• Monitor the execution of therapy strategy by the sales force across the zone
  • Collaborate with Therapy Leads to execute the therapy strategy
  • Drive the execution of marketing activities by the sales force across the zone
  • Provide team with the necessary support for strategy execution
  • Jointly conceptualize CME programs, advisory board meetings, conferences, etc. with top doctors in the country
• Manage relationships with key stakeholders across the zone, thereby contributing to the achievement of business targets
  • Meet and maintain relationships with KOLs, KBLs (at a zonal level), chemists, distributors, stockists, and unions for mutual benefit
  • Evaluate requests raised by stakeholders (sponsorship, support, engagement programs, etc.)
  • Represent and showcase organization capabilities in industry associations and conferences
• Drive a culture of high performance across the zone, managing talent optimally so as to achieve favorable business outcomes
  • Diagnose and build capabilities within the zone to deliver against business objectives
  • Define standards of performance across therapies and roles to grow market share in the zone
  • Reward and recognize differentiated performance;
  • Develop leaders across career levels; spot and groom the future leadership pipeline
  • Enable staffing of the zonal structure to leverage value from high-potential territories and support functions

Major Challenges

• Large geographical scope which increases the complexity of managing the on-field workforce, covering the area through field visits, etc.
• Ensuring effective implementation of an integrated sales and marketing strategy by driving the same till the Therapy Manager level
• Ensuring ethical compliance while maintaining and meeting the sales targets
• Ensuring the sales targets are met despite unfavourable circumstances such as stock outs, changes in government regulations, etc.

Key Interactions

• Distribution for ensuring the timely movement of products (weekly)
• Sales HRBPs for all employee life cycle-related issues (weekly)
• Zonal Finance team for profitability, operational issues, returns, etc.
• Marketing team to drive brand strategies for therapies (weekly)
• KOLs/KBLs to influence the prescriptions (weekly)
• Stockists to ensure the movement of products (weekly)

Dimensions:

• Number of therapies handled: 1
• Revenue responsibility: ~6 Cr. INR to ~100 Cr. INR (depending on therapy)
• Number of ZBMs per therapy: 1-6

Key Decisions:

Recommendations

• Defined Budget approval for BTL sales activation
• Manpower approvals for expansion
• Decisions on zonal-level sales strategy (e.g. key hospitals to be focused on)
• Headquarters shift additions or modifications

Skills & Knowledge

Doctor conferences and CMEs

Education Qualification

B.SC / B.Pharm.

Relevant Work Experience

12 – 15 years of experience leading a large and geographically diverse sales team in the pharmaceutical industry