Area Sales Manager

At Eakin Healthcare we put our patient at the heart of everything we do.

Fifty years ago, it all started with one man’s mission: pharmacist, Tom George Eakin. He saw his patients struggling with leaking urostomy pouches and decided enough was enough. He got to work and formulated what would become the game-changing, eakin Cohesive® seal.

Fast forward to today, and we’re still keeping it in the family. We’ve grown a lot since then, both organically and through acquisitions. We now have a team of over 700 colleagues across three manufacturing sites and 12 sales and distribution centres. We’re making a difference in three therapeutic areas:

• Ostomy
• Respiratory
• Surgical

We’re proud to export our innovative products to over 60 countries through a network of 40 distributors plus our own offices in Japan, The Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium and Luxemburg.

We’re good at what we do – come and join us and you can benefit from:

• Competitive Salary
• Bonus
• Car allowance
• 25 days holiday plus public holidays (rising to 28)
• Option to buy holiday days
• Wellbeing Programme
• Pension
• Referral Scheme
• Long Service Awards

ABOUT THE ROLE

Reporting to the Sales Manager Benelux, the Area Sales Manager is responsible for developing, implementing and delivering sales through account planning and achieving agreed strategic objectives in The Netherlands.

This role reports to the Eakin BV head office (Tiel) and involves daily travel in-market to visit customers and attend events and may require occasional overnight stays as well as occasional travel to UK.

Day to day activity will include making appointments, conducting sales visits to hospitals, key homecare accounts, wholesalers and other institutions where eakin products may be used or promoted. It will involve organizing or initiating training, sampling, follow up on meetings and attending congresses aimed at ostomy nurses, wound care nurses and (occasionally) patients.

The person will develop a sound knowledge of their customer base and a good technical knowledge of the products involved. He/she will also develop a strong network of contacts and influence in the market.

The role will require competency in reporting and an ability to prepare, develop and explain/present sales reports.

KEY ACTIVITIES

• Achieve overall sales in line with pre-agreed sales targets
• Identify (new) sales opportunities and provide ideas and/or plans for structural business growth
• Manage and develop relationship with stakeholders based on pre-agreed account planning
• Manage, negotiate and develop hospital contracts leading to increased clinical position and sales.
• Promote relevant eakin product portfolio to hospital nurses, purchase departments, home delivery company nurses and their commercial team, key homecare etc.
• Deliver (commercial) product training and company presentations
• Pro-actively inform and participate in hospital procurement processes and public tenders. Lead project (management) in clinical implementation and meeting customer requirements.
• Structure and implement effective product launch activities for channel partners and customers

Develop productive long-term business relationships:

• Initiate and maintain excellent working relationships and professional communication with healthcare professionals, relevant stakeholders and channel (business)partners in market.
• Demonstrate a high level of managerial skills to maintain and develop relationships to drive sales
• Attend (inter)national nurse and healthcare professional events to promote eakin products (sometimes outside normal working hours or outside market)

Communication and development

• Develop, create and provide a range of reports in presentable and timely manner to the Sales Manager Benelux (detailed customer records, visits, activity, market and competitor activity, opportunities etc.) and present to EBV team and wider EH team.
• Ensure knowledge of eakin and competitor products and their activity are maintained at high standard
• Attend sales meetings, training and events outside of territory (for example at Eakin Healthcare Group location(s))
• Undertake professional development, particularly where it relates to standards and regulations for the role in the market

Other

• To adhere to the company’s Equal Opportunities policy and Dignity at work policy in all activities and to actively promote equality of opportunity wherever possible
• To be responsible for your own health and safety and that of your colleagues, in accordance with the company’s’ Health and Safety policy
• To adhere to the company’s Quality policy and Environmental policy
• To undertake other duties as may be reasonably required

KEY SKILLS

Essential

• Strong commercial skills and able to build long term relationships
• Previous experience in medical device field sales
• Self-starter, entrepreneurial skills, expert level to organise time and resources
• Bachelors degree in Commerce or similar
• Experience of MS Office with advanced Excel and PowerPoint
• Available to travel extensively within country and occasionally outside country including overnight stays
• Comfortable in a remote working environment
• Clear, professional communication
• Full driving license
• Fluent Dutch language skills

Desirable

• Experience in sales of medical devices in extramural/intramural market with proven track record
• Previous experience within Ostomy/Wound
• English language skills
• Living central in the Netherlands

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Internal

• Reports to EBV Sales Manager Benelux
• Works closely with EBV marketing, finance and clinical function
• Leading role in-market sales
• Supported by wider Eakin Healthcare Commercial Team

External

• Ostomy and Wound nurses
• Hospital purchasers and product managers
• Wholesale commercial, service and nursing teams
• KOL’s

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Large territory – 80% of the Netherlands

COMPETENCIES

Business Insight

Applying Knowledge of business and the marketplace to advance the organisations goals.

Customer Focus

Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.

Drives Results

Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances.

Action Oriented

Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.

Builds Networks

Effectively building formal and informal relationship networks inside and outside the organisation.

Persuades

Using compelling arguments to gain support and commitment of others.

Instills Trust

Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity and authenticity. 

Being Resilient

Rebounding from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations.