4 Things You didn’t Know About Sales Operations and Commercial Planning at Jazz (and…Open Roles)
What makes a great sales and commercial planning team?
Recently, we sat down with Nauman, Jazz’s Head of Sales Operations and Commercial Planning, to discover the function, discuss his team and even his Harley Davidson. We learned a lot about the importance of exploring your market — both analytically and physically. Yes, you should travel through the regions you serve.
Anyway, without further ado, let’s hear some insights from our talk with Nauman.
1. Tell us a bit more about Sales Operations & Commercial planning at Jazz.
We handle everything from trade marketing visibility within distribution to engagement for retailers. There’s always something new happening, especially as Jazz and the country undergo a digital transformation.
As head of sales operations and commercial planning, I manage four main streams:
- Planning: This includes target setting for each region, formulating pricing strategies and overseeing distribution of products and services.
- Promotion: This involves supporting each channel, running campaigns so targets can be achieved and incentivizing partners to meet targets.
- Sales support: This consists of engaging with retail partners and ensuring they have the necessary resources to realize goals.
- Trade support: This includes increasing trade marketing visibility within distribution, as well as streamlining, improving and automating retail processes.
“Jazz has an amazing digital culture. We’re developing tech at an incredible pace. We’re embracing our digital transformation and are receptive to new ideas and listen to young employees. You can really learn a lot here.”
2. You guys are always hiring! (You can apply HERE). Tell us a bit more on the different roles in your teams
“For trade marketing roles, I want people that are collaborative when making decisions. They must have a good understanding of trade operations, especially of visibility and different mediums that can be used. We need someone who isn’t conventional in thinking. They must be receptive to a digital approach to trade. They must go on the ground and get involved. They shouldn’t be sitting in an office.
You also shared with us some awesome insights on makers and checkers. Tell us a bit more about this concept.
Makers think outside the box — they are the ones who enable the team to capture a competitive edge.
“This would be the person with a modern approach to business that can bring in new ideas. They can go to different regions, understand the dynamics, and then tailor a campaign that will outpace the competition.”
In addition to the makers, I also look for checkers. They understand how the business planning is done, how the targets are driven and what incentives should be given to each region.
“The checker has to be a good negotiator and able to interact with various teams. They must evaluate all the campaigns being done. They must be analytical and can evaluate each campaign.”
All the current open roles in the commercial team are HERE
3. Tell us a bit more about the latest projects your team has participated in and run.
One great example of how the team is empowering distributors and retailers is the sales operation 2.0 application. With this app, they can see their targets and incentives, and what channel metrics should be met. Commissions and how they’ll be dispersed are clearly displayed, and info on what they need to do to earn more is provided.
In addition, we recently deployed 4G across Pakistan. We went to the regions and asked what medium works for you guys to get customers onboarded. Is it a poster, brochure, or activity in the town? We can deliver the most value for each particular area by learning all we can and customizing our strategies.
Some activities included creating a WhatsApp groups to send posters digitally. For rural areas, conventional grassroots activities were implemented. For urban areas, Nauman and the team provided digital kiosks, giving Jazz a space to have a brand presence and control ads remotely.
“Our biggest achievement is that the approach has been changed. It’s not top-down. We’re more collaborative with the regions. Also, we’re becoming more system-driven through automation and streamlining processes, and an analytical approach to making decisions.”
4. And we end with a very hard question: What is NOT written on your LinkedIn profile that’s worth sharing about yourself?
My love for riding motorcycles. Islamabad’s proximity to the mountains makes it a great place to ride motorcycles. Riding outside the city allows me to be in the moment. I am the proud owner of a Harley Davidson!
“Riding reminds me that you must always be learning, always on the move. Don’t get complacent.”
Thank you, Nauman!
As you can see, Nauman and the team are up to a lot of exciting things at Jazz. . It’s an exciting ride, especially if you get the chance to hop on a Harley! No day is the same — and it’s a place where you can explore new territory and develop your own ideas.
Ready to join the ride and (also) join Nauman’s team?
