Regional Business Planning & Target Deployment

- Prepare the annual regional business plan covering revenue, channel expansion, institutional pipeline, event calendar and manpower requirement.

- Break the annual regional target into state-wise, territory-wise, month-wise and individual targets, and communicate them in writing at the start of the year.

- Deploy targets by business line trade, institutional, events and media concept — so that no single line carries a disproportionate risk.

- Prepare rolling monthly and quarterly forecasts, with honest variance explanation against plan.

- Plan and control the regional expense budget — travel, schemes, display, events and manpower — within the approved limits.

Trade & Retail Distribution Management

- Appoint, develop and rationalise distributors, stockists and wholesalers across the region based on coverage need, financial capability and infrastructure.

- Ensure every distributor earns a healthy return on investment; review distributor ROI, margins, claims and working capital cycle quarterly.

- Drive primary billing and, more importantly, secondary offtake — prevent channel stuffing and monitor stock ageing at every partner.

- Expand outlet coverage and improve productivity per outlet through a structured beat plan and range-selling discipline.

- Ensure timely and correct settlement of distributor claims, schemes and credit notes in coordination with Finance.

- Monitor retail visibility, display, shelf placement and merchandising standards across key outlets.

- Manage the sales returns process — control the return rate, ensure returns are within policy and reconcile them promptly.

Up-to-date Trade, Key Accounts & E-commerce

- Manage regional relationships with modern trade chains, large-format bookstores and regional retail chains.

- Negotiate listings, planograms, visibility spends and promotional participation within the approved commercial framework.

- Coordinate with Head Office on e-commerce and marketplace fulfilment issues originating from the region.

- Track key-account level offtake, margins and receivables separately from the general trade book.

School & Institutional Sales

- Build and manage a pipeline of schools, school chains, libraries, education departments and literacy programmes across the region.

- Sell reading programmes, library sets, bulk title packages and curriculum-linked content, rather than single-title orders.

- Engage school leadership — Principals, Librarians, Academic Coordinators and Trustees — and secure annual budget inclusion.

- Manage the institutional buying cycle: pre-season engagement, sampling, quotation, approval, order, delivery and collection.

- Track and respond to tenders, RFPs and empanelment opportunities in the region, coordinating documentation with Finance and Legal.





- Build recurring annual business from institutional accounts rather than one-time orders; review retention every year.

Events, Exhibitions & Book Fairs

- Prepare and own the regional event calendar — book fairs, school book exhibitions, literature festivals, comic conventions and mall activations.

- Evaluate each event on commercial merit: expected sale, cost of participation, stock requirement, manpower and expected return.

- Plan stock, display material, staffing, logistics and permissions for each event well in advance.

- Ensure on-ground execution meets ACK's brand and display standards, and that the audience experience is age-appropriate.

- Reconcile event-wise sales, stock and expenses within seven working days of each event and submit the event ROI report.

Regional Media Concept & Branded Content Leads

- Identify regional brands, corporates, CSR foundations and institutions that may be served through ACK's custom content, sponsorship or licensing offerings.

- Qualify the opportunity and refer it to the Head Office Media Concept Sales team with a complete brief; support the pitch locally.

- Maintain regional relationships during execution and delivery of such engagements.

- Do not commit concept scope, pricing or IP usage independently — all such commitments rest with the Head Office team.

Collections, Credit & Channel Financial Hygiene

- Own collections for the entire region; ensure billing, credit terms and payment schedules are adhered to.

- Review the ageing statement weekly; act early on accounts crossing the approved credit period and stop supply where required.

- Recommend credit limits based on the partner's capability and track record, not on pressure to bill.

- Resolve billing disputes, short supply claims and rate differences promptly with Finance and Supply Chain.

- Ensure statutory documentation — GST details, PAN, agreements and declarations — is complete for every channel partner and institutional account.

Inventory, Supply Chain & Returns

- Provide accurate monthly and quarterly regional demand forecasts to Production and Supply Chain to avoid stock-outs and over-production.

- Monitor stock cover at every distributor and event point; keep it within the approved norm.

- Track slow-moving and non-moving titles in the region and propose liquidation, redistribution or return action.

- Ensure despatches, transit documentation and delivery timelines are followed up so that market service levels are maintained.

Regional Marketing, Visibility & Brand Building





- Execute national marketing and campaign plans in the region and provide regional feedback on effectiveness.

- Deploy display material, standees, posters and reading corners at key outlets and schools within the approved budget.

- Build relationships with regional media, school associations and reading communities to strengthen the ACK presence.

- Ensure that all local communication, artwork and character usage follows ACK's brand and IP guidelines without exception.

Team Leadership & Field Discipline

- Lead, coach and review a regional team of 4–8 Area Managers, Executives and Coordinators.

- Set individual targets, approve Permanent Journey Plans and monitor coverage, calls and productivity.

- Conduct structured joint field work with each direct report — observe, demonstrate and give specific feedback.

- Run a disciplined weekly review rhythm covering target, collections, coverage, institutional pipeline and blockers.

- Participate in hiring, onboarding, goal setting, mid-year review and annual appraisal as per ACK's PMS calendar.

- Identify skill gaps and arrange coaching or training with HR; build a successor for every critical territory.

- Ensure the team's conduct in the market reflects ACK's Code of Conduct and values at all times.

Market Intelligence & Competition Tracking

- Track competitor pricing, schemes, new launches, channel initiatives and school programmes in the region.

- Report category trends, retailer and school feedback, and title-level performance to Head Office in a usable format.

- Recommend region-specific title, pricing, language-edition or format opportunities based on market evidence.

Reporting, MIS & Systems Discipline

- Publish the monthly regional MIS on schedule: primary, secondary, collections, outstanding, coverage, returns and event performance.

- Maintain the distributor master, outlet universe, institutional account master and credit records accurately.

- Ensure the team uses the sales reporting system or CRM consistently — daily reports, order capture and market feedback.

- Provide inputs for annual budgeting, manpower planning and incentive computation to Finance and HR.

Compliance, Governance & Brand Custodianship

- Ensure signed distributor agreements, approved credit limits and complete documentation exist before any supply commences.

- Comply with ACK's Code of Conduct, Sampling Policy, Travel & Expense Policy, POSH Policy and Information Security norms.

- Accept no personal consideration from a channel partner, vendor or institutional buyer; declare any conflict of interest in writing.

- Account fully for Company stock, samples, display assets and event material issued to the region.

- Protect the ACK and Tinkle brand and its child audience in every commercial and display decision in the region.

📌 Area Sales Manager (Mumbai)
🏢 Amar Chitra Katha
📍 Mumbai