Here is a breakdown and slight expansion on the essential duties you listed, emphasizing the "why" behind them:
1. Achieving Sales Targets (The Goal)
What it is: The fundamental responsibility of meeting or exceeding predetermined sales and revenue goals (monthly, quarterly, annually).
Why it's important: This is the primary measure of a sales professional's success and directly impacts the company's financial health. It often involves pipeline management and forecasting to ensure targets are hit consistently.
2. Distribution and Network Management (The Reach)
What it is: Building, maintaining, and optimizing the network of partners (dealers, distributors, retailers) who sell the product to the end consumer.
Why it's important: A robust network ensures products are available where the customers shop. This involves recruiting new partners, training existing ones, and ensuring the relationship is mutually profitable.
3. Sales Operations (The Action)
What it is: The day-to-day activities that drive sales, such as regular physical visits to points of sale (dealers/retailers), conducting in-store checks, and generating orders.
Why it's important: This ensures stock availability (preventing out-of-stock situations), product visibility (ensuring the product is well-displayed), and often involves merchandising efforts at the counter to influence customer purchase decisions.
4. Market Analysis and Strategy (The Planning)
What it is: Analyzing the market to identify growth opportunities (new areas/segments/products) and contributing to the sales strategy. Market mapping is used to identify unserved areas or high-potential customer clusters.
Why it's important: This moves beyond just selling and focuses on strategic growth—increasing sales volume and market share. It means understanding the competition and consumer trends to help design effective product campaigns and sales approaches.
5. Reporting and Administration (The Accountability)
What it is: Documenting all activities, preparing detailed sales reports, creating accurate forecasts for future sales, and conducting performance analyses.
Why it's important: This provides crucial data for management to make business decisions (like production planning or resource allocation). It also often involves managing CRM/sales database records to ensure customer and prospect information is up-to-date and accessible.