Deon van der Merwe
Business Unit Manager KwaZulu-Natal
Durban,KZN
Summary
Experienced Business Unit Manager skillful in monitoring and managing daily business operations with focus on continuous improvement. Transforms underperforming operations into successful enterprises using resourcefulness and high-level business acumen. Decisive and analytical with 24 year history of successful industry performance.
Results-oriented, decisive leader adept at forging lucrative relationships with key partners, vendors and clients. Recognized for turning around struggling company operations to achieve sustained growth.
Collaborative leader with dedication to partnering with coworkers to promote engaged, empowering work culture. Documented strengths in building and maintaining relationships with diverse range of stakeholders in dynamic, fast-paced settings.
Overview
2
2
Languages
3
3
years of post-secondary education
26
26
years of professional experience
Work History
Business Unit Manager
Datacentrix
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
02.2011 - Current
- Created, managed and executed business plan and communicated company vision and objectives to motivate teams.
- Enhanced and redefined organizational structure to maintain company's competitive edge across territories.
- Spearheaded overhaul of company best practices to significantly increase staff retention rates.
- Spearheaded business operations by consistently seeking methods to improve profitability through cost containment and revenue generation.
- Implemented automation strategies for office operations, correspondence management, schedule coordination and recordkeeping.
- Oversaw and improved deliveries through proactive coordination of daily operations.
- Chaired weekly meetings with executive leadership to identify opportunities for improvement, establish milestones and tailor products to individual markets.
- Capitalized on industry and marketplace trends to enhance sales solutions and approaches.
- Identified market product demands and customer trends to bring in new customers and retain existing ones for sustainable profits.
- Reduced or eliminated different types of financial discrepancies by improving documentation and reporting accuracy for budget and operational controls.
- Communicated with customers and vendors positively with particular attention to problem resolution.
- Led company to successful product launch and growth by developing initial product roadmap and go-to-market strategy.
- Hired exceptional candidates and led staff to maximize productivity and eliminate process lags.
- Brought in new business connections and revenue generation opportunities by improving networking strategies.
- Defined clear targets and objectives and communicated to other team members.
- Established performance goals for employees and provided feedback on methods for reaching those milestones.
- Engaged prospects and customers through various events, including trade shows, seminars and workshops.
- Recruited and developed Managed Services employees for Managed Services department.
- Communicated best practices among on-site and external personnel to align efforts and goals.
- Performed customer needs assessments and coordinated resolutions with supply chain and quality teams.
- Directed training and retraining of employees to boost performance and enhance business results.
- Set aggressive targets for employees to drive company success and strengthen motivation.
- Developed detailed plans based on broad guidance and direction.
- Evaluated existing operations and current market trends to identify necessary improvements and capitalize on changes.
- Maintained professional demeanor by staying calm when addressing unhappy or angry customers.
- Used Information Technology expertise, customer service skills and analytical nature to resolve customer concerns and promote loyalty.
- Prepared quotes for new products and services and composed budgets.
- Maintained financial accuracy when handling over R200 Million in revenue each year
Sales Manager
Datacentrix
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
02.2003 - 02.2011
- Monitored customer buying trends, market conditions and competitor actions to adjust strategies and achieve sales goals.
- Developed value-added solutions and approaches by leveraging trends in customer marketplaces and industries.
- Developed strategic relationships with key suppliers and clients to foster profitable business initiatives.
- Grew market penetration and sales figures by leveraging supplier relationships and personally overseeing negotiations resulting in 2000% revenue increase.
- Reduced expenses by effectively negotiating contractor prices, terms and service agreements.
- Maintained relationships with customers and found new ones by identifying needs and offering appropriate services.
- Organized promotional events and interacted with community to increase sales volume.
- Developed innovative marketing campaigns to increase engagement with target demographic and drive brand exposure.
- Coached employees in successful selling methods and encouraged cross-selling to drive revenue.
- Monitored metrics and marketing investments to assess performance and implement continuous improvements.
- Grew sales and boosted profits, applying proactive management strategies and enhancing sales training.
- Developed and implemented comprehensive salesperson training program.
- Exceeded regional annual sales targets
- Identified, hired and trained highly-qualified staff by teaching best practices, procedures and sales strategies.
- Collaborated with internal teams and suppliers to evaluate costs against expected market price points and set structures to achieve profit targets.
- Held weekly meetings with Account Managers to identify techniques to overcome sales obstacles.
- Delivered engaging sales presentations to new clients, explaining technical information in simplified language to promote features and increase client base.
- Improved sales processes to streamline customer acquisition and onboarding strategies.
- Aggressively pursued competitive accounts by differentiating company from competitors.
Senior Account Manager
Datacentrix
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
04.2001 - 02.2004
- Delivered sales presentations and pitches to clients, upper management and junior sales associates for demonstration.
- Cultivated productive relationships with business representatives and consulted closely to uncover needs and match to available solutions.
- Developed deep knowledge of customer businesses and relationship to company objectives.
- Improved account management by predicting potential competitive threats and outlining proactive solutions.
- Read and prioritized leads and delegated potential new sales to junior account managers.
- Motivated team members to meet and exceed sales targets.
- Contributed to annual revenue goals by selling new services and developing new accounts.
- Prepared client budgets by reviewing client billing and managing monthly invoices.
- Provided extensive support in sales, technical and business areas to key accounts.
- Obtained pricing deals, negotiated contracts and solidified beneficial agreements.
- Originated new business transactions by incorporating expertise and value propositions.
- Organized client feedback and introduced streamlined process of replying to and rectifying complaints.
- Mentored junior account management professionals to develop skills and increase company revenue.
- Worked with customers to develop strategic business and account plans.
- Supervised 4 lower-level account managers to maintain excellent services for over 50 accounts
Business Owner
Comp-u-Rom
Kloof, KwaZulu-Natal
03.1996 - 03.2001
- Devised and deployed sales and marketing tactics to drive strategic growth and support achievement of revenue goals.
- Put together realistic budgets based upon costs and fees for successfully operating business.
- Oversaw business budget planning and administration, accounting functions, purchasing and bi-weekly payroll to handle financial needs.
- Provided outstanding coaching to employees to boost productivity.
- Optimized team hiring, training and performance.
- Assessed supplier quality to maintain tight cost controls and maximize business operational performance.
- Remained up-to-date on current trends and attended industry trade shows and markets to view and order inventory.
- Kept all building areas and equipment functional and well-organized to promote business performance.
- Created and monitored promotional approaches to increase sales and profit levels.
- Maintained updated knowledge of regulatory changes to adjust business operations accordingly.
- Maintained motivated and well-paid sales team by calculating commission payments on time.
- Conducted target market research to scope out industry competition and identify advantageous trends.
- Studied market to determine optimal pricing of goods and services and to capitalize on emerging opportunities.
- Consulted with customers to assess needs and propose optimal solutions.
- Trained and motivated employees to perform daily business functions.
- Employed prompt decision-making and in-depth research to resolve issues.
- Used print strategies such as newspaper ads, business catalogs and marketing brochures to bring in and capture new customer business.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Honors Degree in Political Science
Potchefstroom CHE University
Potchefstroom 02.1994 - 11.1994
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science
Potchefstroom CHE University
Potchefstroom 02.1991 - 11.1993
Skills
Operational leadership
Cross-functional communication
Operations management
Strategic planning
Staff Management
Customer Relations
Business Development
Negotiation
Budgeting
Business planning
Accomplishments
- KZN Department of Health Outsource (4 years)
- South African National Parks Outsource (5 years)
- KZN Treasury ERP and HR security solution (11 years)
- Umgeni Water Network Services Outsource (10 years)
- Tronox South Africa Outsource (6 years)
- Afripack Flexibles Outsource (12 years)
- Department of Human Settlements Outsource (3 years)
- 2018 Business Unit Manager of the year
- Business Unit Target achiever for the following years: 2018,17,16,15 and 2014
- Sales Manager Target achiever for the following years: 2009,8,7,6 and 2005
- Senior Account Manager Target achiever for the following years 2004, 2 and 2001
Lead teams that won the following, highly profitable, large multi year contracts:
Was awarded the the following awards:
Timeline
Business Unit Manager
Datacentrix
02.2011 - Current
Sales Manager
Datacentrix
02.2003 - 02.2011
Senior Account Manager
Datacentrix
04.2001 - 02.2004
Business Owner
Comp-u-Rom
03.1996 - 03.2001
Bachelor of Arts - Honors Degree in Political Science
Potchefstroom CHE University
02.1994 - 11.1994
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science
Potchefstroom CHE University
02.1991 - 11.1993