Sbusiso Blessing Sithole

• Spearheaded strategic brand plans for multiple product lines to increase market share and brand awareness.
• Planned, implemented, and tracked sales and marketing strategies to promote brand products.
• Overseeing sales performance - Developing strategies for Sales growth, training sales personnel on functions necessary to achieve targets
• Working closely with sales teams across various regions to achieve aligned Sales Strategy
• Led team of marketing professionals, offering mentoring and coaching to build knowledge and skills.
• Closely managing sales portfolio to analyze and track trends, patterns and movements of sales to understand how the brand operated in various locations and the market behavior towards the brand
• Analyzed customer feedback and market trends to make informed decisions about product and brand messaging.
• Monitored and evaluated marketing and advertising campaigns to support brand consistency and engagement.
• Conducted research and analysis to determine brand positioning and messaging.
• Market analysis to determine if right products were placed in the right stores to suit clientele
• Develop strategies to align products with relevant target market to generate sales and keep momentum once established
• Sourcing suitable locations to open new stores with clientele
• Sourcing suitable stores to partner with in distribution of products in the Wear SA brand
• Working closely with stakeholders to ensure alignment of Wear SA brand strategy
• Building relationships with relevant stakeholders to ensure smooth operation of brand within stores
• Sourcing new, unconventional avenues of marketing the brand and selling the products
• Developed business model that generated a new revenue stream
• Later this model was adopted into the company as a stand-alone department and was in the process of being established to function and operate fully as a sub-business
• Aligning brand with local and international retail standards
• I designed bespoke sales strategies and marketing plans for locations that the brand was operating in
• Managed and oversaw creative projects to drive quality, accuracy and deadline management.
• Cultivated relationships with key stakeholders, vendors and industry influencers to create positive brand experiences.
• Consulted with product development teams to enhance products based on customer interest data.
• Mentored local personnel on best practices and protocols to maximize productivity.
• Managed budget allocation and resource utilization to maximize marketing ROI.
• Executed comprehensive marketing plans that consistently achieved targets for increased revenue.
• Devised content strategy to effectively engage target audiences.
• Analyzed and reported on KPIs to validate and demonstrate success of marketing campaigns.
• Secured long-term accounts by recommending strategies to promote brand effectiveness and highlight product benefits.
• Captured new customers by optimizing business strategies and launching products to diversify offerings.
• Generated sponsorships with related and partnering entities to enhance marketing objectives.
• Established, initiated and optimized business development strategies based on company targets, product specifications, market data, and budget factors.
• Conducted market research to identify new opportunities and target markets.
• Continually maintained and improved company's reputation and positive image in markets served.
• Coordinated with design and media teams to develop high-quality creative assets.
• Organized and delivered training sessions for new product content and technological advancements.
• Incorporated product changes into marketing messages to drive customer engagement and maximize profits.
• Developed and executed branding campaigns to educate target audiences on product features, benefits and values.
• Researched market trends to identify customer needs and preferences for strategic planning.
• Created and managed budgets to maximize brand reach and engagement.
• Researched and identified new opportunities for product and brand development.
• Compiled product and customer data to generate informed profit projections.

• Elite Lifestyle Clothing started out buying clothes from local suppliers, we also promoted local designers by selling some of their items in our store
• Later introduced our own clothing line – where we designed our own clothes and had them made
• The business expanded to having its own design studio and a mini sewing outlet to produce the designs sketched by the studio
• Opened a fully functional CMT in 2013
• Expanded the business to open a second store in 2014 and a third store in 2015.
• Consulted with customers to assess needs and propose optimal solutions.
• Oversaw business budget planning and administration, accounting functions, purchasing, and bi-weekly payroll to handle financial needs.
• Trained and motivated employees to perform daily business functions.
• Put together realistic budgets based upon costs and fees for successfully operating business.
• Adhered to regulatory and policy changes and made necessary adjustments to maintain overall success.
• Conducted target market research to discover customer needs and analyze competitor trends.
• Developed and implemented marketing strategies to generate new customers and increase sales and profit margins.
• Prepared annual budgets with controls to prevent overages.
• Organized and attended trade shows and special events to showcase products, network with other businesses and attract new customers.
• Introduced new methods, practices, and systems to reduce turnaround time.
• Performed statistical analyses to gather data for operational and forecast team needs.
• Trained new employees on proper protocols and customer service standards.
• Mitigated business risks by working closely with staff members and assessing performance.
• Handled problematic customers and clients to assist lower-level employees and maintain excellent customer service.
• Implemented business strategies, increasing revenue and effectively targeting new markets.
• Tracked trends and suggested enhancements to both challenge and refine company's product offerings.
• Assisted in recruiting, hiring and training of team members.
• Trained and guided team members to maintain high productivity and performance metrics.
• Supervised creation of exciting merchandise displays to catch attention of store customers.
• Recruited, hired, and trained initial personnel, working to establish key internal functions and outline scope of positions for the business.
• Reduced financial inconsistencies while assessing and verifying billing invoices and expense reports.
• Reduced budgetary expenditures by effectively negotiating contracts for more advantageous terms.
• Observed each employee's individual strengths and initiated mentoring program to improve areas of weakness.
• Cultivated and strengthened lasting client relationships using strong issue resolution and dynamic communication skills.
• Implemented innovative programs to increase employee loyalty and reduce turnover.
• Managed purchasing, sales, marketing and customer account operations efficiently.
• Interacted well with customers to build connections and nurture relationships.
• Identified and qualified customer needs and negotiated and closed profitable projects with high success rate.
• Negotiated price and service with customers and vendors to decrease expenses and increase profit.
• Reduced operational risks while organizing data to forecast performance trends.

When I took on the role of Business Partner in the Gateway store, the store was bringing in less than 30% in revenue, the main reasons were the store’s small size (about 75m2) and an ineffective team.

The objectives that I set for myself for the store, were to increase the Gross and Net profit month on month, to reduce the high turnover volumes and put in place strategies to maximize the store’s potential:

• Analyzing stores’ holistic performance, to understand the Gross and Nett profitability, based on a track record of 2 years and observing day to day functions of the store
• Understanding existing and potential clientele by analyzing the surrounding stores in the Gateway centre
• Managed strategic partnership initiatives to drive measurable outcomes and deeper relationships with cross-functional teams.
• Understanding the strategic intent of the main centre for its clientele, to leverage off it: o This enabled me to closely align with the centre’s brand and marketing initiatives o In my ongoing engagements with centre management, I built key relationships which afforded the store unique opportunities to participate in and contribute to the centre’s main events; placing the Aca Joe brand at the forefront of Gateway’s main marketing initiatives
• This obviously contributed greatly to sales and increasing our visibility and customer base
• Monitoring the performance of products in conjunction with campaigns set out by the centre as well as those proposed by the Aca Joe brand, to determine effectiveness
• Developing bespoke strategies aligned with the main centre’s objectives to drive sales
• Sales strategies always necessitated team buy in, training and restructuring of some of the operational functions, readjusting the focus of management functions as well as store layout in some instances
• Driving competitions within the store among team members and other stores within the 54 Platinum Group stores became a significant tool in motivating the team to perform over and above set targets
• The biggest change I implemented following my analysis of the store, was to strip the store layout and redesign it in a way that was more conducive to achieving a more practical and pleasant customer and employee experience
• The redesigned layout resulted in more effective use of what seemed like a small space
• Maintained internal control safeguards for receipt of revenue, costs and organizational budgets and actual expenditures
• Developed work plans, gathered and synthesized data, led analyses and implemented recommendations to define, structure and execute strategic and operational initiatives.
• Infused and drove diversity practices into company culture, values and engagement initiatives to foster environment of inclusion and support.
• Chaired partner meetings to drive discussion of matters important to business operations, keeping discourse on-topic and moving at efficient pace.
• Collaborated with peers in other stores to ensure brand alignment and synergy
• Provided outstanding service to all individuals, promoting effective, and lasting business relationships.
• Monitored store performance and provided feedback on areas of improvement.
• Prepared and presented reports on status of projects and initiatives.
• Stayed informed on industry developments and market trends to gain competitive advantage.
• Developed and implemented strategies to enhance store relations.
• Collaborated with colleagues and support staff to maximize team efficiency.
• Evaluated productivity and quality of service and made recommendations for improvement to reach store's short-term and long-term goals.
• Negotiated contracts with suppliers to get best prices and positively impact the ROI
• Networked with other professionals and organizations to expand contacts and opportunities.
• One of my proudest moments of working the Gateway store was developing a bespoke incentive structure for the Sharks rugby players, which resulted in a brand affiliation deal with the team
• Achieving R10million in sales, in a 75m2 space during the month of December 2009, because of the store’s exclusive affiliation with the
• Managing the store successfully to achieve the Top store accolade, as the highest performing store and for being the most profitable store for 3 consecutive years.

My main duties and responsibilities were centered around stimulating the stores’ capability to generate a revenue above the break-even point:.

• Assessed reports to evaluate performance, develop targeted improvements, and implement changes.
• Developed sales strategy based on research of consumer buying trends and market conditions.
• Developing and execution of sales strategies to drive and increase sales
• Developing and executing customer service processes, plans and methods to increase customer base, build and retain customer loyalty and where necessary revive it
• Dedicated to expanding client bases by building lasting relationships.
• Staying abreast trends in the Retail Industry locally and internationally in order to feed into decision making processes for staff training, brand alignment and product selection
• Implemented Product Rotation tactic, to ensure that products in each store were suitable and appropriate for the target market in that area
• Exceeded sales forecast figures by 20% regularly through superior customer care.
• Directing and guiding application of the most suitable marketing methods for each store, e.g. creative window displays and merchandising, posters in the store and around the Malls, etc.
• Increased overall sales by 30% (yoy) through capitalizing on new potential opportunities and developing and maintaining partnerships with subsidiary stores and partner stores
• Directed workforce planning, customer retention and customer service management for multiple locations.
• Drove revenues and team morale by developing and deploying sales contests.
• Staff recruitment, overseeing that we attracted and retained suitable candidates who were both a brand and culture fit for each store.
• Designing job appropriate training and brand resonance workshops for staff
• Managed staff performance to ensure maximum target achievement
• Located, developed, and promoted talented employees to cultivate collaborative and hardworking leadership team.
• Modeled best practices for sales and customer service.
• Held meetings with director to identify techniques to overcome sales obstacles.
• Worked diligently to resolve unique and recurring complaints, promoting loyalty, and enhancing operations.
• Met deadlines by proactively managing individual and team tasks and streamlining processes.
• Built positive and productive relationships with store and field leadership.
• Optimized in-store merchandising and monitored inventory availability to increase sales.
• Evaluated costs against expected market price points and set structures to achieve profit targets.
• Coordinated with other district managers to actualize performance improvement strategies.
• Generated financial and operational reports to assist management with business strategy.
• Optimized team performance with newly implemented sales and merchandising procedures.
• Modeled strong negotiation skills to help team members close tough deals with lucrative clients.
• Exceeded sales targets with well-developed sales strategy and empowering team coaching.
• Introduced cost-saving initiatives to reduce losses and increase profit margin.

• In my role as a Stylist my duties were mainly assisting customers with selecting and matching items of clothing to create suitable looks and outfits
• The engaging manner with which I assisted customers contributed greatly to achieving set sales targets
• Recorded notes for future reference about customer preferences on available clothing styles.
• Fielded customer questions to share information about products, availability, and pricing.
• Processed payments, entering sales in register for prompt customer service.
• Retained excellent client satisfaction ratings through outstanding service delivery.
• Prepared items for photo shoots by removing tags, buffing surfaces and arranging layouts.
• Increased sales 15% by analyzing customer needs and recommending most suitable item matches to suite client's taste.
• Organized sales area and work station to showcase products and boost sales.
• Used consultative sales techniques to understand customer needs and recommend relevant products and services.
• Monitored current trends to understand fashions and better serve customer needs.
• Helped customers locate products and checked store system for merchandise at other sites.
• Entered, coded and processed vendor invoices and helped track expenses for capitalizations.
• Built strong and lasting rapport with clients through consistent delivery of requested services and exceptional results.
• Represented desired product features in shoots to enhance appearance and improve consumer purchasing numbers.
• Sourced materials and props for photo shoots to enhance products and appearance of subjects.
• Created memorable customer experiences through friendly and engaging communication
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to identify and address customer needs.
• Used customer insights to develop innovative sales strategies to increase sales.
• Developed and maintained comprehensive understanding of products, services and competitors to enhance sales presentations.
• Stayed current on company offerings and industry trends.
• Gained customer trust and confidence by demonstrating compelling, persuasive and composed professional demeanor.
• Set and achieved company defined sales goals.
• Informed customers of promotions to increase sales productivity and volume.
• Attended monthly sales meetings and quarterly sales trainings.
• Contributed to event marketing, sales and brand promotion.
• Collaborated with managers to provide customer feedback and recommend operational changes to meet emerging trends.
• Greeted customers and offered assistance with selecting merchandise, finding accessories and completing purchases.
• Built diverse and consistent sales portfolio.