Solomon Lamola
Business Professional
Kempton Park
Summary
Accomplished business professional with a demonstrated history of driving business growth and building lasting client partnerships. Experienced in strategic planning, market analysis, and negotiation, consistently providing effective solutions. Recognized for a collaborative approach, adaptability, and a strong commitment to achieving objectives in fast-paced settings. Skilled in CRM systems, sales forecasting, and project management.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
KEY ACCOUNT AND DISTRIBUTOR MANAGER
SYENSQO
07.2023 - Current
- Managed direct key accounts and distributors in the Home and Personal Care market to achieve sales targets while maintaining profitable margins.
- Drove new business development and revenue growth by identifying and securing opportunities in untapped regions, expanding market share and brand visibility.
- Served as the customer contact for price negotiations, supply agreements, technical support, and satisfaction evaluation and ensuring customer needs and expectations were met.
- Acted as the link between customers and internal teams—including management, laboratory, logistics, accounting, credit, and legal—to fulfill customer requirements and resolve issues efficiently.
- Collaborated with the Product Asset Management (PAM) team to develop and implement quarterly pricing strategies with distributors.
- Conducted regular sales pipeline management meetings and distributor evaluations to optimize resource allocation, identify improvement areas, and drive continuous progress.
- Analyzed market trends, competitor activities, and product strengths to gather competitive intelligence and identify new opportunities.
- Promoted Syensqo products at trade shows, seminars, and through ongoing networking to enhance brand presence and industry connections.
- Led product training and demonstrations to customers and distributors.
- Developed and managed operational budgets to support business objectives.
- Working with the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) team on Monthly sales volume forecasting with the aim of maximizing plant and fleet utilization.
- Reported customer visits, leads, prospects, and sales activities in Salesforce CRM for effective tracking and planning.
- Fostered strong partnerships with distributor sales teams and held one-on-one meetings with team members to address challenges and share best practices, supporting a collaborative and high-performing sales environment.
- Provided exceptional customer service to both internal teams and external partners by addressing inquiries promptly, professionally, serving as a knowledgeable resource on company offerings.
SALES DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
SOLVAY POYMERS AND CHEMICALS
02.2016 - 06.2023
- Managed sales of polymers and chemicals to existing customers and distributors across the paint, coatings, home and personal care, and industrial solutions markets.
- Prospected and developed new customers, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and other untapped regions, to expand market share and enhance brand visibility.
- Served as the primary customer contact for price negotiations, supply agreements, technical support, and satisfaction assessments, ensuring customer needs were met.
- Acted as a liaison between customers and internal teams—including management, laboratory, logistics, accounting, credit, and legal—to fulfill requirements and resolve issues efficiently.
- Conducted comprehensive market research and analysis to identify emerging trends, evaluate new market opportunities, and inform strategic expansion decisions.
- Gathered competitive intelligence and communicated customer needs internally, advocating for solutions that meet or exceed expectations.
- Built and managed a diverse sales pipeline, optimizing pipeline management to improve forecasting accuracy, resource allocation, and quota achievement.
- Forecasted and budgeted sales volumes and revenues to maximize plant and fleet utilization while monitoring inventory levels to maintain optimal stock.
- Demonstrated products to potential customers, highlighting benefits and encouraging purchases.
- Participated in trade shows and conferences such as European Coatings Show (ECS), Coatings for Africa, InCosmetcis to promote products, network, and generate new leads.
- Reported customer visits, leads, prospects, and sales activities in Salesforce CRM for effective tracking and planning.
- Held one-on-one meetings with distributor sales team members to identify challenges and provide guidance on overcoming sales hurdles.
- Monitored local stock inventory levels to prevent stockouts or overstocking, maintaining an optimal balance for customer satisfaction.
SPECIALTY GAS SALES CONSULTANT
AIR LIQUIDE SOUTH AFRICA
01.2013 - 01.2016
- Drove the promotion and growth of specialty gases and gas-related equipment offered by Air Liquide.
- Sourced new business opportunities to expand the customer base and increase market share through cold calling, networking, marketing initiatives, and leveraging prospective database leads.
- Delivered product demonstrations to enhance customer understanding of product features and benefits.
- Tracked and reported on competitor activities.
- Supported the sales manager in preparing sales budgets.
- Assisted with the collection of outstanding customer payments to minimize debtor days.
- Represented the company at trade shows and exhibitions.
- Maintained comprehensive records of daily activities in the CRM system.
TECHNICAL SALES ENGINEER
HENKEL SOUTH AFRICA
01.2012 - 12.2012
- Maintained ongoing relationships with customers and distributors to encourage repeat business.
- Reached out to potential clients, assessed their needs, and recommended Henkel products and services that best suited their requirements.
- Monitored competitor activities and analyzed market trends to develop strategic responses leveraging our product strengths.
- Conducted on-site chemical testing at customer locations to ensure parameters met specifications and provided guidance on necessary adjustments for optimal performance.
- Managed the sales pipeline to enhance forecasting accuracy and optimize resource allocation.
- Delivered technical training sessions to distributors and direct customers, ensuring comprehensive understanding of product features and applications.
- Represented the company at trade shows and seminars to promote products and expand industry connections.
- Recorded forecasts, monthly highlights, customer complaints, and sales reports in the CRM system.
PROCESS CHEMIST – PROCESS CONTROL LABORATORY
SCAW METALS GROUP
04.2010 - 01.2012
- Oversaw process control for three manufacturing departments.
- Enhanced chemical processes by designing and conducting experiments aimed at improving product quality and operational efficiency.
- Analyzed production data to identify trends and highlight areas for improvement, supporting ongoing process optimization.
- Maintained comprehensive documentation of experimental methods, results, and observations for accurate records and future reference.
- Employed analytical techniques such as HPLC, GC-MS, and NMR spectroscopy to characterize reaction products and ensure batch-to-batch purity and consistency.
- Collaborated with the Quality Control department to resolve deviations from specifications or performance issues identified during routine product testing.
- Strengthened laboratory safety by implementing proper handling procedures and equipment maintenance protocols, leading to a reduction in workplace incidents.
- Provided technical support to the sales team by advising on product specifications and application recommendations tailored to customer requirements.
- Performed root cause analyses of process failures and implemented corrective actions to prevent recurrence, maintaining high quality standards.
TRAINEE PROCESS CHEMIST
SCAW METALS GROUP
01.2009 - 03.2010
Education
Postgraduate Diploma in Management Practice - Business Management
Henley Business School South Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa 04.2001 -
Bachelor of technology - Polymer Technology
Tshwane University of Technology
National diploma - chemical engineering
Tshwane University of Technology
Skills
Relationship-building
Effective negotiation techniques
Strategic business development
CRM systems
Pricing strategy
Channel management
Product demonstrations
Market analysis
Competitive analysis
Driver License
Code 10
Contact
063 502 1621, 012 942 8723, SolomonL554@gmail.com
Language Proficiencies
- English
- Afrikaans
- Zulu
- Sepedi
Personal Information
- Date of Birth: 01/29/88
- Gender: Male
On The Job Courses
- Complete Skilled Negotiator - GAP Partnership
- Value Pricing - Solvay University
- Selling Skills - Solvay University
- Remote Customer Intimacy - Solvay University
Timeline
KEY ACCOUNT AND DISTRIBUTOR MANAGER
SYENSQO
07.2023 - Current
SALES DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
SOLVAY POYMERS AND CHEMICALS
02.2016 - 06.2023
SPECIALTY GAS SALES CONSULTANT
AIR LIQUIDE SOUTH AFRICA
01.2013 - 01.2016
TECHNICAL SALES ENGINEER
HENKEL SOUTH AFRICA
01.2012 - 12.2012
PROCESS CHEMIST – PROCESS CONTROL LABORATORY
SCAW METALS GROUP
04.2010 - 01.2012
TRAINEE PROCESS CHEMIST
SCAW METALS GROUP
01.2009 - 03.2010
Postgraduate Diploma in Management Practice - Business Management
Henley Business School South Africa
04.2001 -
Bachelor of technology - Polymer Technology
Tshwane University of Technology
National diploma - chemical engineering
Tshwane University of Technology
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