Salil Srivastava
Senior Area Sales Manager
Lucknow
Summary
Dynamic sales and marketing professional with over 18 years of experience in business development, channel management, distribution, and team leadership across the beverages, FMCG, and telecom sectors. Currently serving as Senior Area Manager for the Lucknow region at Varun Beverages, overseeing large teams and comprehensive territory operations. Expertise includes strategic planning, AOP execution, and driving growth in both 'More' business initiatives and core CSD portfolios. Committed to fostering talent development, managing key accounts, and achieving sustainable, profitable growth.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Area Sales Manager
Varun Beverages
Lucknow
03.2025 - Current
- Lead end-to-end sales operations for both Core (CSD – carbonated soft drinks) and “More” portfolio (Juices, Dairy, Energy Drinks, Water, etc.) across the assigned territory.
- Drive volume, value, and market share growth by ensuring aggressive execution of Annual Operating Plan (AOP) and monthly targets.
- Manage primary, secondary, and tertiary sales performance, ensuring strong off-take and distributor ROI.
- Develop and implement route-to-market (RTM) strategies to maximize outlet coverage, numeric distribution, and product visibility.
- Handle distributor management, including appointment, ROI tracking, inventory norms, and claim settlements.
- Ensure availability of entire SKU mix (Core + More) with focus on driving high-margin and strategic brands.
- Lead and mentor a team of Area Sales Managers, Territory Sales Officers, and frontline executives, ensuring strong market execution and capability building.
- Set clear KRAs, track productivity metrics (beat efficiency, strike rate, lines sold), and drive performance culture.
- Strengthen key account management (Modern Trade, Institutions, HoReCa, and large format outlets) to improve share of business and visibility.
- Plan and execute market activations, trade schemes, and consumer promotions to boost brand visibility and offtake.
- Collaborate with supply chain, plant, and logistics teams to ensure demand planning, stock availability, and minimal stock-outs across depots.
- Monitor and control sales budgets, trade spends, and market investments to ensure optimal ROI.
- Analyze market intelligence, competitor activities, and pricing strategies to take corrective actions and identify growth opportunities.
- Ensure strict adherence to company policies, compliance, and reporting systems (MIS, sales dashboards, forecasting tools).
- Drive expansion of “More” business by increasing penetration in existing outlets and opening new channels, ensuring portfolio diversification beyond core CSD.
Area Sales Manager
Indospirit Beverages
Lucknow
03.2021 - Current
- Oversee sales operations across 22 districts and 56 FL2 outlets, leading a team of 8 members.
- Drive sales for a diverse portfolio including Wine, Beer, BIO, BII, and RTD products.
- Manage primary and secondary sales to consistently achieve monthly volume and revenue targets.
- Develop and execute market coverage plans to maximize reach, distribution efficiency, and market share.
- Recruit, train, and mentor team members to ensure effective execution of daily sales operations.
- Monitor and control the regional sales budget, ensuring optimal utilization of resources.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with retailers, FL2 owners, and key stakeholders to enhance sales and distribution strategies.
- Coordinate with plant and logistics teams to ensure seamless supply chain and product availability across the region.
Jio Center Manager
Relince JIO
Lucknow
08.2018 - 03.2021
- Spearheaded end-to-end cross-functional operations across Sales & Distribution, Supply Chain (SCM), Finance, and Retail/Store Operations, ensuring seamless execution and business continuity.
- Drove aggressive sales growth and distribution expansion through strategic acquisition of SIM and JioPhone, strengthening subscriber base and market penetration.
- Ensured operational excellence of Jio Centers by optimizing processes, improving customer experience, and maintaining high service standards.
- Led network expansion and infrastructure growth initiatives, including strategic site acquisition to enhance coverage and market reach.
- Strengthened market execution by ensuring superior product availability, visibility (merchandising), and last-mile connectivity across retail touchpoints.
- Managed and optimized performance of a 21-distributor network, driving alignment, inventory efficiency, and secondary sales growth.
- Led, coached, and developed a 42-member frontline team, driving productivity, accountability, and high-performance sales culture.
Area Sales Manager
Telenor India Ltd.
02.2016 - 05.2018
- Drove sales and distribution performance by achieving targets across net additions and revenue growth, ensuring sustained business expansion.
- Spearheaded distributor onboarding and alignment, strengthening the channel network in line with business objectives and market requirements.
- Ensured optimal product availability and in-market visibility, enhancing reach, retail execution, and customer acquisition.
- Managed a distribution ecosystem of 12 distributors, 32 FOS, and a team of 4 TSM/TSEs, driving productivity, coverage, and execution excellence.
- Led talent acquisition and capability development initiatives, including structured training programs to enhance team performance and field effectiveness.
- Identified and developed new markets and customer segments, driving territory expansion and unlocking new revenue streams.
- Designed and executed sales targets, incentive structures, and go-to-market strategies, aligning team efforts with overall business goals.
Territory Sales Manager
Idea Cellular Ltd.
11.2012 - 02.2016
- Delivered consistent sales and distribution outcomes by driving both gross and net additions across key product lines including Prepaid services, Smartphones, and Data Cards, supporting overall subscriber and revenue expansion.
- Managed end-to-end distributor induction and enablement, ensuring partners were well-aligned on ROI expectations, operational processes, and business objectives to improve channel performance.
- Strengthened market presence and product reach by ensuring continuous availability and strong retail visibility, thereby improving customer accessibility and offtake.
- Supervised a channel structure comprising 5 distributors, 18 Direct Sales Executives, and 2 Team Leaders, focusing on productivity enhancement and field execution discipline.
- Conceptualized and implemented market-specific growth initiatives and sales programs aimed at improving revenue streams and subscriber acquisition rates.
- Turned around underperforming LUT locations into profitable units through focused execution improvements, better resource utilization, and demand generation efforts.
Territory Sales Incharge
Pidilite Industries
03.2008 - 11.2012
- Achieved sales targets through retail channel execution, driving consistent secondary sales and improving market penetration.
- Ensured continuous product availability and strong in-store visibility across retail outlets, enhancing customer reach and brand recall.
- Managed distribution operations across 2 channels and 380 retail outlets, ensuring efficient last-mile delivery and market coverage.
- Oversaw end-to-end inventory management and supply chain coordination, ensuring timely replenishment and minimizing stock-outs.
- Strengthened distribution efficiency and service levels by coordinating with supply chain and logistics teams for smooth product flow.
- Monitored retail execution standards, including merchandising, product placement, and scheme implementation to drive sales uplift.
- Built strong retailer relationships and engagement programs to improve loyalty, secondary sales, and product push in the market.
- Analyzed market demand patterns and stock movement trends to optimize inventory planning and reduce wastage.
- Supported promotional and trade marketing activities at outlet level to enhance visibility and drive customer conversion.
Education
MBA - Marketing & Finance
United Institute Of Management
Allahabad 04.2001 -
University Of Allahabad
Allahabad01-2006
Accomplishments
- Completed a two-day workshop on Managerial Leadership & Team Building, enhancing team management and leadership effectiveness.
- Developed strong skills in data interpretation and sales analysis to support informed decision-making.
- Successfully completed the “Customer is King” program, gaining deeper insights into consumer behavior and customer-centric selling.
- Trained in structured problem-solving methodologies through the “How to Crack the Nut” program, enabling effective root cause analysis and solution implementation.
Interests
Sports & Traveling
Trainings & Certifications
- Attended two days workshop on ‘Manager Leadership & Team Building Program’
- Data interpretation and analysis
- To understand Consumer behavior program on ‘Customer is King’
- ‘How to Crack the Nut’ ways and step by step process of Problem solving
Timeline
Senior Area Sales Manager
Varun Beverages
03.2025 - Current
Area Sales Manager
Indospirit Beverages
03.2021 - Current
Jio Center Manager
Relince JIO
08.2018 - 03.2021
Area Sales Manager
Telenor India Ltd.
02.2016 - 05.2018
Territory Sales Manager
Idea Cellular Ltd.
11.2012 - 02.2016
Territory Sales Incharge
Pidilite Industries
03.2008 - 11.2012
MBA - Marketing & Finance
United Institute Of Management
04.2001 -
University Of Allahabad