Willem Wessels

I am a B2B solutions sales specialist, hitting sales targets of R200 million since 2017, as an experienced relationship builder and sales hunter who is well-networked with commercial, retail, fast food, airline caterers and logistics entities to supply products of high quality consistently on tight deadlines.

I am an experienced management professional with 13 years of experience in Sales Management in South Africa and Botswana. My responsibilities include Business Development, Key Accounts Management, Strategy Implementation, and Customer Relations. I consider myself strategically strong, with an operational focus and a good business communicator.

In my previous firm, many of the products were produced for export to Europe, the Middle East and China. I was included in Sealed Air’s EMEA 2014 Winning Performers Recognition Program. 

I consider myself a life-long learner and am constantly enriching my knowledge with academic courses in the various fields of business. It is essential to continue learning and stay up to date with the latest business trends and business fields of learning.

During my time in post-production, I managed and coordinated the recording, album packaging design, press junkets and promotional tours of four album releases. “WOEMA MUSIC” was nominated for a SAMA award in 2000 for best album packaging and was responsible for the first edit of each episode of Danie Odendaal’s TV Production “7de Laan”.

May 2017 – Present

Sales Manager

Eggs – R-Easy Johannesburg

I have been growing my existing sales volume over the last six years through constant nurturing of customer relations and grasping each opportunity for new business and sales within my client base. I also grew the business by converting customer leads into loyal customers and building those relationships through professional service, excellent business communication skills and a personal touch. Our clients range from Enterprise sized global food producers to Retail preparation facilities to airlines.

My budgeting and forecasting submissions have enabled our finance department to plan capex outlay effectively, drive tactical decisions, outlay anticipated expenses and present our P&L forecast accurately to our board of Directors monthly. I form part of the management team that formulates strategy and executes this strategy through my Sales role. Negotiating pricing with customers forms part of my responsibility. Doing this through thorough market analysis, being familiar with the competitor’s pricing and understanding the input costs and relevant cost drivers of the product sold assisted me in this task. 

My role as Sales Manager also led me to work closely with our Operations, Quality and Finance team, where I have gained valuable experience in understanding these Business Functions more in-depth. Problem-solving and finding solutions for daily work issues also form part of my role, and I ensure that the quality of service and product does not fall by the wayside.  Continued learning is part of my work ethic. I have successfully completed courses in Financial Analysis and Operations Management to further contribute to the organisation outside of my current Sales Role. 

October 2010 – May 2017 

Key Accounts Manager

Sealed Air 

As my first entry into Sales, I was tasked to manage key accounts in Gauteng, Free State and Botswana to sell the protein packaging solutions of the international company Sealed Air.  My customers were the leading suppliers in Wholesale and Retail for the Beef, Cheese, and Processed Meat sector, with many of the products being produced for export to Europe, the Middle East and China.  Managing and coordinating packaging projects with new and existing customers formed part of my responsibilities. My complete understanding of my customer’s business, extracting their specific needs, and supplying a solution contributed to my success in this role.

 I was included in Sealed Air’s EMEA 2014 Winning Performers Recognition Program. This award ceremony in Indonesia Bali recognized the best performers in Sealed Air’s EMEA Sales Force for 2013. I also attended Sales boosting sessions in Europe and attended sessions at Sealed Air facilities in Paris, Milan and Lucerne.

January 2010 – October 2010 

Junior Business Administrator

Insight Driven Enterprise

After completing my BCom Degree, I worked on a short-term contract for I.D.E., constructing Business Plans for emerging small businesses and assisting the Administration Department with U.I.F, Bank Recons and Payroll.

2006 -2009 

Study Sabbatical
BCom degree

My lifelong interest in Business, understanding of good business practice and a desire to attain a University Degree led me to complete my BCom Degree at Nelson Mandela Metropol University in Marketing Management, Business Management and Economics.

2002 – 2005 

The Refinery

Assistant Television Editor

Through gaining experience and confidence in post-production editing, I completed an AVID software course in post-production digital tv editing. I worked as an assistant television editor at The Refinery Johannesburg and was responsible for the first edit of each episode of Danie Odendaal’s TV Production “7de Laan”.

Additionally, I was involved in the postproduction of many local and international television adverts edited at the Refinery. Consequently, I built a valuable network in the advertising agency space. Learning to work under pressure on deadlines and guiding and communicating to customers through the process of the work commissioned were some of the skills learned that I still use in my current role as Sales Manager.

1999-2002 

African Pictures

Project manager / Producer

After completing my three-year National Diploma in Jazz, I started working for the television production house African Pictures. I gained valuable experience working as the project manager/producer of many television and music video productions. Arranging location shoots, hiring of equipment, managing logistics, post-production, and final handover. 

Furthermore, I was part of the project management team that founded a record company under African Pictures. I managed and coordinated the recording, album packaging design, press junkets and promotional tours of four album releases. “WOEMA MUSIC” was nominated for a SAMA award in 2000 for best album packaging for the Album of the acapella group “AFRIKA MAMAS”. A ”Best Of” compilation album produced for Dutch singer Stef Bos was also well received and distributed by EMI record label. During this time, I also did part-time work as a stage manager for the Casper De Vries stage production “Wetter”.