Product Assessment Manager (PAM)

JOB TITLE: Product Assessment Manager (PAM)
AREA: Southeast England
REPORTING TO: National Sales Manager

Main Duties

Reporting to the National Sales Manager (NSM) and being a member of Abacus Specialist Bathroom’s (Abacus) sales team, the Product Assessment Manager (PAM) will be responsible for supporting the NSM in the Southeast of England.  It will occasionally be required to support the NSM with jobs in the South West and North region as well.

The PAM will be working from an Abacus demo-van attending bathing assessments across the region visiting bathers, private homes, care facilities, OTs etc.  The demo-van is fitted with 2-3 Abacus baths allowing for the PAM to conduct as close to “real-time” assessments and demonstrations in a safe and realistic setting but still near the bathers’ premises.  Anticipated yearly mileage is 30,000–35,000 miles.

Abacus Specialist Bathrooms is a market leading specialist manufacturer of assistive bathroom equipment for the paediatric/young adults’ market and route to market involves close cooperation with Case Workers, Occupational Therapists, Local Authorities, Councils, Building Contractors etc. We are proudly offering the widest range in the market of high-quality baths for bespoke assistive bathing requirements and enjoys a position of being a market leader in our niche industry.

Abacus Specialist Bathrooms is one of three market leading brands under the group structure of Gainsborough Healthcare Group Ltd (GHG).

For more than 38 years, GHG have been manufacturing assisted baths in our factory in Aldridge, West Midlands. Every single bath is manufactured bespoke to customers’ requirements. Our 30 highly skilled craftsmen take pride in delivering ultimate quality of assisted bathing solutions based on hand-made glass fibre moulding, refined trimming, polishing as well as quality driving assembly of advanced electro-mechanical functionality.

GHG have recently added total assisted bathroom solutions to the product offering. As such, GHG is the only supplier operating in the Assisted Bathroom industry who can deliver a full-circle solution of total assisted bathroom solutions. Abacus is the preferred supplier of assisted bathroom solutions by many of the leading OTs in the UK and is pursuing an ambitious strategy to grow the already market leading position significantly.

Abacus’ sister brand Gainsborough Specialist Bathrooms (GSB) is the leading brand for assisted bathroom equipment serving the long-term care and acute markets. (Care Homes and Hospitals). Access walk-in-baths is another sister brand focusing on the domestic market of mobility/independent living bathroom solutions sold through the bathroom trade. The Group’s vision is to be the thought leaders within assisted bathroom solutions, and we are growing in all our specialist business sectors.

The PAM will be responsible for supporting sales activities through delivering best in class bathing assessments and product demonstrations of Abacus baths and accessories / aides.  Abacus have grown double digits for 5 consecutive years resulting in an increased number of product assessment requests from healthcare professionals and parents. In addition to assessments and demonstrations, the PAM will be responsible for conducting best-in-class after sales training. This will be done through visits to customers’/bathers’ homes within 1-3 months after installation of the bath, where follow-up support, training and potentially additional solutions can be offered to the oftentimes frail, fragile, and vulnerable end users. It is Abacus’ ambition to offer the best-in-class pre-sales assessment as well as after sales support and training.

Abacus operates 3 sales regions in total and due to internal promotion and investment in further resource, the Southeast region now requires a new PAM. The NSM and the PAM will be supported by professional central functions such as marketing, PR, telesales, and lead generation as well as an efficient internal sales administration.

The PAM’s main responsibilities will be conducting all product assessments and ensuring all functionalities of the bath have been shown in a professional, educational manner, as well as delivering first class training and support after an installation has been completed. Furthermore, attending regional and national exhibitions as well as conducting site surveys in accordance with defined pre-installation timelines is part of the role as is supporting relevant sales activity with the NSM.

Abacus’ sales management is orchestrated via Microsoft Dynamics 365, and it will be the PAM’s responsibility (in conjunction with the NSM) to build, manage and maintain an already well-established funnel of forward leads.

The business is run with a very strong focus on KPI and target orientation. Weekly sales conferences (phone) are in place to ensure a comprehensive support and follow-up of targets across regions.

This role is of key importance to the Company as the Abacus brand is targeted to deliver significant growth over the coming 3 years. As such, it is a demanding but also very rewarding opportunity for a driven, ambitious PAM who wants to join a successful group of people who are all passionate specialists within their field.

A base salary of £32,000 – £37,000 (dependent on experience) in addition to a commission scheme is in place to identify the right candidate for this role.

Responsibilities and Accountabilities

  1. Bathing Assessments, product demonstrations & best-in-class training for the Southeast region
    1. Being the go-to assessor in the Southeast across the paediatric/young adults industry & become the regular / single point of contact for new and regular customers.
    2. Carry out thorough product demonstrations (baths & accessories), document outcomes and liaise with key stakeholders in providing the right solution.
    3. Liaise with Installation team & NSM to plan after sales training within an agreed time-period.
    4. Continue dialogue with key stakeholders from initial assessment to installation to ensure the end user has a positive experience with Abacus.
  1. Supporting sales activity in co-junction with NSM.
    1. Work closely with NSM to understand the opportunity funnel and support where applicable.
    2. Identify new sales lead opportunities whilst in the field and refer to NSM for development.
    3. Build up key relationships with existing customers to ensure Abacus is their brand of choice which results in repeat business.
    4. Follow-up on new lead activity for the Southeast region to ensure we do not lose visibility of interest within Abacus products.
    5. Be conscious of sales targets and provide support in delivering baths sales to the NSM.
  1. Conduct detailed site surveys.
    1. Plan and conduct site surveys by liaising with the installation team to ensure all pre-installation requirements have been met and can be signed off internally.
    2. Using a CAD programme, deliver 2D plans of room layout with bath in situ to ensure a smooth installation for the end user.
    3. Over time, provide support and assist key stakeholders with recommended room layouts for specialist equipment to ensure maximum customer satisfaction.
  2. Be a product expert for all Abacus products.
  3. Support build-up and support relevant exhibitions throughout the UK.
  4. Build strong working relationships with all internal staff with a can-do attitude and a willingness to support others throughout the business.
  5. Proactiveness on all administration. Detail and accuracy is key for this role and all documentation and CRM systems need to be up to date at all times.
  6. Regular overnight stays when required.

The Candidate

The PAM must be emotionally and socially intelligent, with the ability to bridge an emotive customer base with commercial drive. Communication based relationship building characteristics are required to be successful.

Ideally, the candidate is experienced within the mobility/disability industry. The right personality and mentality are very important for us.

The candidate will need to be driven, hardworking, robust, structured with an efficient operative mindset in getting things done as a key priority. This must be combined with the ability to open doors, establish relationships and building long-term business platforms among demanding customers in a competitive environment.

Personal qualities

  • Emotionally and socially intelligent
  • Educational, communicative, consultative, articulate and service orientated
  • Strong and positive self-starter with the ability to define and undertake daily task management
  • Ability to deal with a significant workload from time to time
  • Structured and results focused
  • Disciplined and well organised – pro-active planning
  • Honest, collaborative & transparent team player
  • Energetic, enthusiastic, and able to work in a fast-paced environment
  • Can do attitude

To apply please contact: ryan.wilkes@abacushealthcare.co.uk