How did you find out about the Category Manager's position at the Lactalis Group ?

I joined the Lactalis Group six months ago, after spending eight years working in marketing for another food group. It was a big change (new region, new company, new job etc), which came about because of a family opportunity to leave the Paris region. It was a position I came into contact with during my former life as Group Manager : 'Catman' and Marketing and Client Managers work together everywhere (in Lactalis too). But coming into contact does not teach you how to do the job, so I chose to extend my marketing experience through category management. The job can be described as 'Sales Development Manager', and provides a more 'commercial' view of products and categories.

How did your induction period go ?

Very well ! Finding out about the products, teams, challenges, and resources takes time and I was lucky enough to spend some weeks with my predecessor, during which I visited manufacturing sites, met the teams, spent time getting to know the area, understood how some things worked etc. Initial training began with a Group induction day, and then there were meetings, conversations, site visits and going around the area. There was no outright 'training'; it was more a very complete induction process. A key moment, to be fully taken advantage of !

What does a Category Manager actually do every day ?

1. Ensuring that Marketing and Sales are working together : taking clients' and stores' constraints and opportunities into account to improve our brand strategies, putting our marketing operations into language that can be understood by clients and stores by helping sales managers to present them to buying stores and groups (Carrefour, Intermarché etc.).
2. Working out our categories' sales promotion levers : using analyses and studies to work out what increases our categories' sales. Which of the famous 4Ps (Product [range], Price, Promotion, Place [shelving]) is the most effective in improving volume and turnover and how can we best exploit them?
3. Recommending and implementing promotional activities : which promotional formats, in-store events, tools (e.g. money-off coupons), which kinds of dramatisations etc.?
4. Recommending and implementing merchandising approaches : how best to set out products on a shelf to maximise sales, which product segmentation is clearest for consumers, which on-shelf indicators facilitate purchases etc.

Which particular features does the job have?

It is a very complete job, particularly at Lactalis, because it includes both an analytic dimension (analysis and understanding of product categories, clients, brands, consumers), and some very hands-on operations (working with advertising or design agencies to create sales leaflets, point-of-sale advertising etc.). It is also a job that cuts across a large number of very different and complementary fields : marketing, managing national groups and the sales force, but also manufacturing sites, management control etc.

How is the management side ?

As Sales Development Manager, I am directly in charge of eight people. Across-the-board management is also very important : we 'liaise' between marketing and sales. Our recommendations are only effective if they are in line with company strategy on the one hand and if we ensure that they are correctly implemented on the other.

Which do you think are the fundamental skills that a good Category Manager should have ?

You need diligence and good analytical skills, because the bottom line of our job is data analysis (internal data, panels, consumer surveys), and human qualities such as being a good listener, a team player and managing projects in such as way as to ensure they apply to all disciplines. Also important are initiative and the ability to make recommendations and flexibility, because 'Catman' is a very recent job whose characteristics are constantly changing. In terms of skills, a good knowledge of marketing (mix, levers etc.), panels and studies, as well as mastery of trading and the superstore sector are definitely a plus.

Which skills have you developed since you have been in the job?

As I came with some marketing experience, I have made it my priority to develop my general knowledge of the sales sector (trade, how trading groups work, operations on the ground, etc.). As regards skills, I find coordinating skills, being a good listener and being persuasive the most useful !

What was your initial career path?

I went to business school (ESSEC - management school in Paris), and then went straight into carrying out studies for an American food group, in the marketing department. I then went along the classic marketing career path : Junior Product Manager, Product Manager... all the way to Group Manager.

What are the possibilities for a Category Manager within the Lactalis Group ?

It depends on what you want from your career ! This position provides you with an overview of markets, products, clients and internal procedures. It can lead to either 'pure' sales (Client unit management, Sales management) or marketing. If 'purely' marketing or sales positions still exist in the future, that is ! Clients are now involved in developing categories and store levers (price, promotion, visibility, shelving etc.), are an integral part of developing our brands. In this context, what could be more constructive and exciting than... working as a Category Manager ?!!