The following terms are a guideline and should assist you in understanding what they mean, as many companies use different terminology for the same positions.

If you would like to suggest additions or amendments to any terms, please contact us.

AWAY FROM HOME

This term refers to anything you purchase that does not go into your home.Those persons working for a company, where they are part of the large sales team on the ground, looking after customers and can sell a variety of items including large scale commercial items, cleaning products and a whole variety of other items that you do not find in your home. Also known as 'out of home'.

BUYING GROUP

So as to offer the best price to the end user / customer, some companies have joined forces in the past to create a buying group, so that they can negotiate better buying terms from a manufacturer or a distributor.

CATEGORY

The term category can refer to a specific market type, eg: Defence; School Canteens and it can also refer to specific food categories within the FMCG market. (can be confusing with the terms category and channel)

CHANNEL

(Food) Refers to specific food types: eg: Coffee, Dairy, Meat, Beverages:It can then also be broken down further within each channel: eg DAIRY - Milk, Yoghurt, Cream, Soft Cheese, Hard Cheese.

(Non Food) Refers to either specific products and / also specific sectors;Building; Government; Schools; Industrial; Healthcare.

CONVENIENCE

The convenience category can include stores that sell 24 /7 and can also include petrol stations, milk bars and other convenience outlets.

DISTRIBUTOR / WHOLESALER

These can vary in size and number of product lines. Fundamentally, they purchase products from manufacturers and then supply / deliver a range of frozen, chilled, dairy, meat, fish, and other food items, plus a range of tableware and cleaning products to end users (customers) in the foodservice area. All distributors must comply with HACCP laws when handling food items.

DISTRIBUTOR REPRESENTATIVE

This person will represent a Distributor in the market place, by advising and selling a large range of goods to their customers (end users)

END USERS

This is another term for the Customer.

FMCG

This refers to Fast Moving Consumer Goods. These are generally goods found through retail outlets such as supermarkets, route or convenience stores.

FOODSERVICE

This term normally refers to large scale food purchases / supply and delivery of food in bulk into the end user / customers. As an example, if you are eating in a restaurant or cafe; at a stadium or racing club; at a wedding or from your local cafeteria at work, the food purchased for these areas would have come from large scale manufacturers either direct or via a distributor.

INSTITUTIONS

Refers to establishments such as prisons, high care supervised environments;

The term also is used for Aged Care and Hospitals.

KEY ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

A Key Account Executive will be in charge of a specific group of customers for a manufacturer or a distributor. As an example, they maybe in charge of the top group of customers; they maybe in charge of a group of Defence accounts / Government accounts. The accounts they look after would be chosen by their manager as the top accounts for the company. In some companies, this may refer to the national buying groups.

LOGISTICS

Logistics refers to the transportation and storage of goods. This can involve the collection of goods from point A and taken to point B as a single trip. It may also involve overnight storage of the goods; deleivery to one or multiple end users and can become as large as the company wants to be.

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGER

A National based role for a manager overseeing the whole supply chain for a company such as a large corporate caterer; defence department; hotel chain; or any organisation where there is a centralised buying office.

NATIONAL SALES MANEGER

A person in this role will have the responsibility for a National perspective and may have one or more persons reporting directly to them. They can also be overseeing a number of state based sales teams and they may have direct responsibility for some clients on a national basis.

NATIONAL FOODSERVICE MANAGER

The person in this role will be directly looking after national accounts (clients) in the foodservice sector. It would be unusual for them to all have involvement with FMCG (see term).

QSR

This term refers to Quick Service Restaurants; these can be convenience based stores such as large well known chains where they serve hot and cold food items. They may also include franchise based providers such as the multi national and Australian branded stores that can be seen in shopping centres.

REBATE

ROUTE

When using the term route, it generally refers to the method of sale via a convenience store, service station.

STATE SALES MANAGER

The State Sales Manager will have responsibility for the State or a number of States, which may also involve overseeing a team of sales executives. They will generally report to a National Manager or a General Manager depending on the size of the organisation.

STATE FOODSERVICE MANAGER

The State Foodservice Manager would be dealing with sales of foodservice items to companies specifically in the state or states that they are responsible for. The person in this role may have a customer / end user team selling to a variety of clients from distributor to institutions, aged care, convenience, distributor networks and buying groups as an example. They would not normally be dealing with national accounts, unless working for a smaller company.

TOT (Tools of Trade)

This also refers to terms of trade for some overseas companies, particularly in the non food areas.

TERRITORY  EXECUTIVE

Sales teams can be given specific areas to look after and a Territory executive may look after part of a State or part of the city; eg: North west Victoria; Southern Tasmania; Eastern States;South east suburbs; Metro, City etc.