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Job
overview
Total has a worldwide retail network of
some 18,000 service stations. With dynamic
marketing, diversified sales channels, a
full range of services and lines of quality
products designed to anticipate customers'
needs, the Group's Marketing sector ensures
the competitive edge of its brands Total,
Fina and Elf.
CODO Area Managers are the link between
Total and "Company-owned, Dealer-operated"
service stations (CODO).
"Dealers" in this context are
commission operators who own the sites and
operate them under a supply and marketing
agreement with Total. In their respective
territory covering twenty or more stations,
CODO Area Managers are in charge of the
renewal of these agreements as well as new
business development. They also offer customers
the oportunity to take part in the nation-wide
campaigns and promotions that are organized
by the Group to achieve key objectives of
growing sales performance and optimizing
quality.
First steps
Specific expertise in this profession is
gained in the field. For junior Area Managers,
that means acquiring know-how in an assigned
geographic sector in their home country
or possibly another country for about three
years. They start out with on-site training
at a service station before they assume
their functions as Area Managers in charge
of 20 to 25 stations in the Group's CODO
network.
Career options
Area Managers can keep developing within
the Network Division by capitalizing on
their field experience in areas such as
operations-focused marketing (products,
diversification, training, communications),
sales (contract development, Total-retailer
relations, reporting), or investments. They
may also move into marketing activities
for other products such as lubricants or
take their first steps in management, heading
a team of sales reps. Other options are
open to them in the financial area, in cost
control and management accounting, for example.
After experience as Area Manager and one
of these second steps, the possibilities
include assignments with international mobility.
Our recruitment
criteria
. Higher degree from a business school or
MA in management.
. Practical and pragmatic, mobile, dedicated
to service, excellent interpersonal and
communication skills, adept at team management
and motivation.
. English, fluent French, another language
is a plus for an international career.
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Testimonial
Frédéric W. - Age : 25
CODO Area Manager (Total Marketing)
Degree from IPAG and MBA equivalent from
HEC.
Joined Total 8 months ago.
What does a CODO
Area Manager do ?
I manage and control margins and volumes
for about forty independently operated service
stations, and encourage the station operators
to develop diversified activities : I even
have one who sells dogs ! In what we call
the Company-owned, Dealer-operated or CODO
Network as opposed to the Company-owned,
Company-operated or COCO network, the retailers
actually own the service station. They pay
a commission or fee, and in exchange they
benefit from our know-how and image.
In actual practice,
what does that involve ?
It's a true sales job, and the retailers
are our customers. We help them, we sometimes
play a supporting role in their contacts
with the bank, but we never intervene in
their management. You have to go and see
them very often, to control stock, to check
quality, and to suggest campaigns for sales
promotions - which they are free to accept
or not - or investments for the station.
We negotiate everything.
What's a typical
day in your job ?
The scope of this profession is very broad
and varied, so you can't really talk about
a typical day, the only typical thing is
that you're always racing against the clock.
In general, I spend one day per week at
home doing the paperwork. The rest of the
time, I go and see my retailers in my area,
which covers 2 départements in France.
That adds up to at least 6,000 kilometers
a month ! I send in the figures every week
to our Regional Manager, and I meet with
him and the other area managers once a month.
What are the upsides
of your job - what do you like about it
?
The high-level sales work, the independence
and autonomy, and the fact that it demands
true commitment. We're responsible for what
happens, and we have to get out there and
move if we want to hold on to our network.
In this profession, you get very full all-round
experience.
What are the downsides
- what don't you like about it ?
I'm not exactly the shy kind, but it wasn't
very easy landing there at the age of 24,
without really knowing what a service station
was, and dealing with people - the boss
or his agent - who can be pretty tough.
You have to come on strong, right from the
start. You have to react quickly when payments
are late, and you have to avoid any slips,
find solutions, go and see the banker with
your customer, etc. In the worst-case scenario
we stop marketing through that station,
but that isn't profitable for anyone concerned.
What qualities
do you need for this job ?
You have to like working in the field, to
be a good salesman, and to have analytical
and management skills. But above all, you
need to be motivated. If it doesn't stimulate
you to drive around and see little service
stations that may be lost out in the country
somewhere, I guess it would be difficult.
But if you believe in what you're doing,
it's a fabulous experience. I don't know
any other business where young graduates
have that much responsibility. As a first
job, in terms of interpersonal relations
and operational experience, this can't be
beat !
How do you see
your career developing in the future ?
Ideally, I'd like to work outside France,
in the Middle East or Latin America, to
set up networks there or take charge of
business development. And then one day,
I'd like to do trading. If TFE can't offer
me all that, nobody else can. That's why
I'm here.
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Testimonial
Pierre C. - Age : 24
CODO Area Manager
Degree from Sup. de CO. in Rennes (France)
and MBA (Australia).
Joined Total in February 2000.
What do you do
as CODO Area Manager ?
CODO stands for "Company-Owned, Dealer-Operated",
and I'm the link between a number of retailers
- independent service station owners or
what we call commission operators - who
market our Total and Elf brands. It is my
responsibility to optimize the economic
performance of my area, which covers roughly
forty sales outlets, and to keep up and
develop the network. It's a job with many
different facets that requires general know-how
but expertise in dealing with people.
In actual practice,
what does that involve ?
I manage the product pricing policy in my
area, take care of the administrative work
and monitor performances. My job is also
to make sure that contracts are renewed
and that the Group's Charter and principles
are applied, and I pave the way for investments
by keeping the stations in my area informed
about the competition. I also take care
of problems they may have in their day-to-day
activities with regard to training, storage,
quality, whatever.
What's a typical
day in your job ?
I'm very autonomous. I have my office at
home, in Evreux. Mondays I've reserved for
administrative work and for the hundreds
of little details that need attention. The
rest of the week I'm on the road, with my
laptop. I call on 3 or 4 customers a day.
In some cases I have an appointment to solve
a specific problem, in other cases I just
drop in. As CODO Area Manager, you're not
the boss and you can't impose anything -
you have to convince the retailers with
good arguments, and to do that, the first
requisite is to be a good listener and to
understand what the other person is saying.
That's really essential.
What are the upsides
of this profession - what do you like about
it ?
What's fascinating to me is that you're
the interface between the Group on the one
hand, with the worldwide dimensions and
challenges that implies, and the retailers
on the other hand, where you meet all kinds
of different individuals, from large dealers
to "family business" garage owners.
You're the interface between these two worlds,
between abstract and concrete. The human
dimension always comes first, and that's
very important to me. And in this job, you
change hats several times a day, and even
more so now that we're managing two brands.
All that makes this job very diversified
and very exciting.
What are the downsides of this profession
- what don't you like ?
These independent retailers can be pretty
tough, and sometimes you feel like a punching
bag when you come out of a bout with one
of them ! We're the only people they see,
and they're not always happy with the Group's
policies or don't understand them very well
- and don't always try to understand them,
either. At first, you don't know exactly
when it's best to flex a little muscle yourself
or when it's time for diplomacy, so that
isn't very easy. And sometimes you land
in a town that you don't know very well,
and your colleagues aren't around because
you don't see them more than once a month
- at the end of a hard day, sitting there
by yourself isn't always much fun.
What qualities
do you need for this job ?
A good Area Manager is somebody who can
smooth out big and small waves - you need
enough psychology and interpersonal skills
to solve any problems that might come up
and make sure they don't come up again.
In my opinion, this talent for good relations
with people is more important than technical
or financial aspects. You also have to be
autonomous, independent, mobile, and know
how to adapt. And you need physical stamina
!
How do you see
your career developing in the future ?
Given my "international profile",
I'd like to get into trading, for example,
or work at an international subsidiary.The
Group has subsidiaries and operations all
over the world, and what attracts me is
management with an international dimension.
But for the time being, I'll do my travelling
here in France, in my area !
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