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Sales Jobs

16:37 Mon 24th May 2010 |

Sales Jobs

As a salesperson you have to be hard-nosed, driven and have the gift of a silver tongue to make it far, but most importantly you need to be approachable and friendly, and a huge proportion of being a successful salesperson is personality.

There are many different types of sales jobs, like retail, telesales, face to face and canvassing.

Each sales job is different and each work environment differs too. A telesales job may require you to work at a fast pace in a stressful environment and a retail job may require that you speak to customers face-to-face and handle their problems. With such a diverse range of jobs and environments within the sales job sector, an employer has to look for two key things from a prospective employee:

1)    Relevant Sales Experience

2)    The Right Character

As with any field, you need to have sufficient experience to stand a chance of getting a job. You may, for example, have experience in retail on a shop floor, but this will not always be the right kind of experience if you’re applying for a regional sales job, travelling across the country to meet with clients and potential buyers.

Of course, all experience is relevant in its own way, but it is typically the best approach to apply for something you have a strong foundation in, this ay you offer your potential employers the knowledge and skills they need for you, and the company, to be successful.

Secondly you need to be “made of the right stuff” to enter a certain workplace and a sales environment can often be hectic, fast-paced and stressful. A telesales job, for example, is often in a loud environment with hundreds of other people and can be quite stressful. As with most sales job you have to be approachable and friendly, yet have a hard-nosed approach that will allow you to pursue the sale and not take too much to heart. Sales jobs can be hard, but at the same time, they can be incredibly rewarding, both personally and financially.

At an entry level sales job you are likely to be starting on around £15,000-£18,000 per year, with many employers throwing in bonus schemes and sales-based commission bonuses as extras. These incentives can increase productivity and profits across the company and rewarding your hard work at the same time.

Career progression within a sales job environment is often quick and easy, with many entry level employees rising to management levels within a few years of starting their job.

The financial rewards of being an effective salesperson are also clear, with many people counting their commission on sales as the most important part of their pay-packet.

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