Sales Representative job description

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Description - Skills - Education - Trends

Sales representatives must have strong selling skills and be able to cope with frequent rejection. This person is a company’s ambassador, presenting its products and services in as positive a light as possible.
Sales representatives spend much of their time visiting companies and individuals with a view to securing new business, as well as maintaining relationships with past customers and acting as intermediary between company and client
A variety of methods are employed in an effort to make a sale, including presenting brochures and samples, providing information on any available discounts or offers and answering questions on the products or services that are being sold
Since so much sales work is based on commission, representatives must maintain a positive attitude towards their work and have the tenacity to succeed. Hours may be irregular and the job involves a large amount of travelling each day, for which a driving licence is usually essential. Salaries are generally between £22,000 and £30,000 per annum.

Description

Sales Representatives contact potential clients, and work to sell them products and services offered by their company. Some sales reps may handle customer issues as well. These representatives are every persistent and customer oriented.
A Sales Representative usually performs many of the following tasks:
• Updating customer databases
• Conducting market research
• Meeting sales targets
• Promoting new products
• Reporting sales trends
• Recording orders
• Monitoring competitor activity
• Evaluating marketing campaigns

Skills

• Being professional and knowledgeable of the services and products offered
• Networking
• Negotiating
• Being client oriented - polite, responsive and persistent
• Being enthusiastic
• Being ambitious, confident and able to take initiative
• Motivation
• Communication
• Time management
• Organisation
• Sales

Education

Sales Representatives are expected to have very good sales skills. They may possess any kind of qualifications. These may be industry specific or of a technical nature. Sales Representatives should be able to handle multiple clients and be persuasive. They may have any of the following qualifications as well:
•    Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM) Level 3 Award, Certificate and Diploma in Advanced Sales and Marketing
•    Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM) Level 5 Award, Certificate and Diploma in Account Management or Sales Management
•    Managing and Marketing Sales Association (MAMSA) Standard Diploma in Salesmanship
•    Managing and Marketing Sales Association (MAMSA) Advanced Diploma in Sales Management
•    HNC/HND
•    Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Certificate in Professional Sales Practice
•    City & Guilds International Vocational Qualification (IVQ) in Sales and Marketing
•    Edexcel and SQA certificates and diplomas
•    NVQ's/SVQ's Levels 2 and 3

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