One of the interesting things about the majority of "Top Jobs" in direct sales is that many, if not most of them, are never advertised. In this article, a "Top Job" is defined as one in which the sales person can earn $100,000 or more, (depending on skill, ability, desire), within one or two years. The company providing such a job must have an honest product that fills a serious need, and depends heavily on direct sales.
If these companies don't advertise their sales positions, how is one supposed to ferret them out?
Takes a bit of research, but it's not hard. We'll get into that in a minute. Before you even think about interviewing for such a position you must be absolutely certain you know the skills and techniques of a professional sales person, and know how to sell. Do you know how to get an appointment on the phone? Do you know how to get past the person whose job it is to keep sales people out? Do you know how to construct a presentation - not of a specific product, but rather a presentation of any product? Do you know how to close a sale and how to handle stalls and objections? If not, don't apply and don't even look. You need to learn.
The only thing of major importance in a direct sales job is your ability to sell. A sales manager who has a position with an earnings potential of $100,000 plus a year can not afford the time to run around training people from the ground up. Such a sales manager wants to put people in the field who can hit the ground running. The manager will be happy to give you, the newcomer, all the product information available, plus review their standard presentation and close, but only if you have demonstrated a knowledge of direct sales skills and techniques.
The upside of all of this is that you don't have to have a resume' that shows you to be a Harvard MBA in the top 5 percent of your class. The MBA people are generally looking for jobs with companies that offer high salaries, company cars, and heavy expense accounts. These companies are looking for "institutional" sales people, and require a candidate who presents the image of their company.
All you have to be is clean, neat, enthusiastic, honest, and know the skills of a direct sales person - and how to use them. There are many books that cover these skills, and they aren't that difficult to learn. It is, however, much like learning to play tennis from a book. All your reading about the skills required to be a good tennis player won't do much for you as you watch the tennis ball coming toward you at 85 mph. It's learning how to apply a skill that makes the difference.
Where do I start?
The first place to start your search is with those people, usually professionals, who might use a big-ticket item. Business owners, doctors, attorneys, CPAs, accountants . . . in other words, people who deal with the general public, and need to have all the tools necessary to do so, professionally. The money for any big-ticket item will usually come out of their pocket, and they want to be involved in the purchase, rather than leave it up to a purchasing agent (if they have one). All you have to do is contact these people and indicate something to the effect that you are doing a survey and would appreciate a moment of their time.
Upon contact, let them know that you are doing a survey on direct sales. What you want to know is if he/she purchased a single item, other than a car or truck, within the past 12 months, costing between $5,000 and $15,000 dollars, to be used by the business. You don't need to know the name of the item or exact price. What you do need to know is the name of the company they purchased it from, approximately how many sales calls it took before the purchase was made, and their impression of the sales person responsible for the sale. Was the person you are talking to satisfied with the sales person, and has the sales person followed up since the original sale? Do they know the name of the sales person responsible for the sale; if not, do they know the name of the sales manager?
You should continue your survey calls until you have a list of fifteen to twenty companies whose SALES MANAGERS you can now contact. I've capitalized sales managers because you do NOT want to be shunted off to someone like the Director of Human Resources. Sales managers, whose earnings are dependent on sales, almost always have the final say about the sales people they hire.
When you contact the Sales Manager, (if you can't get by the switchboard operator or the sales manager's secretary, you need to work on your sales techniques), he/she will probably tell you they don't need any sales people right now. That's normal, and make sure you let him/her know that is exactly what you expected to hear. It's important that you get the message across that you just wanted to speak to him/her personally. Let him/her know that you've researched the field, and recently had contact with [insert the name person you had spoken to, and the name of the company that gave you this company's name] where you were impressed with their sales approach, product, and follow-up. Words such as: "I can sell, and wanted to contact you personally to let you know that I'm impressed with the way your sales people conduct business. You've got a team that I'd be proud to join," are music to any sales manager's ears. Your next comment is important. It should go something like this: "I'm sending some information about me directly to you. You may not have any use for it right now, but experience tells me that most sales organizations have at least one person, 'on the bubble.' If that situation should create an opening in your organization, I'd very much like an opportunity to meet with you and discuss possibilities." Your call should be followed up with a "Thank you" note plus a brief resume' of your experience and training.
What are my chances of getting an interview?
Since you are selling yourself, you will be faced with a sales, "presentation-to-close" ratio. Your selling skills and telephone approach are critical. While the skill you demonstrate on the phone is important, there are numerous other factors beyond your control that will affect the final outcome. A pure guess would indicate that you should get between three to five responses from twenty contacts. The quickest responses will usually be from those managers who are desperate for good sales help. These may be organizations you would least like to be associated with, however, never turn down an interview. This is your opportunity to present your best features and how they might benefit your prospective employer. In other words, you will have an opportunity to sharpen your presentation. Use it well, and learn from it.
Getting a top job in direct sales is a matter of selling a quality product - YOU! It requires prospecting, contact, presentation of benefits and closing. If you keep at it, you will succeed.
Wednesday 22 October 2008
Car Sales
Are you searching for a rewarding, high-paying job -- one that pays $3,500 -- $5,500 -- or even $10,500 or more per month?
Does it seem like all the good jobs -- the jobs that pay really well -- require years of specialized training or experience -- do you need a job that pays good money right away?
Would you like to have a job that truly rewards you for the effort you put forth -- and the results you achieve -- instead of toiling away at some lowly hourly rate?
Do you want a job that’s more than a job -- a true career that you can build on for the future?
Then you need to read this page thoroughly.
Believe me I know how you feel. I felt the same way before I discovered how successful you could be in the auto sales business.
You see, I started out as a sales consultant. Then I was promoted to Finance Manager, and then to Sales Manager. I’ve been involved in every aspect of auto sales.
I’ve seen a lot of people who wanted to start a new career in auto sales -- but they had no idea how the business worked -- or even if it was the right career for them.
That’s when it hit me! Why not put together a sales training course that explains the basics of how the auto business really operates -- so that people could make an informed decision as to whether this really was the right choice for themselves.
That way when you do start your new job in auto sales you’ll hit the ground running -- you’ll sell more cars faster and make more money sooner.
Every year auto salespeople are making $36,000, $48,000 up to $72,000 their first year.
You don't have to be a Doctor, Lawyer, or Business Owner to earn a professional wage.
Earn $48,000 to $72,000 your first year in auto sales. Enjoy the prestige and have fun while making money.
Your previous background has little to do with your ultimate success in auto sales.
What matters most is your ability to interact with clients in a friendly business-like manner.
That, and the ability to learn and follow a comprehensive sales training program.
People from all walks of life have been successful in auto Sales. Making $4,000.00 to $6,000.00 their first month in sales, and making $48,000 to $72,000 their first year.
If you assembled a group of 100 auto salespeople you would find that they are a pretty diverse group coming from widely different backgrounds.
We have seen former factory workers, teachers, police officers, and electricians become great auto salespeople. Computer programmers, secretaries, business owners, and military retirees have found success as well. Even students just out of school.
There really is no pre-requisite.
Auto Sales is a career where a friendly smile and a persistent attitude mean more than a college degree, or your previous work experience.
One unique thing about the auto sales business is that management positions are not typically filled from outside the industry. Rather, most managers begin their careers in car sales.
Successful salespeople often go on to become the dealership Finance Managers, Sales Managers, and General Managers. Some even go on to open their own auto dealerships.
The auto industry in the United States is on track to sell over 16,000,000 cars, trucks and SUVs this year alone. That number is expected to increase to 18,000,000 in the next 3 years, and these are just new cars. If you add in the total number of used cars sold the total would easily exceed 30,000,000 units in the USA alone.
It seems that people just can't get enough. They not only need cars for basic transportation needs, but want that certain car that defines their personality, and they want the newest model.
There’s money to be made by giving people what they want.
Of course, car manufacturers and dealerships are doing their part. Huge marketing and advertising budgets continue driving lots of traffic to car showrooms.
Auto Salespeople In Demand
No Experience Necessary
With the auto industry in full swing demand for salespeople is at an all time high.
This comes at a time when many of the current generation of salespeople are retiring, increasing the need for salespeople.
Dealerships are constantly on the lookout for sales talent.
Today, most hiring managers prefer to hire inexperienced salespeople. But, they want someone who has received training in the auto sales business.
We have put together the best auto sales training system available today, and harnessed the power of the web to make it available to anyone worldwide.
Study this training course at your own pace, in your own time.
In this training course you will learn exactly how to become a successful auto salesperson.
Discover how to get hired at the best dealerships. Learn how to sell yourself to dealership hiring managers to land the best positions at the best dealerships.
We'll show you how to position and present yourself to the decision-makers in a way that shows you mean business, and are capable of getting the job done
Learn 2 powerful phrases to use during the interview process that will earn the respect of the interviewer, and help to clinch a job offer.
Learn the Eight Stage Map To A Sale. A comprehensive, step-by-step method to selling cars.
See the correct way to greet a prospect so that you engage them into a dialogue rather than eliciting a response such as "just looking."
Find the real reason the customer is in the market for a car, and tailor your approach to hone in on that reason and close the sale.
How to mentally obligate the customer so that they feel regretful about even considering doing business with someone besides you.
When and how to have the prospect take a test drive, and why this is such an important tool in ensuring a sale.
Presenting figures to a customer. How to structure your offer to assure the price is on your terms.
What You'll Learn
>> Gain an understanding of the sales process. Learn how to turn little yes answers into the big yes. Find minor points of agreement, and how to turn these into the sale.
>> Learn the right ways to follow-up with un-sold prospects.
>> There is only one objective in a follow-up call. Know what it is and how to achieve it.
>> Handling incoming phone calls. What information to give out, and what to withhold. Hint: you want to give just enough info to get an appointment.
>> Handling objections: How to spot the objections that can kill a sale, and how handling them properly will make the sale.
>> Closing The Sale: Simple scenarios and phrases you can use to practically cinch the sale. Provided you have laid the groundwork and timed it correctly.
>> How to develop a client base. We'll show you how to develop a network of referrers who will send clients to you.
>> The power of the web. How to use the internet as your own personal sales machine.
>> $100,000 per year selling cars? You'd better believe it. We'll show you how.
Does it seem like all the good jobs -- the jobs that pay really well -- require years of specialized training or experience -- do you need a job that pays good money right away?
Would you like to have a job that truly rewards you for the effort you put forth -- and the results you achieve -- instead of toiling away at some lowly hourly rate?
Do you want a job that’s more than a job -- a true career that you can build on for the future?
Then you need to read this page thoroughly.
Believe me I know how you feel. I felt the same way before I discovered how successful you could be in the auto sales business.
You see, I started out as a sales consultant. Then I was promoted to Finance Manager, and then to Sales Manager. I’ve been involved in every aspect of auto sales.
I’ve seen a lot of people who wanted to start a new career in auto sales -- but they had no idea how the business worked -- or even if it was the right career for them.
That’s when it hit me! Why not put together a sales training course that explains the basics of how the auto business really operates -- so that people could make an informed decision as to whether this really was the right choice for themselves.
That way when you do start your new job in auto sales you’ll hit the ground running -- you’ll sell more cars faster and make more money sooner.
Every year auto salespeople are making $36,000, $48,000 up to $72,000 their first year.
You don't have to be a Doctor, Lawyer, or Business Owner to earn a professional wage.
Earn $48,000 to $72,000 your first year in auto sales. Enjoy the prestige and have fun while making money.
Your previous background has little to do with your ultimate success in auto sales.
What matters most is your ability to interact with clients in a friendly business-like manner.
That, and the ability to learn and follow a comprehensive sales training program.
People from all walks of life have been successful in auto Sales. Making $4,000.00 to $6,000.00 their first month in sales, and making $48,000 to $72,000 their first year.
If you assembled a group of 100 auto salespeople you would find that they are a pretty diverse group coming from widely different backgrounds.
We have seen former factory workers, teachers, police officers, and electricians become great auto salespeople. Computer programmers, secretaries, business owners, and military retirees have found success as well. Even students just out of school.
There really is no pre-requisite.
Auto Sales is a career where a friendly smile and a persistent attitude mean more than a college degree, or your previous work experience.
One unique thing about the auto sales business is that management positions are not typically filled from outside the industry. Rather, most managers begin their careers in car sales.
Successful salespeople often go on to become the dealership Finance Managers, Sales Managers, and General Managers. Some even go on to open their own auto dealerships.
The auto industry in the United States is on track to sell over 16,000,000 cars, trucks and SUVs this year alone. That number is expected to increase to 18,000,000 in the next 3 years, and these are just new cars. If you add in the total number of used cars sold the total would easily exceed 30,000,000 units in the USA alone.
It seems that people just can't get enough. They not only need cars for basic transportation needs, but want that certain car that defines their personality, and they want the newest model.
There’s money to be made by giving people what they want.
Of course, car manufacturers and dealerships are doing their part. Huge marketing and advertising budgets continue driving lots of traffic to car showrooms.
Auto Salespeople In Demand
No Experience Necessary
With the auto industry in full swing demand for salespeople is at an all time high.
This comes at a time when many of the current generation of salespeople are retiring, increasing the need for salespeople.
Dealerships are constantly on the lookout for sales talent.
Today, most hiring managers prefer to hire inexperienced salespeople. But, they want someone who has received training in the auto sales business.
We have put together the best auto sales training system available today, and harnessed the power of the web to make it available to anyone worldwide.
Study this training course at your own pace, in your own time.
In this training course you will learn exactly how to become a successful auto salesperson.
Discover how to get hired at the best dealerships. Learn how to sell yourself to dealership hiring managers to land the best positions at the best dealerships.
We'll show you how to position and present yourself to the decision-makers in a way that shows you mean business, and are capable of getting the job done
Learn 2 powerful phrases to use during the interview process that will earn the respect of the interviewer, and help to clinch a job offer.
Learn the Eight Stage Map To A Sale. A comprehensive, step-by-step method to selling cars.
See the correct way to greet a prospect so that you engage them into a dialogue rather than eliciting a response such as "just looking."
Find the real reason the customer is in the market for a car, and tailor your approach to hone in on that reason and close the sale.
How to mentally obligate the customer so that they feel regretful about even considering doing business with someone besides you.
When and how to have the prospect take a test drive, and why this is such an important tool in ensuring a sale.
Presenting figures to a customer. How to structure your offer to assure the price is on your terms.
What You'll Learn
>> Gain an understanding of the sales process. Learn how to turn little yes answers into the big yes. Find minor points of agreement, and how to turn these into the sale.
>> Learn the right ways to follow-up with un-sold prospects.
>> There is only one objective in a follow-up call. Know what it is and how to achieve it.
>> Handling incoming phone calls. What information to give out, and what to withhold. Hint: you want to give just enough info to get an appointment.
>> Handling objections: How to spot the objections that can kill a sale, and how handling them properly will make the sale.
>> Closing The Sale: Simple scenarios and phrases you can use to practically cinch the sale. Provided you have laid the groundwork and timed it correctly.
>> How to develop a client base. We'll show you how to develop a network of referrers who will send clients to you.
>> The power of the web. How to use the internet as your own personal sales machine.
>> $100,000 per year selling cars? You'd better believe it. We'll show you how.
How to Get 'Em to Do What You Want 'Em to
That's probably the question I'm asked more than any other. Frustrated distributor CEO's and sales managers express that thought over and over, in one way or another. They're talking about their salespeople, of course. They harbor a feeling that some of their salespeople just aren't doing what they want them to do, and they don't know what to do about it.
If that thought occasionally passes through your mind, read on.
"What do you want them to do?" I often reply.
At this point, you're probably thinking, "What an obvious question. We want them to sell a lot, of course."
But that response is too vague and coarse to hold any real meaning in today's world. A few years ago, it was OK to direct your salespeople to "Go forth and sell a lot," but today that direction is not sufficient. Salespeople are capable of more than that. And, the world in which your company operates has changed significantly in the last few years. Our economy has grown increasingly complex, many markets are maturing, the demands and expectations of your customers are growing, your customers' choices of ways to satisfy their needs are multiplying, and information technology is growing more powerful and user friendly. All that means that you need to more finely direct your sales force than at any time in the past. Successful sales management in the approaching 21st century world requires a more sophisticated answer from you than just "Go forth and sell."
I learned that lesson the hard way in my days as a distributor rep. I was doing a great job selling in my largest account. That one customer accounted for about 30% of my total volume. Sales were increasing monthly, and my visibility and influence in the account was growing. If my boss wanted me to "Go forth and sell a lot," I was doing it!
Then, one dismal Monday afternoon, I was sheepishly greeted by my primary contact person, and informed that I was to see the Director of Purchasing. The news from the director was short and to the point. The Materials Manager had signed a prime vendor contract with my arch-competitor. Over the next 90 days, they would be fazing out all of my business and turning it over to my competitor. All of my contact people were disappointed and not in favor of this move, but it had been negotiated by people in higher places.
The moral of the story? I was doing a great job of "going forth and selling a lot." But I should have been getting to know the administrative people and my contact's bosses. If I had been directed to do that, instead of being focused on getting the easiest sales, I may have been able to ward off the end-around by the competition.
I realize that a case could be made that I should have known to do that on my own. After all, don't good salesmen know to do those kinds of things? No. I didn't, and I was a heavy hitter, high-income straight commission salesman. But I was driven by a straight commission compensation program that rewarded me for gross profits in the short term, and I never thought to cover all my bases by calling on my customers' bosses.
But that's just one example. Here's another. One of my clients owns a small but rapidly growing equipment distributorship. Every month his salespeople must count certain pieces of equipment in their territories. Each month he selects a piece of equipment, and requires his sales force to count how many of those there are, where they are, how old they are, what brand they are, and when they are scheduled to be replaced.
He uses that information to make territory and product line forecasts, as well as a basis for developing more sophisticated joint marketing plans with his partner-vendors. I'm sure you'll agree -- that's good information to have. But don't the salespeople do those kinds of things on their own? Do they really need that kind of precise direction from management?
Take a little self-test. Consider each of your salespeople, one at a time. Ask yourself, "Is ...(salesperson's name).... systematically collecting that kind of market information on his or her own?"
If your answer is a 100% "yes," will you please write to me so that I can note your sales force as the single national exception?
Those two examples illustrate just two of hundreds of possible behaviors you could expect from your sales force. In each case, the company's long-term strategic interests were best served by directing the sales force to behaviors that probably wouldn't happen in the absence of that direction.
So, the first step in getting your sales people "to do what you want'em to," is to decide "what you want'em to do."
Ideally, those things proceed directly from your strategic plan. For example, if your strategic plan says that you want to penetrate a new market segment, then you should expect your salespeople to make X calls per month on that segment, or create X new customers within that segment, or do X amount of sales with that segment, or achieve X amount of gross profit with that segment.
The first step is to develop your strategic plan, and then to create expectations for your sales force that directly support that strategic plan.
What, you don't have a strategic plan? That's too bad, you're definitely at a disadvantage. But, you're not disqualified. Just start at step two, and create precise expectations for your sales force. Develop a list of the three to ten most important things you want them to do.
Bringing in a certain amount of sales or gross profits should be one of them, but only one of them.
Next, make sure that your list of expectations are easily, accurately and fairly measurable. This can be difficult. Much of your ability to manage your sales force depends on your ability to measure sales behaviors.
If you're highly automated and use effective sales force software, it'll be a snap. If you're not effectively automated, it'll be much more difficult. For example, one of my clients wanted his sales force to call on new prospects. His business was growing, and his salespeople were happy. But he was sure that there was additional market share to be had in accounts that were not being cultivated. He felt his straight commissioned salespeople were content to call on their friends, and weren't doing the harder work of calling on new prospects. He wasn't automated, and didn't believe his veteran sales force would accurately and thoroughly complete weekly call reports.
His sales cycle (capital equipment) was long, and he didn't want to wait until he saw actual sales numbers. Those sales could occur 12 to 18 months after the first sales call. He determined to measure his sales forces' activity, (calling on new prospects) not the results (sales to new prospects).
We struggled with a way to easily, fairly and accurately measure the activity of calling on new prospects. As we discussed the possibilities, we realized that every customer's name was on the database. We also noted that every quote was produced by a sales assistant in the office, who typed each quote individually for all the salespeople.
Bingo! Suppose we had the sales assistant keep track of quotes made to companies not on the database?
We couldn't measure sales calls made to prospects, but we could measure the next best thing -- quotes made to new prospects. The system would be easy, accurate, and fair.
Having decided that, it was an easy step to give each salesperson a quarterly expectation for the number of "quotes made to new prospects." Our strategic initiative, "Gain market share," turned into a measurable expectation for each salesperson, "Generate X quotes per month to prospects not on the database."
Let's review: Step one, develop a strategic plan. Step two, create a set of the 3 - 10 most important sales behaviors. Step three, fine tune them until they are easily, fairly and accurately measurable.
Here's step four: Measure and reward the behavior you want. That can mean anything from publishing and posting those numbers every month, to revising your compensation formula, to making their pay dependent on performance of those activities. For example, you could measure the performance of the entire sales force each month, and post it conspicuously for everyone to see. In my business, we measure five sales activities, combine the individual numbers, and post the composites for everyone to see. We post monthly totals, year to date, this year's goals, and last year's monthly totals, year to date, this year's goals, and last year's numbers.
As an alternative, you may measure and post each salesperson's performance individually. You can report each salesperson's performance to him/her alone, and talk about it in monthly conferences.
Another technique is to make those numbers a topic for discussion at monthly sales meetings.
But if you really want to add some power, refine your sales compensation plan to make each person's pay dependent on performance on those numbers. This is not an article on sales force compensation. That's an entire series of articles on its own. (Call or fax me a request and I'll send you several of my articles on sales force compensation). However, it's been my observation that most sales compensation plans do not reward the behavior that they say they want. The company's executives say they want salespeople to do one thing, but their compensation plan rewards them for doing something else.
For example, you may be paying your salespeople straight commission based on gross profits. Yet, you may be expecting them to open new accounts, promote certain product lines, or emphasize certain accounts. When you pay them purely by commission, you reward them for the easiest, richest sales. So, your compensation plan says one thing, while you say something else. No wonder it's frustrating.
To encourage your sales people to do what "you want'em to," line your sales compensation plan up directly with your strategic plan. Directly reward those three to ten behaviors that you developed earlier. Consider a performance-based plan that pays them for implementing the company's strategies.
Finally, step five is the single most powerful way to manage your people once you've done all this homework. Hold "accountability-holding, goal-setting, strategy-developing, resource-identifying" quarterly or monthly conferences with each of your salespeople.
At these tune-up conferences do these things, in this sequence:
Hold them accountable for doing what they said they were going to do. Simply ask, "Did you do what you said you were going to do?" "Why or Why not?" "What did you learn?" "What are you going to do differently next time?"
Help them set goals. Ask, "In light of the compensation plan, the company's expectations, and your situation, what will you be trying to accomplish in the next quarter (month)?"
Help them create a strategy. Ask, "How are you going to do that?" Make them answer in detail and have them commit that answer to writing.
Finally, ask "How can I help?" and "What do you need to help you do it?"
If that thought occasionally passes through your mind, read on.
"What do you want them to do?" I often reply.
At this point, you're probably thinking, "What an obvious question. We want them to sell a lot, of course."
But that response is too vague and coarse to hold any real meaning in today's world. A few years ago, it was OK to direct your salespeople to "Go forth and sell a lot," but today that direction is not sufficient. Salespeople are capable of more than that. And, the world in which your company operates has changed significantly in the last few years. Our economy has grown increasingly complex, many markets are maturing, the demands and expectations of your customers are growing, your customers' choices of ways to satisfy their needs are multiplying, and information technology is growing more powerful and user friendly. All that means that you need to more finely direct your sales force than at any time in the past. Successful sales management in the approaching 21st century world requires a more sophisticated answer from you than just "Go forth and sell."
I learned that lesson the hard way in my days as a distributor rep. I was doing a great job selling in my largest account. That one customer accounted for about 30% of my total volume. Sales were increasing monthly, and my visibility and influence in the account was growing. If my boss wanted me to "Go forth and sell a lot," I was doing it!
Then, one dismal Monday afternoon, I was sheepishly greeted by my primary contact person, and informed that I was to see the Director of Purchasing. The news from the director was short and to the point. The Materials Manager had signed a prime vendor contract with my arch-competitor. Over the next 90 days, they would be fazing out all of my business and turning it over to my competitor. All of my contact people were disappointed and not in favor of this move, but it had been negotiated by people in higher places.
The moral of the story? I was doing a great job of "going forth and selling a lot." But I should have been getting to know the administrative people and my contact's bosses. If I had been directed to do that, instead of being focused on getting the easiest sales, I may have been able to ward off the end-around by the competition.
I realize that a case could be made that I should have known to do that on my own. After all, don't good salesmen know to do those kinds of things? No. I didn't, and I was a heavy hitter, high-income straight commission salesman. But I was driven by a straight commission compensation program that rewarded me for gross profits in the short term, and I never thought to cover all my bases by calling on my customers' bosses.
But that's just one example. Here's another. One of my clients owns a small but rapidly growing equipment distributorship. Every month his salespeople must count certain pieces of equipment in their territories. Each month he selects a piece of equipment, and requires his sales force to count how many of those there are, where they are, how old they are, what brand they are, and when they are scheduled to be replaced.
He uses that information to make territory and product line forecasts, as well as a basis for developing more sophisticated joint marketing plans with his partner-vendors. I'm sure you'll agree -- that's good information to have. But don't the salespeople do those kinds of things on their own? Do they really need that kind of precise direction from management?
Take a little self-test. Consider each of your salespeople, one at a time. Ask yourself, "Is ...(salesperson's name).... systematically collecting that kind of market information on his or her own?"
If your answer is a 100% "yes," will you please write to me so that I can note your sales force as the single national exception?
Those two examples illustrate just two of hundreds of possible behaviors you could expect from your sales force. In each case, the company's long-term strategic interests were best served by directing the sales force to behaviors that probably wouldn't happen in the absence of that direction.
So, the first step in getting your sales people "to do what you want'em to," is to decide "what you want'em to do."
Ideally, those things proceed directly from your strategic plan. For example, if your strategic plan says that you want to penetrate a new market segment, then you should expect your salespeople to make X calls per month on that segment, or create X new customers within that segment, or do X amount of sales with that segment, or achieve X amount of gross profit with that segment.
The first step is to develop your strategic plan, and then to create expectations for your sales force that directly support that strategic plan.
What, you don't have a strategic plan? That's too bad, you're definitely at a disadvantage. But, you're not disqualified. Just start at step two, and create precise expectations for your sales force. Develop a list of the three to ten most important things you want them to do.
Bringing in a certain amount of sales or gross profits should be one of them, but only one of them.
Next, make sure that your list of expectations are easily, accurately and fairly measurable. This can be difficult. Much of your ability to manage your sales force depends on your ability to measure sales behaviors.
If you're highly automated and use effective sales force software, it'll be a snap. If you're not effectively automated, it'll be much more difficult. For example, one of my clients wanted his sales force to call on new prospects. His business was growing, and his salespeople were happy. But he was sure that there was additional market share to be had in accounts that were not being cultivated. He felt his straight commissioned salespeople were content to call on their friends, and weren't doing the harder work of calling on new prospects. He wasn't automated, and didn't believe his veteran sales force would accurately and thoroughly complete weekly call reports.
His sales cycle (capital equipment) was long, and he didn't want to wait until he saw actual sales numbers. Those sales could occur 12 to 18 months after the first sales call. He determined to measure his sales forces' activity, (calling on new prospects) not the results (sales to new prospects).
We struggled with a way to easily, fairly and accurately measure the activity of calling on new prospects. As we discussed the possibilities, we realized that every customer's name was on the database. We also noted that every quote was produced by a sales assistant in the office, who typed each quote individually for all the salespeople.
Bingo! Suppose we had the sales assistant keep track of quotes made to companies not on the database?
We couldn't measure sales calls made to prospects, but we could measure the next best thing -- quotes made to new prospects. The system would be easy, accurate, and fair.
Having decided that, it was an easy step to give each salesperson a quarterly expectation for the number of "quotes made to new prospects." Our strategic initiative, "Gain market share," turned into a measurable expectation for each salesperson, "Generate X quotes per month to prospects not on the database."
Let's review: Step one, develop a strategic plan. Step two, create a set of the 3 - 10 most important sales behaviors. Step three, fine tune them until they are easily, fairly and accurately measurable.
Here's step four: Measure and reward the behavior you want. That can mean anything from publishing and posting those numbers every month, to revising your compensation formula, to making their pay dependent on performance of those activities. For example, you could measure the performance of the entire sales force each month, and post it conspicuously for everyone to see. In my business, we measure five sales activities, combine the individual numbers, and post the composites for everyone to see. We post monthly totals, year to date, this year's goals, and last year's monthly totals, year to date, this year's goals, and last year's numbers.
As an alternative, you may measure and post each salesperson's performance individually. You can report each salesperson's performance to him/her alone, and talk about it in monthly conferences.
Another technique is to make those numbers a topic for discussion at monthly sales meetings.
But if you really want to add some power, refine your sales compensation plan to make each person's pay dependent on performance on those numbers. This is not an article on sales force compensation. That's an entire series of articles on its own. (Call or fax me a request and I'll send you several of my articles on sales force compensation). However, it's been my observation that most sales compensation plans do not reward the behavior that they say they want. The company's executives say they want salespeople to do one thing, but their compensation plan rewards them for doing something else.
For example, you may be paying your salespeople straight commission based on gross profits. Yet, you may be expecting them to open new accounts, promote certain product lines, or emphasize certain accounts. When you pay them purely by commission, you reward them for the easiest, richest sales. So, your compensation plan says one thing, while you say something else. No wonder it's frustrating.
To encourage your sales people to do what "you want'em to," line your sales compensation plan up directly with your strategic plan. Directly reward those three to ten behaviors that you developed earlier. Consider a performance-based plan that pays them for implementing the company's strategies.
Finally, step five is the single most powerful way to manage your people once you've done all this homework. Hold "accountability-holding, goal-setting, strategy-developing, resource-identifying" quarterly or monthly conferences with each of your salespeople.
At these tune-up conferences do these things, in this sequence:
Hold them accountable for doing what they said they were going to do. Simply ask, "Did you do what you said you were going to do?" "Why or Why not?" "What did you learn?" "What are you going to do differently next time?"
Help them set goals. Ask, "In light of the compensation plan, the company's expectations, and your situation, what will you be trying to accomplish in the next quarter (month)?"
Help them create a strategy. Ask, "How are you going to do that?" Make them answer in detail and have them commit that answer to writing.
Finally, ask "How can I help?" and "What do you need to help you do it?"
Success in Sales
So you are looking for work and you think, why not sales. You like people, you tend to be outgoing, and your uncle Ted is in sales and he makes a ton of money, how hard can it be? The answer may surprise you. As many as 30% of people who enter the sales field leave in their first year and only 20% earn 80% of the total compensation paid to sales reps across the country. Getting a sales job is easy, being successful is very difficult. If you are willing to learn and develop the following traits, abilities and skills, then you may have the potential to be a successful in sales.
1. Understand the Value of Selling as a Profession
Sales is an honorable profession and one to be proud of. Without sales there would be no free market or economy as we know it today. Selling is the spark that drives our economic system.
2. Live With a Flexible Salary
Be prepared to set your own salary and have your pay be directly tied to your performance. Sales people are some of the highest paid people in the world, due to the nature of commissioned based selling with no ceilings and no floor.
3. Leave Your Outgoing Personality at Home
One of the biggest mistakes people make in pursuing a sales career is taking a sales job because they get a charge from being around people. Outgoing people who love to talk and make new friends, often burn out because of the rejection they experience and their inability to close sales from not listening. The best sales people are listening, analyzing and asking questions so they can meet the needs of their customers.
4. Learn to See Rejection as a Good Thing
There is so much rejection in sales, if taken personally it will lead to unhappiness that will spill over into your personal life. Successful sales people see rejection as one step closer to a sale and a very powerful learning experience. They do not experience emotional side effects from the loss of a sale.
5. Become a Constant Learner
True sales people are not born, they are trained. There are no secrets or magic bullets that lead to success in selling. Successful sales people spend a portion of each day reading, listening to audio tapes and learning from the top sellers in their profession.
6. Believe in Your Product or Service
You must believe in your product/service with all your heart, soul, mind and body. If this is not possible, then do not sell for that company. People will not buy from someone that does not believe 100% in what they are selling. This cannot be hidden; the customer will see through insincere intentions.
7. Be Honest and Trustworthy
Customers want to buy from someone who they can trust and is honest. They want to buy from a friend. Learn to build relationships based on trust, honesty and integrity.
8. Learn Your CustomerÕs Hot Buttons
Get inside the head of the customer and learn why the buy. Push their hot buttons by meeting needs and adding value.
There are many more factors associated with sales success, however these are eight of the most important. If you decide to pursue a sales career, incorporate these traits and you are on the road to successful selling.
What is the Sales Manager Looking for in a Sales Rep?
A clone of their all-star sales people, or those in the top 20% who bring in 80% of the sales teamÕs revenue.
Commitment and loyalty to the company and product.
Eagerness to earn high commissions.
A proven track record in sales.
Loyalty to the needs of the customer.
Goal oriented individuals.
Positive enthusiasm and a willingness to learn and grow on the job.
When interviewing for a sales job ask the following questions:
Can I see a job description?
What is my compensation potential?
What does your average performer make?
What does your top seller make?
How much autonomy will I have?
How many calls are expected per day or week?
Is the job in the field or tele-sales?
Can you explain the compensation plan?
Who specifically is your target market? p>These types of questions can help clarify the kind of sales job for which you have applied.
1. Understand the Value of Selling as a Profession
Sales is an honorable profession and one to be proud of. Without sales there would be no free market or economy as we know it today. Selling is the spark that drives our economic system.
2. Live With a Flexible Salary
Be prepared to set your own salary and have your pay be directly tied to your performance. Sales people are some of the highest paid people in the world, due to the nature of commissioned based selling with no ceilings and no floor.
3. Leave Your Outgoing Personality at Home
One of the biggest mistakes people make in pursuing a sales career is taking a sales job because they get a charge from being around people. Outgoing people who love to talk and make new friends, often burn out because of the rejection they experience and their inability to close sales from not listening. The best sales people are listening, analyzing and asking questions so they can meet the needs of their customers.
4. Learn to See Rejection as a Good Thing
There is so much rejection in sales, if taken personally it will lead to unhappiness that will spill over into your personal life. Successful sales people see rejection as one step closer to a sale and a very powerful learning experience. They do not experience emotional side effects from the loss of a sale.
5. Become a Constant Learner
True sales people are not born, they are trained. There are no secrets or magic bullets that lead to success in selling. Successful sales people spend a portion of each day reading, listening to audio tapes and learning from the top sellers in their profession.
6. Believe in Your Product or Service
You must believe in your product/service with all your heart, soul, mind and body. If this is not possible, then do not sell for that company. People will not buy from someone that does not believe 100% in what they are selling. This cannot be hidden; the customer will see through insincere intentions.
7. Be Honest and Trustworthy
Customers want to buy from someone who they can trust and is honest. They want to buy from a friend. Learn to build relationships based on trust, honesty and integrity.
8. Learn Your CustomerÕs Hot Buttons
Get inside the head of the customer and learn why the buy. Push their hot buttons by meeting needs and adding value.
There are many more factors associated with sales success, however these are eight of the most important. If you decide to pursue a sales career, incorporate these traits and you are on the road to successful selling.
What is the Sales Manager Looking for in a Sales Rep?
A clone of their all-star sales people, or those in the top 20% who bring in 80% of the sales teamÕs revenue.
Commitment and loyalty to the company and product.
Eagerness to earn high commissions.
A proven track record in sales.
Loyalty to the needs of the customer.
Goal oriented individuals.
Positive enthusiasm and a willingness to learn and grow on the job.
When interviewing for a sales job ask the following questions:
Can I see a job description?
What is my compensation potential?
What does your average performer make?
What does your top seller make?
How much autonomy will I have?
How many calls are expected per day or week?
Is the job in the field or tele-sales?
Can you explain the compensation plan?
Who specifically is your target market? p>These types of questions can help clarify the kind of sales job for which you have applied.
The medical sales role
career as a pharmaceutical sales rep can a highly lucrative and rewarding one, with average salaries ranging between $60,000-$80,000 per year. Most pharmaceutical sales reps are employed by leading drug companies around the country, and are responsible for informing the public, doctors, and hospitals about the latest products available. Sales representatives set up appointments with doctors and hospitals in an effort to persuade them to purchase a particular product or new drug on the market.
Getting a job as a pharmaceutical sales rep doesn't require a college degree, although most employer's prefer a strong education and at least a bachelor's degree in science. Associate degrees in business or a medical field can also be enough to obtain a job in this field; the key traits most drug companies are looking for is a business mind-set, confidence, the ability to learn and grow with the company, and keeping up to date on medical trends and research. College students can start to look for placement with major drug companies, and interviews are often conducted on college campuses throughout the country.
Successful pharmaceutical reps can start by working with a supervising sales representative to learn the basic process, and will gain the most advantage by increasing their product knowledge and learning how to speak to the medical audience. They need to be persuasive, charismatic, and learn how to speak clearly under pressure. During the interview, the hiring manager will most likely ask questions such as:
What do you think is the most challenging aspect of a pharmaceutical representative?
Why is a sales mindset important for the pharmaceutical sales rep?
How would you convince a physician to switch to a preferred brand?
Pharmaceutical sales are a competitive industry, and the rep needs to learn how to handle rejection! It is also prestigious in nature; most drug companies offer attractive salaries, benefits, and use of a company car. Getting a job in the field may require some proactive searching and ongoing interviews with multiple employers. You have to be a self-starter, ambitious, confident, ethical, and positive. Still your efforts and hard work can be very rewarding
Getting a job as a pharmaceutical sales rep doesn't require a college degree, although most employer's prefer a strong education and at least a bachelor's degree in science. Associate degrees in business or a medical field can also be enough to obtain a job in this field; the key traits most drug companies are looking for is a business mind-set, confidence, the ability to learn and grow with the company, and keeping up to date on medical trends and research. College students can start to look for placement with major drug companies, and interviews are often conducted on college campuses throughout the country.
Successful pharmaceutical reps can start by working with a supervising sales representative to learn the basic process, and will gain the most advantage by increasing their product knowledge and learning how to speak to the medical audience. They need to be persuasive, charismatic, and learn how to speak clearly under pressure. During the interview, the hiring manager will most likely ask questions such as:
What do you think is the most challenging aspect of a pharmaceutical representative?
Why is a sales mindset important for the pharmaceutical sales rep?
How would you convince a physician to switch to a preferred brand?
Pharmaceutical sales are a competitive industry, and the rep needs to learn how to handle rejection! It is also prestigious in nature; most drug companies offer attractive salaries, benefits, and use of a company car. Getting a job in the field may require some proactive searching and ongoing interviews with multiple employers. You have to be a self-starter, ambitious, confident, ethical, and positive. Still your efforts and hard work can be very rewarding
Sales Strategy
in a recent report from Conning & Company, the insurance industry research firm. It indicates costs must be cut for property and casualty insurance companies to remain competitive. Since most of these expenses are in acquisition and commission costs, one of the best ways to slash them is by having consumers serve themselves.
What Conning & Company and others are suggesting isn't just another change; it is revolutionary. What's happening in sales is disintermediation with a vengence. A quick translation traditional selling is history. Even with all the positive attributes, salespeople can be expensive, tempermental and lack loyalty. Eliminating them from the equation is making more sense than ever before.
Anyone who wants to succeed in selling can do so. But it means changing the way we think about sales and the role of the salesperson. Here is what it requires:
1. Stop fooling ourselves. Those who try to con the customer only kid themselves. A phone call came from a telephone company representative who described a new approach to meeting the telecom needs of mid-size businesses. To provide these services, the phone company was "partnering" with another firm to conduct a needs assessment and to make recommendations.
When the report was presented several weeks later, potential telephone service savings were noted if certain equipment was purchased from the partner company.
Who was being conned? Not the customer. He saw through the "report" instantly, since it was no more than a thinly veiled (and poorly prepared) gimmick to sell equipment. Did the phone company and its partner believe such a transparent, sophomoric approach could possibly succeed? If they did, they were only fooling themselves.
2. Stop getting in your own way. If anyone's objective is to make the sale, they render themselves ineffective as a salesperson. This is why more and more salespeople fail today. They are being told by their managers that the job is making sales. The president of a bank describes his company as a "sales organization." He knows exactly which products are profitable and easy to administer. There's only one problem. A dismal track record! He gets in his own way. Prospective customers recognize his objective; they sense all he wants to do is make the sale. And no one buys!
What Conning & Company and others are suggesting isn't just another change; it is revolutionary. What's happening in sales is disintermediation with a vengence. A quick translation traditional selling is history. Even with all the positive attributes, salespeople can be expensive, tempermental and lack loyalty. Eliminating them from the equation is making more sense than ever before.
Anyone who wants to succeed in selling can do so. But it means changing the way we think about sales and the role of the salesperson. Here is what it requires:
1. Stop fooling ourselves. Those who try to con the customer only kid themselves. A phone call came from a telephone company representative who described a new approach to meeting the telecom needs of mid-size businesses. To provide these services, the phone company was "partnering" with another firm to conduct a needs assessment and to make recommendations.
When the report was presented several weeks later, potential telephone service savings were noted if certain equipment was purchased from the partner company.
Who was being conned? Not the customer. He saw through the "report" instantly, since it was no more than a thinly veiled (and poorly prepared) gimmick to sell equipment. Did the phone company and its partner believe such a transparent, sophomoric approach could possibly succeed? If they did, they were only fooling themselves.
2. Stop getting in your own way. If anyone's objective is to make the sale, they render themselves ineffective as a salesperson. This is why more and more salespeople fail today. They are being told by their managers that the job is making sales. The president of a bank describes his company as a "sales organization." He knows exactly which products are profitable and easy to administer. There's only one problem. A dismal track record! He gets in his own way. Prospective customers recognize his objective; they sense all he wants to do is make the sale. And no one buys!
Ask the right questions
If you're in sales, you know the feeling; about two weeks after starting a new job, you begin to doubt your decision. You detect a gap between what you were told and what is actually happening, and it keeps getting wider. You hear yourself saying, "I think I made a mistake," after being on the job for only a month.
Salespeople seem to be more prone to making mistakes than others when it comes to selecting the right job. Since it's their business to stress the positive and minimize negative factors, it's possible they apply this same approach in choosing a job. Perhaps salespeople are good customers who respond to a solid sales pitch. Even though they know they're getting a sales pitch, they may be more easily swayed than those outside the profession.
To avoid taking the wrong job, here are 10 questions to ask before accepting a new sales position. While most should be directed to the sales manager, ask anyone who may give you more information.
1. Does the sales manager make me feel inferior? You are the only person who can answer this question. It's important because sales managers are often known for their well-developed, and sometimes oversized, egos. If the person you'll be reporting to makes you feel uncomfortable or inferior during the initial interview, just imagine how you'll feel once you're on the job. Is it realistic to think that it will be different in a month or a year? If you're uncomfortable at the start, it isn't going to change.
Salespeople seem to be more prone to making mistakes than others when it comes to selecting the right job. Since it's their business to stress the positive and minimize negative factors, it's possible they apply this same approach in choosing a job. Perhaps salespeople are good customers who respond to a solid sales pitch. Even though they know they're getting a sales pitch, they may be more easily swayed than those outside the profession.
To avoid taking the wrong job, here are 10 questions to ask before accepting a new sales position. While most should be directed to the sales manager, ask anyone who may give you more information.
1. Does the sales manager make me feel inferior? You are the only person who can answer this question. It's important because sales managers are often known for their well-developed, and sometimes oversized, egos. If the person you'll be reporting to makes you feel uncomfortable or inferior during the initial interview, just imagine how you'll feel once you're on the job. Is it realistic to think that it will be different in a month or a year? If you're uncomfortable at the start, it isn't going to change.
Getting the sales job
The compensation plan changed again. The revolving door of company executives spins out of control. You look at the corporate direction and you'd like to give the CEO a compass so he can find his way. Concerned, you've decided that today is the day that you will peek your head over the cubicle wall and see what other opportunities are out there. After all, you've been successful. No need to go down with the ship.
The morning you wake up with the inspiration to begin a job search is a little scary. There is the factor of the unknown. Yet, you pushed yourself outside of your comfort zone to open the doors to new opportunity. It's been a while since you last looked for a new sales home. How do you go from where you are today to a new, fresh opportunity?
Know what you want. In sales, you often work with the profile of your ideal client. The same applies when looking for a job. You need to know what the ideal fit is for your sales pedigree. If you don't know what you are looking for, how will you know when you find it? This introspective exercise is the subject of another article of mine titled, "Finding the Right Home For Your Sales Skills." That article walks you through the exercise of defining your ideal sales role. Don't go another step in the process until you have read that article.
Develop your marketing tools. Marketing tools? Yes, that is what a cover letter and resume are all about. When you think of marketing, you also think of messaging. Many forget this when they develop their cover letter and resume. However, these marketing tools communicate a message, a story. The key is to make sure they convey the story you intend.
While the easy thing to do is to create one cover letter and one resume, it is not the most effective way to pursue a new job. As someone who has screened thousands of these documents from sales candidates, I can share with you a little nugget of insight. Hiring managers ask themselves a simple question when they first peruse your cover letter and resume. "Do they want my job or just a job?" We know when you are mass emailing your marketing tools just like prospects know when you mass email them.
In sales, you are taught to make sure your message matches your audience. Sales is not taught as a one-size-fits-all, but rather a template that is adjusted to match the need and circumstance. When prospects feel that they are the sales call of the day, they don't respond. The same applies to hiring managers. Hiring managers are looking to hire people that want to work in their organization. They can feel when someone just wants a job, not necessarily theirs. Thus, when they get that feeling, your candidacy for the job goes into the trash.
The cover letter is one of the first ways it becomes obvious that you are treating this as a mass event. The sales person applies for a specific job, but the cover letter communicates a message that says they want a different job. It is not intentional on the part of the sales person. After all, they paid a copywritera thousand dollars to create this masterpiece. Copywriters are very helpful to those in need of assistance in creating the story of their background. However, the effective cover letter recipe has three ingredients to it, making it somewhat difficult for the copywriter to unilaterally assist you.
1. Share what you know about the company. Hiring managers want to see that you have at least done a little research about them. This is easily done by visiting their website, performing an online search, and studying them on Hoover's.
2. Present your relevant qualifications/accomplishments. The keyword here is "relevant." We've all done a lot of things in our lives. Pick the ones that you feel are most relevant to the reader based on what you read when you researched the company. You can also ascertain this from the job posting.
3. Show the synergy between the opportunity and your background. Connect the dots for the reader. If the company is looking for a sales person that has developed a new territory and you are an expert at doing that, make sure the message comes out in the cover letter. Don't expect the reader to see the synergy. You need to map it out just like you do for sales prospects. When presenting the synergies, use their language. If they call the position "a hunter," refer to yourself as one. If they call bringing in new accounts as "territory development," you are in expert in territory development, not hunting.
When the objective, isn't the objective. The same holds true for the resume. Many sales people write an objective at the top of their resume. Yet, they fail to adjust the title based on the position for which they are applying. My favorite is when someone writes as an objective, "To get a sales or sales management position." I can assure you that approach is a guaranteed way to get yourself removed from consideration in an instant. Those are two completely different jobs. "I want to be a pitcher or the manager of the team. It doesn't matter to me." Again, I just heard you want a job, not necessarily my job.
What you've done. The resume is an extension of the cover letter. The message should be the same. Highlight the results and areas of expertise that are most relevant to this opportunity. I'm not suggesting that you leave certain jobs or employment off your resume. However, package each one as best as you can to convey the synergy between you and the company.
From the job posting, you can usually infer what is most important to the sales manager. Those usually can be found in the section of the job description that highlights the candidate requirements for the job. Include bulleted descriptions and statistics that map back to those elements.
While the work to customize these marketing tools may seem huge and painful, it really isn't. Earlier, I mentioned that you should start the search process by identifying the right home for your sales skills. The reason for that recommendation was to give focus to your search. It allows you to laser-in on those opportunities that best match you. Thus, isn't it worth the time investment to customize your marketing tools for those job prospects that are best suited for you? Wouldn't you do the same thing in pursuit of a major prospect? I certainly hope so.
The morning you wake up with the inspiration to begin a job search is a little scary. There is the factor of the unknown. Yet, you pushed yourself outside of your comfort zone to open the doors to new opportunity. It's been a while since you last looked for a new sales home. How do you go from where you are today to a new, fresh opportunity?
Know what you want. In sales, you often work with the profile of your ideal client. The same applies when looking for a job. You need to know what the ideal fit is for your sales pedigree. If you don't know what you are looking for, how will you know when you find it? This introspective exercise is the subject of another article of mine titled, "Finding the Right Home For Your Sales Skills." That article walks you through the exercise of defining your ideal sales role. Don't go another step in the process until you have read that article.
Develop your marketing tools. Marketing tools? Yes, that is what a cover letter and resume are all about. When you think of marketing, you also think of messaging. Many forget this when they develop their cover letter and resume. However, these marketing tools communicate a message, a story. The key is to make sure they convey the story you intend.
While the easy thing to do is to create one cover letter and one resume, it is not the most effective way to pursue a new job. As someone who has screened thousands of these documents from sales candidates, I can share with you a little nugget of insight. Hiring managers ask themselves a simple question when they first peruse your cover letter and resume. "Do they want my job or just a job?" We know when you are mass emailing your marketing tools just like prospects know when you mass email them.
In sales, you are taught to make sure your message matches your audience. Sales is not taught as a one-size-fits-all, but rather a template that is adjusted to match the need and circumstance. When prospects feel that they are the sales call of the day, they don't respond. The same applies to hiring managers. Hiring managers are looking to hire people that want to work in their organization. They can feel when someone just wants a job, not necessarily theirs. Thus, when they get that feeling, your candidacy for the job goes into the trash.
The cover letter is one of the first ways it becomes obvious that you are treating this as a mass event. The sales person applies for a specific job, but the cover letter communicates a message that says they want a different job. It is not intentional on the part of the sales person. After all, they paid a copywritera thousand dollars to create this masterpiece. Copywriters are very helpful to those in need of assistance in creating the story of their background. However, the effective cover letter recipe has three ingredients to it, making it somewhat difficult for the copywriter to unilaterally assist you.
1. Share what you know about the company. Hiring managers want to see that you have at least done a little research about them. This is easily done by visiting their website, performing an online search, and studying them on Hoover's.
2. Present your relevant qualifications/accomplishments. The keyword here is "relevant." We've all done a lot of things in our lives. Pick the ones that you feel are most relevant to the reader based on what you read when you researched the company. You can also ascertain this from the job posting.
3. Show the synergy between the opportunity and your background. Connect the dots for the reader. If the company is looking for a sales person that has developed a new territory and you are an expert at doing that, make sure the message comes out in the cover letter. Don't expect the reader to see the synergy. You need to map it out just like you do for sales prospects. When presenting the synergies, use their language. If they call the position "a hunter," refer to yourself as one. If they call bringing in new accounts as "territory development," you are in expert in territory development, not hunting.
When the objective, isn't the objective. The same holds true for the resume. Many sales people write an objective at the top of their resume. Yet, they fail to adjust the title based on the position for which they are applying. My favorite is when someone writes as an objective, "To get a sales or sales management position." I can assure you that approach is a guaranteed way to get yourself removed from consideration in an instant. Those are two completely different jobs. "I want to be a pitcher or the manager of the team. It doesn't matter to me." Again, I just heard you want a job, not necessarily my job.
What you've done. The resume is an extension of the cover letter. The message should be the same. Highlight the results and areas of expertise that are most relevant to this opportunity. I'm not suggesting that you leave certain jobs or employment off your resume. However, package each one as best as you can to convey the synergy between you and the company.
From the job posting, you can usually infer what is most important to the sales manager. Those usually can be found in the section of the job description that highlights the candidate requirements for the job. Include bulleted descriptions and statistics that map back to those elements.
While the work to customize these marketing tools may seem huge and painful, it really isn't. Earlier, I mentioned that you should start the search process by identifying the right home for your sales skills. The reason for that recommendation was to give focus to your search. It allows you to laser-in on those opportunities that best match you. Thus, isn't it worth the time investment to customize your marketing tools for those job prospects that are best suited for you? Wouldn't you do the same thing in pursuit of a major prospect? I certainly hope so.
Preparing For A Sales Interview
I am frequently asked about questions that may be asked at a sales rep job interview. Everyone wants to know "How can I ace my job interview?
In this article we are going to look at tips on how to present yourself in the first interview, how to answer interview questions, how to prepare for your interview, how to behave during the interview, questions you can ask the interviewer and how you can maximize the chances of getting the job you really want.
The best way of approaching a sales interview is to think of it like a normal sales meeting with a customer. But instead of selling goods or services, in a sales interview, the product is YOU.
By thinking of the interview as an ordinary sales call, you will find it easy to structure the call and prepare for it. For example, when you are selling, your first approach will often include a brochure or other sales literature setting out your offering. When you are selling yourself, this is the function of your resume or CV. It is essential that you present an employer a carefully constructed document which highlights the features and benefits you have to offer. This will usually be in the form of achievements, qualifications and training. Similarly, a well crafted cover letter will help your application to stand out.
Professional salespeople never visit a customer without having done some research first. At the very least they will have Googled their customer to find out the latest developments and announcements. They should also have checked recent files and had a look to see what is going on in the customer 's marketplace.
In the same way, the interviewee should carry out some pre-interview research. This will not only boost confidence but is fine preparation for some standard interview questions like "What do you know about our company?" or "What do you think the biggest challenges we face in the market today?" It should also prompt you to think about questions you can ask at the end of the interview when you are invited to do so.
Nowadays, it is more and more common for employers to filter job applications by conducting a telephone interview. Although many people are concerned about this, in fact it is usually an easy opportunity to score well and make an early impression.
The first thing to remember is that you are in charge. When the phone rings, the interviewer has absolutely no idea what you are doing and will nearly always ask if it is convenient to talk. Unless you are fully prepared then your answer should always be "no". Set a time when you know you will have had time to do your research and create an atmosphere conducive to giving the right impression. Make a list of the key points you want to get across and have any reference materials easily to hand. The objective of this session is for you to sound relaxed, confident and full of potential. The main goal of the discussion is for you to get a face to face interview. As the call draws to a close, it is essential that you try to set a date (remember to have your calendar to hand).
The main operating environment for a salesperson is when she is talking to her customer. When applying for a job, the potential employer is the customer, so the interview should use the same ground plan as you would for a customer sales call. Remember to arrive punctually, suitably dressed and with anything you might need (like a spare resume or a certificate of achievement) easily to hand in your bag. Remember that the interview starts the moment you arrive and your behaviour with garage attendants and receptionists may be assessed as part of the process.
There is no set pattern for a sales job interview. Some companies have a highly structured approach; others will be more amorphous in character. Regardless of structure, there are usually two questions that you can expect. You may be asked a something like "Tell me about yourself". The answer should be a very brief recap of your career lasting no more than three minutes, which highlights key achievements and finishes with the question "...what would you like to know about in particular?" Do not fall into the trap of rehearsing details of your childhood and upbringing thereby wasting valuable time on information that will not support the product on sale - you.
The second question you can expect is a derivation of "Why do you want this job?" Again, you must align the answers with the skills you are offering. An answer like "I read in your accounts that you are planning to expand into the South West. I have built up a considerable network in that region, am very familiar with the political issues and feel that with the new products you announced last week I can make a significant contribution..." will play very well and serves both to demonstrate the skills you bring and the fact that you have done your homework.
Inexperienced interviewers will often take off their watch and say "sell this to me! Don't be tricked into doing a "feature push" sale. Step back and remember your basic sales training. Respond by asking questions about what he wants in a watch before constructing a sales presentation aligned to his needs.
Good interviewers nearly always provide the opportunity to ask some questions. Do not let the opportunity slip by. This is your chance to showcase your research and ask about the company 's markets, plans and processes. Even if some of these items have been covered during the interview, you should be able to find a way to open up another angle especially if it will highlight one of your key strengths.
Although sales job interviews are very similar to other job interviews, they do differ in one important respect. At the end of the interview, the candidate is expected to attempt a close of some sort; if only to show that he is capable of asking for the business. This doesn't need to be an in your face "am I hired?" question. Indeed depending on the circumstances, this could be counterproductive. However a gentle question seeking feedback or confirmation that the interviewer will be taking your application forward can rarely do any harm.
In some situations the interviewer may start to ask you questions about package. Be on your guard. This is am opportunity to close. Do not just jump in with your number. Remember that this is a sales interview and the question could be a 'buying signal'. Therefore respond with a trial close: - "As we have started to discuss remuneration, can I take that as a sign that as long as the package is right your will be making me an offer?" If the answer is "yes", you have a deal and you can then start talking about the salary and benefits package you need, usually best expressed in terms of a range rather than outright figures. If the salary is lower than your target, you can push for an improved car or better health or holiday benefits.
Occasionally a sales interview will end with a firm offer being made. More often than not though, there will be further stages before an offer can be issued. In this event is is good practice to follow up the interview with a "thank you" letter or email. This should be short, summarize the key strengths that you have to offer, clear up any uncertainties and if appropriate add some further information or collateral which the interviewer might find interesting or supportive of your application.
And finally you should approach every sales job interview with the thought that good sales people are really hard to find and keep. If you can demonstrate that you know how to sell and are confident, well researched and have the energy and drive to perform well them you will be well on the way to meeting your objective of passing the interview.
In this article we are going to look at tips on how to present yourself in the first interview, how to answer interview questions, how to prepare for your interview, how to behave during the interview, questions you can ask the interviewer and how you can maximize the chances of getting the job you really want.
The best way of approaching a sales interview is to think of it like a normal sales meeting with a customer. But instead of selling goods or services, in a sales interview, the product is YOU.
By thinking of the interview as an ordinary sales call, you will find it easy to structure the call and prepare for it. For example, when you are selling, your first approach will often include a brochure or other sales literature setting out your offering. When you are selling yourself, this is the function of your resume or CV. It is essential that you present an employer a carefully constructed document which highlights the features and benefits you have to offer. This will usually be in the form of achievements, qualifications and training. Similarly, a well crafted cover letter will help your application to stand out.
Professional salespeople never visit a customer without having done some research first. At the very least they will have Googled their customer to find out the latest developments and announcements. They should also have checked recent files and had a look to see what is going on in the customer 's marketplace.
In the same way, the interviewee should carry out some pre-interview research. This will not only boost confidence but is fine preparation for some standard interview questions like "What do you know about our company?" or "What do you think the biggest challenges we face in the market today?" It should also prompt you to think about questions you can ask at the end of the interview when you are invited to do so.
Nowadays, it is more and more common for employers to filter job applications by conducting a telephone interview. Although many people are concerned about this, in fact it is usually an easy opportunity to score well and make an early impression.
The first thing to remember is that you are in charge. When the phone rings, the interviewer has absolutely no idea what you are doing and will nearly always ask if it is convenient to talk. Unless you are fully prepared then your answer should always be "no". Set a time when you know you will have had time to do your research and create an atmosphere conducive to giving the right impression. Make a list of the key points you want to get across and have any reference materials easily to hand. The objective of this session is for you to sound relaxed, confident and full of potential. The main goal of the discussion is for you to get a face to face interview. As the call draws to a close, it is essential that you try to set a date (remember to have your calendar to hand).
The main operating environment for a salesperson is when she is talking to her customer. When applying for a job, the potential employer is the customer, so the interview should use the same ground plan as you would for a customer sales call. Remember to arrive punctually, suitably dressed and with anything you might need (like a spare resume or a certificate of achievement) easily to hand in your bag. Remember that the interview starts the moment you arrive and your behaviour with garage attendants and receptionists may be assessed as part of the process.
There is no set pattern for a sales job interview. Some companies have a highly structured approach; others will be more amorphous in character. Regardless of structure, there are usually two questions that you can expect. You may be asked a something like "Tell me about yourself". The answer should be a very brief recap of your career lasting no more than three minutes, which highlights key achievements and finishes with the question "...what would you like to know about in particular?" Do not fall into the trap of rehearsing details of your childhood and upbringing thereby wasting valuable time on information that will not support the product on sale - you.
The second question you can expect is a derivation of "Why do you want this job?" Again, you must align the answers with the skills you are offering. An answer like "I read in your accounts that you are planning to expand into the South West. I have built up a considerable network in that region, am very familiar with the political issues and feel that with the new products you announced last week I can make a significant contribution..." will play very well and serves both to demonstrate the skills you bring and the fact that you have done your homework.
Inexperienced interviewers will often take off their watch and say "sell this to me! Don't be tricked into doing a "feature push" sale. Step back and remember your basic sales training. Respond by asking questions about what he wants in a watch before constructing a sales presentation aligned to his needs.
Good interviewers nearly always provide the opportunity to ask some questions. Do not let the opportunity slip by. This is your chance to showcase your research and ask about the company 's markets, plans and processes. Even if some of these items have been covered during the interview, you should be able to find a way to open up another angle especially if it will highlight one of your key strengths.
Although sales job interviews are very similar to other job interviews, they do differ in one important respect. At the end of the interview, the candidate is expected to attempt a close of some sort; if only to show that he is capable of asking for the business. This doesn't need to be an in your face "am I hired?" question. Indeed depending on the circumstances, this could be counterproductive. However a gentle question seeking feedback or confirmation that the interviewer will be taking your application forward can rarely do any harm.
In some situations the interviewer may start to ask you questions about package. Be on your guard. This is am opportunity to close. Do not just jump in with your number. Remember that this is a sales interview and the question could be a 'buying signal'. Therefore respond with a trial close: - "As we have started to discuss remuneration, can I take that as a sign that as long as the package is right your will be making me an offer?" If the answer is "yes", you have a deal and you can then start talking about the salary and benefits package you need, usually best expressed in terms of a range rather than outright figures. If the salary is lower than your target, you can push for an improved car or better health or holiday benefits.
Occasionally a sales interview will end with a firm offer being made. More often than not though, there will be further stages before an offer can be issued. In this event is is good practice to follow up the interview with a "thank you" letter or email. This should be short, summarize the key strengths that you have to offer, clear up any uncertainties and if appropriate add some further information or collateral which the interviewer might find interesting or supportive of your application.
And finally you should approach every sales job interview with the thought that good sales people are really hard to find and keep. If you can demonstrate that you know how to sell and are confident, well researched and have the energy and drive to perform well them you will be well on the way to meeting your objective of passing the interview.
Working in direct sales
One of the interesting things about the majority of "Top Jobs" in direct sales is that many, if not most of them, are never advertised. In this article, a "Top Job" is defined as one in which the sales person can earn $100,000 or more, (depending on skill, ability, desire), within one or two years. The company providing such a job must have an honest product that fills a serious need, and depends heavily on direct sales.
If these companies don't advertise their sales positions, how is one supposed to ferret them out?
Takes a bit of research, but it's not hard. We'll get into that in a minute. Before you even think about interviewing for such a position you must be absolutely certain you know the skills and techniques of a professional sales person, and know how to sell. Do you know how to get an appointment on the phone? Do you know how to get past the person whose job it is to keep sales people out? Do you know how to construct a presentation - not of a specific product, but rather a presentation of any product? Do you know how to close a sale and how to handle stalls and objections? If not, don't apply and don't even look. You need to learn.
The only thing of major importance in a direct sales job is your ability to sell. A sales manager who has a position with an earnings potential of $100,000 plus a year can not afford the time to run around training people from the ground up. Such a sales manager wants to put people in the field who can hit the ground running. The manager will be happy to give you, the newcomer, all the product information available, plus review their standard presentation and close, but only if you have demonstrated a knowledge of direct sales skills and techniques.
The upside of all of this is that you don't have to have a resume' that shows you to be a Harvard MBA in the top 5 percent of your class. The MBA people are generally looking for jobs with companies that offer high salaries, company cars, and heavy expense accounts. These companies are looking for "institutional" sales people, and require a candidate who presents the image of their company.
All you have to be is clean, neat, enthusiastic, honest, and know the skills of a direct sales person - and how to use them. There are many books that cover these skills, and they aren't that difficult to learn. It is, however, much like learning to play tennis from a book. All your reading about the skills required to be a good tennis player won't do much for you as you watch the tennis ball coming toward you at 85 mph. It's learning how to apply a skill that makes the difference.
Where do I start?
The first place to start your search is with those people, usually professionals, who might use a big-ticket item. Business owners, doctors, attorneys, CPAs, accountants . . . in other words, people who deal with the general public, and need to have all the tools necessary to do so, professionally. The money for any big-ticket item will usually come out of their pocket, and they want to be involved in the purchase, rather than leave it up to a purchasing agent (if they have one). All you have to do is contact these people and indicate something to the effect that you are doing a survey and would appreciate a moment of their time.
Upon contact, let them know that you are doing a survey on direct sales. What you want to know is if he/she purchased a single item, other than a car or truck, within the past 12 months, costing between $5,000 and $15,000 dollars, to be used by the business. You don't need to know the name of the item or exact price. What you do need to know is the name of the company they purchased it from, approximately how many sales calls it took before the purchase was made, and their impression of the sales person responsible for the sale. Was the person you are talking to satisfied with the sales person, and has the sales person followed up since the original sale? Do they know the name of the sales person responsible for the sale; if not, do they know the name of the sales manager?
You should continue your survey calls until you have a list of fifteen to twenty companies whose SALES MANAGERS you can now contact. I've capitalized sales managers because you do NOT want to be shunted off to someone like the Director of Human Resources. Sales managers, whose earnings are dependent on sales, almost always have the final say about the sales people they hire.
When you contact the Sales Manager, (if you can't get by the switchboard operator or the sales manager's secretary, you need to work on your sales techniques), he/she will probably tell you they don't need any sales people right now. That's normal, and make sure you let him/her know that is exactly what you expected to hear. It's important that you get the message across that you just wanted to speak to him/her personally. Let him/her know that you've researched the field, and recently had contact with [insert the name person you had spoken to, and the name of the company that gave you this company's name] where you were impressed with their sales approach, product, and follow-up. Words such as: "I can sell, and wanted to contact you personally to let you know that I'm impressed with the way your sales people conduct business. You've got a team that I'd be proud to join," are music to any sales manager's ears. Your next comment is important. It should go something like this: "I'm sending some information about me directly to you. You may not have any use for it right now, but experience tells me that most sales organizations have at least one person, 'on the bubble.' If that situation should create an opening in your organization, I'd very much like an opportunity to meet with you and discuss possibilities." Your call should be followed up with a "Thank you" note plus a brief resume' of your experience and training.
What are my chances of getting an interview?
Since you are selling yourself, you will be faced with a sales, "presentation-to-close" ratio. Your selling skills and telephone approach are critical. While the skill you demonstrate on the phone is important, there are numerous other factors beyond your control that will affect the final outcome. A pure guess would indicate that you should get between three to five responses from twenty contacts. The quickest responses will usually be from those managers who are desperate for good sales help. These may be organizations you would least like to be associated with, however, never turn down an interview. This is your opportunity to present your best features and how they might benefit your prospective employer. In other words, you will have an opportunity to sharpen your presentation. Use it well, and learn from it.
Getting a top job in direct sales is a matter of selling a quality product - YOU! It requires prospecting, contact, presentation of benefits and closing. If you keep at it, you will succeed.
If these companies don't advertise their sales positions, how is one supposed to ferret them out?
Takes a bit of research, but it's not hard. We'll get into that in a minute. Before you even think about interviewing for such a position you must be absolutely certain you know the skills and techniques of a professional sales person, and know how to sell. Do you know how to get an appointment on the phone? Do you know how to get past the person whose job it is to keep sales people out? Do you know how to construct a presentation - not of a specific product, but rather a presentation of any product? Do you know how to close a sale and how to handle stalls and objections? If not, don't apply and don't even look. You need to learn.
The only thing of major importance in a direct sales job is your ability to sell. A sales manager who has a position with an earnings potential of $100,000 plus a year can not afford the time to run around training people from the ground up. Such a sales manager wants to put people in the field who can hit the ground running. The manager will be happy to give you, the newcomer, all the product information available, plus review their standard presentation and close, but only if you have demonstrated a knowledge of direct sales skills and techniques.
The upside of all of this is that you don't have to have a resume' that shows you to be a Harvard MBA in the top 5 percent of your class. The MBA people are generally looking for jobs with companies that offer high salaries, company cars, and heavy expense accounts. These companies are looking for "institutional" sales people, and require a candidate who presents the image of their company.
All you have to be is clean, neat, enthusiastic, honest, and know the skills of a direct sales person - and how to use them. There are many books that cover these skills, and they aren't that difficult to learn. It is, however, much like learning to play tennis from a book. All your reading about the skills required to be a good tennis player won't do much for you as you watch the tennis ball coming toward you at 85 mph. It's learning how to apply a skill that makes the difference.
Where do I start?
The first place to start your search is with those people, usually professionals, who might use a big-ticket item. Business owners, doctors, attorneys, CPAs, accountants . . . in other words, people who deal with the general public, and need to have all the tools necessary to do so, professionally. The money for any big-ticket item will usually come out of their pocket, and they want to be involved in the purchase, rather than leave it up to a purchasing agent (if they have one). All you have to do is contact these people and indicate something to the effect that you are doing a survey and would appreciate a moment of their time.
Upon contact, let them know that you are doing a survey on direct sales. What you want to know is if he/she purchased a single item, other than a car or truck, within the past 12 months, costing between $5,000 and $15,000 dollars, to be used by the business. You don't need to know the name of the item or exact price. What you do need to know is the name of the company they purchased it from, approximately how many sales calls it took before the purchase was made, and their impression of the sales person responsible for the sale. Was the person you are talking to satisfied with the sales person, and has the sales person followed up since the original sale? Do they know the name of the sales person responsible for the sale; if not, do they know the name of the sales manager?
You should continue your survey calls until you have a list of fifteen to twenty companies whose SALES MANAGERS you can now contact. I've capitalized sales managers because you do NOT want to be shunted off to someone like the Director of Human Resources. Sales managers, whose earnings are dependent on sales, almost always have the final say about the sales people they hire.
When you contact the Sales Manager, (if you can't get by the switchboard operator or the sales manager's secretary, you need to work on your sales techniques), he/she will probably tell you they don't need any sales people right now. That's normal, and make sure you let him/her know that is exactly what you expected to hear. It's important that you get the message across that you just wanted to speak to him/her personally. Let him/her know that you've researched the field, and recently had contact with [insert the name person you had spoken to, and the name of the company that gave you this company's name] where you were impressed with their sales approach, product, and follow-up. Words such as: "I can sell, and wanted to contact you personally to let you know that I'm impressed with the way your sales people conduct business. You've got a team that I'd be proud to join," are music to any sales manager's ears. Your next comment is important. It should go something like this: "I'm sending some information about me directly to you. You may not have any use for it right now, but experience tells me that most sales organizations have at least one person, 'on the bubble.' If that situation should create an opening in your organization, I'd very much like an opportunity to meet with you and discuss possibilities." Your call should be followed up with a "Thank you" note plus a brief resume' of your experience and training.
What are my chances of getting an interview?
Since you are selling yourself, you will be faced with a sales, "presentation-to-close" ratio. Your selling skills and telephone approach are critical. While the skill you demonstrate on the phone is important, there are numerous other factors beyond your control that will affect the final outcome. A pure guess would indicate that you should get between three to five responses from twenty contacts. The quickest responses will usually be from those managers who are desperate for good sales help. These may be organizations you would least like to be associated with, however, never turn down an interview. This is your opportunity to present your best features and how they might benefit your prospective employer. In other words, you will have an opportunity to sharpen your presentation. Use it well, and learn from it.
Getting a top job in direct sales is a matter of selling a quality product - YOU! It requires prospecting, contact, presentation of benefits and closing. If you keep at it, you will succeed.
Advise on getting into medical sales
Medical Sales Jobs are much sought after and even once you are "in" it is a highly competitive career.
There are 3 important factors to consider before even thinking about the process of getting in :-
Are you a true Sales person?
Do you have any Medical qualifications or knowledge?
Are you an experienced driver with a full, clean driving license?
If you have anwered no to any of those questions you may not want to read on.
Top 5 tips for getting started in Medical Sales.
The 5 P's:
Presentation
Passion
Persistence
Patience
Professionalism
Other key qualities needed to secure a Medical Sales Job.
There are a number of key elements which can give you a head start over the competition when entering the Medical Sales forum.
The 5 P's are essential and will be spotted quickly at interview stage.
The others are no less important and can be the difference between getting the job, or not. These are –
The importance of Communication skills are often understated when we talk about sales. Too many sales people love the sound of their own voice and this is offputting for customers. It is more important to listen than to speak. We have two ears and one mouth – use them accordingly. Customers will respond more favourably to a Sales person who understands their needs and listens rather than rushes in with what they think the Customer needs.
Drive and ambition – also demonstrated as passion. This is a key skill which will be spotted at interview stage quickly and needs to be genuine.
Knowledge of the Medical profession, demonstrated by a Medical qualification – (usually preferred), or if not, suitable training courses which have been attended showing a genuine interest in getting into the Medical Sales field.
Self confidence – this is an attractive quality and makes a customer or interviewer trust and warm to you.
Experience – nothing beats it when it comes to getting a job. But, without it, where do you start?.
Shadowing Medical Sales Reps
Speaking to competitors
Speaking to other Medical Sales Reps
Attending any Medical Sales courses
Internet searches
Honesty – if you don’t know, say it. Blaggers do not get far in Sales
Resilience– if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again – do not take it personally. This applies to both the interview stages and actually doing the job
Sincerity – someone who smiles easily and is warm and approachable will win people over quicker than those who don’t.
Ability to prioritise – Spending most time on what is important and profitable and less time on what is not. But never neglecting anything.
Organisation – time management and being highly organized makes your work load easier and more profitable.
Diligence – effort and hard work will always be rewarded
Before and during the medical sales interview process -
Interview yourself in a mirror – essential to be confident about your appearance and professionalism. Important to know how you appear in front of others.
Know the Company who is interviewing you – library, internet and speaking to the right people in their field will give you a good idea of their products and reputation.
It costs a Medical Company approx €70k to hire you for the job! – bear this in mind when you are interviewing as it reminds you how much you need to convince the interviewers in order for them to take a risk with you as opposed to someone with experience.
Be very sure as anything less will be spotted quickly.
Never use a list for an answer e.g. – when asked ‘what can you bring to this job?’, Do not reply with ‘I am dedicated, professional, determined’...... Reply with ‘I am dedicated, an example of this is............... and so on.
Smile and listen
There are 3 important factors to consider before even thinking about the process of getting in :-
Are you a true Sales person?
Do you have any Medical qualifications or knowledge?
Are you an experienced driver with a full, clean driving license?
If you have anwered no to any of those questions you may not want to read on.
Top 5 tips for getting started in Medical Sales.
The 5 P's:
Presentation
Passion
Persistence
Patience
Professionalism
Other key qualities needed to secure a Medical Sales Job.
There are a number of key elements which can give you a head start over the competition when entering the Medical Sales forum.
The 5 P's are essential and will be spotted quickly at interview stage.
The others are no less important and can be the difference between getting the job, or not. These are –
The importance of Communication skills are often understated when we talk about sales. Too many sales people love the sound of their own voice and this is offputting for customers. It is more important to listen than to speak. We have two ears and one mouth – use them accordingly. Customers will respond more favourably to a Sales person who understands their needs and listens rather than rushes in with what they think the Customer needs.
Drive and ambition – also demonstrated as passion. This is a key skill which will be spotted at interview stage quickly and needs to be genuine.
Knowledge of the Medical profession, demonstrated by a Medical qualification – (usually preferred), or if not, suitable training courses which have been attended showing a genuine interest in getting into the Medical Sales field.
Self confidence – this is an attractive quality and makes a customer or interviewer trust and warm to you.
Experience – nothing beats it when it comes to getting a job. But, without it, where do you start?.
Shadowing Medical Sales Reps
Speaking to competitors
Speaking to other Medical Sales Reps
Attending any Medical Sales courses
Internet searches
Honesty – if you don’t know, say it. Blaggers do not get far in Sales
Resilience– if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again – do not take it personally. This applies to both the interview stages and actually doing the job
Sincerity – someone who smiles easily and is warm and approachable will win people over quicker than those who don’t.
Ability to prioritise – Spending most time on what is important and profitable and less time on what is not. But never neglecting anything.
Organisation – time management and being highly organized makes your work load easier and more profitable.
Diligence – effort and hard work will always be rewarded
Before and during the medical sales interview process -
Interview yourself in a mirror – essential to be confident about your appearance and professionalism. Important to know how you appear in front of others.
Know the Company who is interviewing you – library, internet and speaking to the right people in their field will give you a good idea of their products and reputation.
It costs a Medical Company approx €70k to hire you for the job! – bear this in mind when you are interviewing as it reminds you how much you need to convince the interviewers in order for them to take a risk with you as opposed to someone with experience.
Be very sure as anything less will be spotted quickly.
Never use a list for an answer e.g. – when asked ‘what can you bring to this job?’, Do not reply with ‘I am dedicated, professional, determined’...... Reply with ‘I am dedicated, an example of this is............... and so on.
Smile and listen
mAKE YOUR SALES CV DIFFERENT
When it comes to writing a great CV/resume, there are no hard and fast rules or specific formats that you should adhere to; however, your resume should be targeted to each specific job that you are applying to. In addition, it must be concise, clear, command attention and stand out from the pack.
Include a Title for the Job You Want
Use a professional title for the position that you want. An improper job title will only serve to position you at a level far below the responsibility or salary level you are seeking to achieve. Including a job title can greatly increase the number of interview calls that you get for higher positions and improve your chances of clinching a higher salary – and when you start at a higher salary, your career growth is also accelerated.
Include an Executive Summary (what you can do for them) - Not an Objective (Me-focused)
An executive summary should be clear and well defined, consisting of a short paragraph or four to five bulleted points. It should focus on how your skills can benefit the employer, not on what the employer can do for you. Using action words will help to convey you as an intelligent and active individual capable of making contributions to accomplish company goals. Highlight your strengths and achievements clearly and quickly. Recruiters and hiring managers want to see information that is to the point, and hardly have time to dig for buried nuggets of information hidden in your CV/resume.
Include Relevant Information
Let’s state the obvious - your CV/resume is targeted at landing interviews. In effect, you are advertising your capabilities and experience. Therefore, you need to provide precise, accurate and relevant information. Your CV/resume should be able to convey relevant information, but at the same time, the CV/resume should also convey a message that if the hiring manager buys this product (YOU) it will lead to positive and direct benefits in specific areas where their needs exist (the job).
Brag - With PROOF!
When it comes to your CV/resume, you can forget modesty. Brag if you have irrefutable proof that establishes you as an outstanding performer (notice I didn’t say exaggerate or lie). Give your resume an accomplishment-driven profile. Accomplishments are results you produce by resolving problems, or when you overcome a real or perceived obstacle. Mention any project that you spearheaded that served to heighten employee morale, revenues or company savings. Formulate 'Problem-Action-Result' (PAR) statements to convey your ability for producing similar or better results in your future employment.
Highlight Achievements - NOT Responsibilities
Although important, listing responsibilities should not form the focus of your CV/resume. Responsibilities are passive - achievements project you as an active, dynamic individual. When you are seeking a higher position, your achievements rather than your responsibilities acquire crucial importance – so don’t clump the two together. Write a paragraph giving an overview of your responsibilities and then highlight your achievements with bullets. When you want to sell something, you must make it stand out.
Having a well-written resume is crucial when it comes to getting interview calls. Following the 5 tips above will ensure that you maximize your chances
Include a Title for the Job You Want
Use a professional title for the position that you want. An improper job title will only serve to position you at a level far below the responsibility or salary level you are seeking to achieve. Including a job title can greatly increase the number of interview calls that you get for higher positions and improve your chances of clinching a higher salary – and when you start at a higher salary, your career growth is also accelerated.
Include an Executive Summary (what you can do for them) - Not an Objective (Me-focused)
An executive summary should be clear and well defined, consisting of a short paragraph or four to five bulleted points. It should focus on how your skills can benefit the employer, not on what the employer can do for you. Using action words will help to convey you as an intelligent and active individual capable of making contributions to accomplish company goals. Highlight your strengths and achievements clearly and quickly. Recruiters and hiring managers want to see information that is to the point, and hardly have time to dig for buried nuggets of information hidden in your CV/resume.
Include Relevant Information
Let’s state the obvious - your CV/resume is targeted at landing interviews. In effect, you are advertising your capabilities and experience. Therefore, you need to provide precise, accurate and relevant information. Your CV/resume should be able to convey relevant information, but at the same time, the CV/resume should also convey a message that if the hiring manager buys this product (YOU) it will lead to positive and direct benefits in specific areas where their needs exist (the job).
Brag - With PROOF!
When it comes to your CV/resume, you can forget modesty. Brag if you have irrefutable proof that establishes you as an outstanding performer (notice I didn’t say exaggerate or lie). Give your resume an accomplishment-driven profile. Accomplishments are results you produce by resolving problems, or when you overcome a real or perceived obstacle. Mention any project that you spearheaded that served to heighten employee morale, revenues or company savings. Formulate 'Problem-Action-Result' (PAR) statements to convey your ability for producing similar or better results in your future employment.
Highlight Achievements - NOT Responsibilities
Although important, listing responsibilities should not form the focus of your CV/resume. Responsibilities are passive - achievements project you as an active, dynamic individual. When you are seeking a higher position, your achievements rather than your responsibilities acquire crucial importance – so don’t clump the two together. Write a paragraph giving an overview of your responsibilities and then highlight your achievements with bullets. When you want to sell something, you must make it stand out.
Having a well-written resume is crucial when it comes to getting interview calls. Following the 5 tips above will ensure that you maximize your chances
Preparing your CV/Resume
Writing your resume is a mandatory step in your job search. If you want it to go quickly – at least as quickly as possible – and smoothly, then there are guidelines that you might want to adhere to.
Resume writing is not rocket science but it is difficult. Anyone can put together a document with dates, companies and tasks associated with each one. But not anyone can actually write an effective resume.
Why do job seekers fear the resume?
Maybe it’s simply because they know that if it’s not up to par (and beyond), then their chances of getting a job are slim. At least a job they really want.
What are your reasons?
They most likely include the above reason as well as many others. One reason is simple because you don’t like to write; to be more exact, you don’t like to write resumes.
Understandably so. You can’t inject a lot of personality into your resume. It’s pretty much facts, figures and you putting forth your best effort to show why you’re perfect for that particular job. If you think about, it’s really not an easy task.
I know, I’m supposed to be encouraging you, right? Well, that’s coming – don’t worry. I just wanted to take a moment to instill a bit of realism so that you can appreciate the power of your resume.
Get your head in the game
It’s imperative that you take this seriously. If you brush off your resume like it’s no big deal then employers will think it’s no big deal to dump your CV/resume. See how that works?
So while you’re sitting down to start thinking about your resume, get excited. Think about how great it would be to be in a job you love with a higher salary, more perks and a better company morale. That excitement – believe it or not – will help carry you thru the writing of your CV/resume.
Time to put away the modesty
It’s difficult for some people to write about themselves and not downplay their achievements. That spells doom for a resume and the respective job search that goes along with it. Your CV/resume will fail if you are modest to the point of not showcasing all the high achievements that makes you a ‘catch’ for that employer.
Now, I don’t want this to be misconstrued into something about over exaggerating and lying. That is not okay. There are so many ways an employer can find out the truth that it’s not worth the risk. Besides, can you imagine how foolish you’ll feel if you get the job and are expected to be fluent in something that you know nothing about? You’ll lose respect from your supervisor, not to mention your co-workers. It’s just not worth it.
If ‘tooting your own horn’ is an issue, you have to get over it. Pronto. This is your career you’re talking about.
So, are you ready to really start working on your resume? It’s just about time to get down to business. Stayed tuned for Part 2 where I’ll discuss how to flush out all your achievements – even when you don’t think you have any.
Resume writing is not rocket science but it is difficult. Anyone can put together a document with dates, companies and tasks associated with each one. But not anyone can actually write an effective resume.
Why do job seekers fear the resume?
Maybe it’s simply because they know that if it’s not up to par (and beyond), then their chances of getting a job are slim. At least a job they really want.
What are your reasons?
They most likely include the above reason as well as many others. One reason is simple because you don’t like to write; to be more exact, you don’t like to write resumes.
Understandably so. You can’t inject a lot of personality into your resume. It’s pretty much facts, figures and you putting forth your best effort to show why you’re perfect for that particular job. If you think about, it’s really not an easy task.
I know, I’m supposed to be encouraging you, right? Well, that’s coming – don’t worry. I just wanted to take a moment to instill a bit of realism so that you can appreciate the power of your resume.
Get your head in the game
It’s imperative that you take this seriously. If you brush off your resume like it’s no big deal then employers will think it’s no big deal to dump your CV/resume. See how that works?
So while you’re sitting down to start thinking about your resume, get excited. Think about how great it would be to be in a job you love with a higher salary, more perks and a better company morale. That excitement – believe it or not – will help carry you thru the writing of your CV/resume.
Time to put away the modesty
It’s difficult for some people to write about themselves and not downplay their achievements. That spells doom for a resume and the respective job search that goes along with it. Your CV/resume will fail if you are modest to the point of not showcasing all the high achievements that makes you a ‘catch’ for that employer.
Now, I don’t want this to be misconstrued into something about over exaggerating and lying. That is not okay. There are so many ways an employer can find out the truth that it’s not worth the risk. Besides, can you imagine how foolish you’ll feel if you get the job and are expected to be fluent in something that you know nothing about? You’ll lose respect from your supervisor, not to mention your co-workers. It’s just not worth it.
If ‘tooting your own horn’ is an issue, you have to get over it. Pronto. This is your career you’re talking about.
So, are you ready to really start working on your resume? It’s just about time to get down to business. Stayed tuned for Part 2 where I’ll discuss how to flush out all your achievements – even when you don’t think you have any.
Sales Training
New sales representatives usually work with experienced sales staff until they become familiar with the product and the area they will cover. Most companies provide training on their products, organisation and the sales methods they use.
They may also take a range of courses and qualifications in sales, including Edexcel and SQA certificates and diplomas, NVQs/SVQs at Levels 2 and 3, and the City & Guilds International Vocational Qualification (IVQ) in Sales and Marketing.
The Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM) offers a number of relevant qualifications, including:
Certificate in Sales and Marketing at Level 2
Advanced Certificate in Sales and Marketing at Level 3
Diploma in Strategic Sales (Key Account Management or Sales Management) at Level 5.
The Managing and Marketing Sales Association (MAMSA) has a range of diplomas including a Standard Diploma and Higher Diploma in Sales Marketing. The Standard Diploma is open to people wishing to enter the profession. The Higher Diploma requires some sales experience.
Getting on
Promotion possibilities for sales representatives depend on their sales results.
Progression may involve taking on responsibility for a larger area or moving into sales management. Some sales representatives become national account managers, working closely with one or more large organisations and businesses.
Technical sales representatives sometimes move into product development, research and production.
Some sales representatives move into overseas sales.
They may also take a range of courses and qualifications in sales, including Edexcel and SQA certificates and diplomas, NVQs/SVQs at Levels 2 and 3, and the City & Guilds International Vocational Qualification (IVQ) in Sales and Marketing.
The Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM) offers a number of relevant qualifications, including:
Certificate in Sales and Marketing at Level 2
Advanced Certificate in Sales and Marketing at Level 3
Diploma in Strategic Sales (Key Account Management or Sales Management) at Level 5.
The Managing and Marketing Sales Association (MAMSA) has a range of diplomas including a Standard Diploma and Higher Diploma in Sales Marketing. The Standard Diploma is open to people wishing to enter the profession. The Higher Diploma requires some sales experience.
Getting on
Promotion possibilities for sales representatives depend on their sales results.
Progression may involve taking on responsibility for a larger area or moving into sales management. Some sales representatives become national account managers, working closely with one or more large organisations and businesses.
Technical sales representatives sometimes move into product development, research and production.
Some sales representatives move into overseas sales.
Do you qualify for a sales job
Working hours can be long and irregular, and usually depend on meeting targets for appointments or sales. Administration work is usually carried out between appointments or at home at the end of the day. It may be possible to work part time.
Sales representatives visit customers at their homes, offices or factories, which requires a lot of driving. If they cover a large area, they may spend most of the week travelling and staying in hotels. When not on the road, they are likely to work in the company's office or at home.
A full, clean driving licence is highly advantageous and may be essential in some jobs.
Depending on the employer, some overseas travel may be required.
Salary and other benefits
These figures are only a guide, as actual rates of pay may vary, depending on the employer and where people live.
Starting salaries may be from around £15,000 a year.
Experienced sales representatives may earn up to £35,000 a year.
Top salaries, including commission, may be £50,000 or more.
Most sales representatives get a basic salary plus commission. This commission basis is usually shown as an OTE (on-target earnings) figure in job adverts. They may receive a petrol allowance and a company car.
Skills and personal qualities
A sales representative should be:
enthusiastic, ambitious and self-confident
a natural extrovert and good at networking
persuasive and good at negotiating
able to take rejection
smart in appearance and polite in manner
knowledgeable about the company's products and those of their competitors
able to work alone and on their own initiative
able to plan a schedule and keep to it
quick at calculations.
Interests
It is important for a sales representative to have an interest in:
meeting new people
the specific products or services they are selling.
Getting in
Sales representatives work for manufacturers and wholesale distributors in every sector - from foodstuffs and machinery to pharmaceuticals and printing services. About 14 per cent of sales representatives are self-employed or work freelance, often on a commission-only basis.
There is always a need for skilled sales representatives and there are opportunities throughout the UK and abroad.
A number of recruitment agencies specialise in sales positions, many in specific sectors, and there is a huge range of sales jobsites that advertise and recruit for sales jobs. Posts may also be advertised in magazines and newsletters relevant to the particular sector, as well as in Jobcentre Plus offices and local and regional newspapers.
Sales representatives visit customers at their homes, offices or factories, which requires a lot of driving. If they cover a large area, they may spend most of the week travelling and staying in hotels. When not on the road, they are likely to work in the company's office or at home.
A full, clean driving licence is highly advantageous and may be essential in some jobs.
Depending on the employer, some overseas travel may be required.
Salary and other benefits
These figures are only a guide, as actual rates of pay may vary, depending on the employer and where people live.
Starting salaries may be from around £15,000 a year.
Experienced sales representatives may earn up to £35,000 a year.
Top salaries, including commission, may be £50,000 or more.
Most sales representatives get a basic salary plus commission. This commission basis is usually shown as an OTE (on-target earnings) figure in job adverts. They may receive a petrol allowance and a company car.
Skills and personal qualities
A sales representative should be:
enthusiastic, ambitious and self-confident
a natural extrovert and good at networking
persuasive and good at negotiating
able to take rejection
smart in appearance and polite in manner
knowledgeable about the company's products and those of their competitors
able to work alone and on their own initiative
able to plan a schedule and keep to it
quick at calculations.
Interests
It is important for a sales representative to have an interest in:
meeting new people
the specific products or services they are selling.
Getting in
Sales representatives work for manufacturers and wholesale distributors in every sector - from foodstuffs and machinery to pharmaceuticals and printing services. About 14 per cent of sales representatives are self-employed or work freelance, often on a commission-only basis.
There is always a need for skilled sales representatives and there are opportunities throughout the UK and abroad.
A number of recruitment agencies specialise in sales positions, many in specific sectors, and there is a huge range of sales jobsites that advertise and recruit for sales jobs. Posts may also be advertised in magazines and newsletters relevant to the particular sector, as well as in Jobcentre Plus offices and local and regional newspapers.
What is sales like
Sales representatives, also called salespeople or sales executives, sell their company's products or services to customers. They could be selling cleaning or food products, ICT or electronics components, medicines and pharmaceuticals, vehicles, cosmetics - in fact almost any kind of product or service. Their customers may be individuals, businesses, factories or retail outlets.
They may work for a major distributor, such as a motor vehicle agency, a national retailer or a distributor of one or more particular products. They may be responsible for sales in one specific geographical area, nationally or even worldwide.
Direct sales representatives sell directly to individuals in their homes, demonstrating products or leaving catalogues for customers to choose from. Alternatively, they may sell to companies, taking orders and delivering products.
Technical sales representatives and sales engineers work in the industrial, engineering or ICT sectors, selling industrial, specialised or high-tech equipment, materials and components. They often act as a consultant or liaise between the customer and their own company's design or production departments.
Many sales representatives specialise in one sector - pharmaceuticals, for example, or food products for resale through shops and stores. When they meet a customer, they show catalogues or demonstrate their products, discuss prices and payment plans, suggest accessories, and advise the customer on after-sales service, guarantees and delivery schedules.
Their employers rely on them to collect information from customers on the products that sell well and any new products that might be needed in the future.
Sales representatives need to keep records of their orders and invoices, the calls they make, and any money they take. This may be done on paper forms, although it is increasingly carried out on laptop computers or handheld terminals.
Salaries may start from around £15,000 a year.
They may work for a major distributor, such as a motor vehicle agency, a national retailer or a distributor of one or more particular products. They may be responsible for sales in one specific geographical area, nationally or even worldwide.
Direct sales representatives sell directly to individuals in their homes, demonstrating products or leaving catalogues for customers to choose from. Alternatively, they may sell to companies, taking orders and delivering products.
Technical sales representatives and sales engineers work in the industrial, engineering or ICT sectors, selling industrial, specialised or high-tech equipment, materials and components. They often act as a consultant or liaise between the customer and their own company's design or production departments.
Many sales representatives specialise in one sector - pharmaceuticals, for example, or food products for resale through shops and stores. When they meet a customer, they show catalogues or demonstrate their products, discuss prices and payment plans, suggest accessories, and advise the customer on after-sales service, guarantees and delivery schedules.
Their employers rely on them to collect information from customers on the products that sell well and any new products that might be needed in the future.
Sales representatives need to keep records of their orders and invoices, the calls they make, and any money they take. This may be done on paper forms, although it is increasingly carried out on laptop computers or handheld terminals.
Salaries may start from around £15,000 a year.
Getting that sales job
The compensation plan changed again. The revolving door of company executives spins out of control. You look at the corporate direction and you'd like to give the CEO a compass so he can find his way. Concerned, you've decided that today is the day that you will peek your head over the cubicle wall and see what other opportunities are out there. After all, you've been successful. No need to go down with the ship.
The morning you wake up with the inspiration to begin a job search is a little scary. There is the factor of the unknown. Yet, you pushed yourself outside of your comfort zone to open the doors to new opportunity. It's been a while since you last looked for a new sales home. How do you go from where you are today to a new, fresh opportunity?
Know what you want. In sales, you often work with the profile of your ideal client. The same applies when looking for a job. You need to know what the ideal fit is for your sales pedigree. If you don't know what you are looking for, how will you know when you find it? This introspective exercise is the subject of another article of mine titled, "Finding the Right Home For Your Sales Skills." That article walks you through the exercise of defining your ideal sales role. Don't go another step in the process until you have read that article.
Develop your marketing tools. Marketing tools? Yes, that is what a cover letter and resume are all about. When you think of marketing, you also think of messaging. Many forget this when they develop their cover letter and resume. However, these marketing tools communicate a message, a story. The key is to make sure they convey the story you intend.
While the easy thing to do is to create one cover letter and one resume, it is not the most effective way to pursue a new job. As someone who has screened thousands of these documents from sales candidates, I can share with you a little nugget of insight. Hiring managers ask themselves a simple question when they first peruse your cover letter and resume. "Do they want my job or just a job?" We know when you are mass emailing your marketing tools just like prospects know when you mass email them.
In sales, you are taught to make sure your message matches your audience. Sales is not taught as a one-size-fits-all, but rather a template that is adjusted to match the need and circumstance. When prospects feel that they are the sales call of the day, they don't respond. The same applies to hiring managers. Hiring managers are looking to hire people that want to work in their organization. They can feel when someone just wants a job, not necessarily theirs. Thus, when they get that feeling, your candidacy for the job goes into the trash.
The cover letter is one of the first ways it becomes obvious that you are treating this as a mass event. The sales person applies for a specific job, but the cover letter communicates a message that says they want a different job. It is not intentional on the part of the sales person. After all, they paid a copywriter a thousand dollars to create this masterpiece. Copywriters are very helpful to those in need of assistance in creating the story of their background. However, the effective cover letter recipe has three ingredients to it, making it somewhat difficult for the copywriter to unilaterally assist you.
1. Share what you know about the company. Hiring managers want to see that you have at least done a little research about them. This is easily done by visiting their website, performing an online search, and studying them on Hoover's.
2. Present your relevant qualifications/accomplishments. The keyword here is "relevant." We've all done a lot of things in our lives. Pick the ones that you feel are most relevant to the reader based on what you read when you researched the company. You can also ascertain this from the job posting.
3. Show the synergy between the opportunity and your background. Connect the dots for the reader. If the company is looking for a sales person that has developed a new territory and you are an expert at doing that, make sure the message comes out in the cover letter. Don't expect the reader to see the synergy. You need to map it out just like you do for sales prospects. When presenting the synergies, use their language. If they call the position "a hunter," refer to yourself as one. If they call bringing in new accounts as "territory development," you are in expert in territory development, not hunting.
When the objective, isn't the objective. The same holds true for the resume. Many sales people write an objective at the top of their resume. Yet, they fail to adjust the title based on the position for which they are applying. My favorite is when someone writes as an objective, "To get a sales or sales management position." I can assure you that approach is a guaranteed way to get yourself removed from consideration in an instant. Those are two completely different jobs. "I want to be a pitcher or the manager of the team. It doesn't matter to me." Again, I just heard you want a job, not necessarily my job.
What you've done. The resume is an extension of the cover letter. The message should be the same. Highlight the results and areas of expertise that are most relevant to this opportunity. I'm not suggesting that you leave certain jobs or employment off your resume. However, package each one as best as you can to convey the synergy between you and the company.
From the job posting, you can usually infer what is most important to the sales manager. Those usually can be found in the section of the job description that highlights the candidate requirements for the job. Include bulleted descriptions and statistics that map back to those elements.
While the work to customize these marketing tools may seem huge and painful, it really isn't. Earlier, I mentioned that you should start the search process by identifying the right home for your sales skills. The reason for that recommendation was to give focus to your search. It allows you to laser-in on those opportunities that best match you. Thus, isn't it worth the time investment to customize your marketing tools for those job prospects that are best suited for you? Wouldn't you do the same thing in pursuit of a major prospect? I certainly hope so.
The morning you wake up with the inspiration to begin a job search is a little scary. There is the factor of the unknown. Yet, you pushed yourself outside of your comfort zone to open the doors to new opportunity. It's been a while since you last looked for a new sales home. How do you go from where you are today to a new, fresh opportunity?
Know what you want. In sales, you often work with the profile of your ideal client. The same applies when looking for a job. You need to know what the ideal fit is for your sales pedigree. If you don't know what you are looking for, how will you know when you find it? This introspective exercise is the subject of another article of mine titled, "Finding the Right Home For Your Sales Skills." That article walks you through the exercise of defining your ideal sales role. Don't go another step in the process until you have read that article.
Develop your marketing tools. Marketing tools? Yes, that is what a cover letter and resume are all about. When you think of marketing, you also think of messaging. Many forget this when they develop their cover letter and resume. However, these marketing tools communicate a message, a story. The key is to make sure they convey the story you intend.
While the easy thing to do is to create one cover letter and one resume, it is not the most effective way to pursue a new job. As someone who has screened thousands of these documents from sales candidates, I can share with you a little nugget of insight. Hiring managers ask themselves a simple question when they first peruse your cover letter and resume. "Do they want my job or just a job?" We know when you are mass emailing your marketing tools just like prospects know when you mass email them.
In sales, you are taught to make sure your message matches your audience. Sales is not taught as a one-size-fits-all, but rather a template that is adjusted to match the need and circumstance. When prospects feel that they are the sales call of the day, they don't respond. The same applies to hiring managers. Hiring managers are looking to hire people that want to work in their organization. They can feel when someone just wants a job, not necessarily theirs. Thus, when they get that feeling, your candidacy for the job goes into the trash.
The cover letter is one of the first ways it becomes obvious that you are treating this as a mass event. The sales person applies for a specific job, but the cover letter communicates a message that says they want a different job. It is not intentional on the part of the sales person. After all, they paid a copywriter a thousand dollars to create this masterpiece. Copywriters are very helpful to those in need of assistance in creating the story of their background. However, the effective cover letter recipe has three ingredients to it, making it somewhat difficult for the copywriter to unilaterally assist you.
1. Share what you know about the company. Hiring managers want to see that you have at least done a little research about them. This is easily done by visiting their website, performing an online search, and studying them on Hoover's.
2. Present your relevant qualifications/accomplishments. The keyword here is "relevant." We've all done a lot of things in our lives. Pick the ones that you feel are most relevant to the reader based on what you read when you researched the company. You can also ascertain this from the job posting.
3. Show the synergy between the opportunity and your background. Connect the dots for the reader. If the company is looking for a sales person that has developed a new territory and you are an expert at doing that, make sure the message comes out in the cover letter. Don't expect the reader to see the synergy. You need to map it out just like you do for sales prospects. When presenting the synergies, use their language. If they call the position "a hunter," refer to yourself as one. If they call bringing in new accounts as "territory development," you are in expert in territory development, not hunting.
When the objective, isn't the objective. The same holds true for the resume. Many sales people write an objective at the top of their resume. Yet, they fail to adjust the title based on the position for which they are applying. My favorite is when someone writes as an objective, "To get a sales or sales management position." I can assure you that approach is a guaranteed way to get yourself removed from consideration in an instant. Those are two completely different jobs. "I want to be a pitcher or the manager of the team. It doesn't matter to me." Again, I just heard you want a job, not necessarily my job.
What you've done. The resume is an extension of the cover letter. The message should be the same. Highlight the results and areas of expertise that are most relevant to this opportunity. I'm not suggesting that you leave certain jobs or employment off your resume. However, package each one as best as you can to convey the synergy between you and the company.
From the job posting, you can usually infer what is most important to the sales manager. Those usually can be found in the section of the job description that highlights the candidate requirements for the job. Include bulleted descriptions and statistics that map back to those elements.
While the work to customize these marketing tools may seem huge and painful, it really isn't. Earlier, I mentioned that you should start the search process by identifying the right home for your sales skills. The reason for that recommendation was to give focus to your search. It allows you to laser-in on those opportunities that best match you. Thus, isn't it worth the time investment to customize your marketing tools for those job prospects that are best suited for you? Wouldn't you do the same thing in pursuit of a major prospect? I certainly hope so.
Medical Sales Jobs
About 10 to 15 years ago when the internet was not even half as popular as it is now, newspapers ruled the roost. In order to get a good medical sales job, you needed to browse through the newspaper classifieds, look for job fairs and once you spotted a good job offer, the next tedious part began.
A completely hand written cover letter added with a printed copy of your CV needed to be sent to the company. Then you had to await your interview call. But this entire process now takes less than a day with the advent of the internet.
All that you have to do is register with a job portal and you will get an email notification every time a good Medical sales job is posted on the site. Also recruiters now keep looking for quality candidates in order to secure the best candidate for their company.
Making it big in sales
You need to know that you are about to embark on a journey which requires you to sell products to a group of people who know more about the product than you do.
This group also will scrutinize the product to minute detail and they know the profession inside out.
You can prepare for the job by conducting satisfactory research. How large is the market? What is the level of competition?
Are there people with an established base or are there more beginners in the marketplace?
This research is crucial to your planning and the schedule in the future.
Enter the game
Now that your planning and research is complete you are all set to enter the market. Do a final check to ensure that all your departments are in sync with you as you enter.
Continual planning, adapting and restructuring is the only way that you can stay ahead in the race.
A completely hand written cover letter added with a printed copy of your CV needed to be sent to the company. Then you had to await your interview call. But this entire process now takes less than a day with the advent of the internet.
All that you have to do is register with a job portal and you will get an email notification every time a good Medical sales job is posted on the site. Also recruiters now keep looking for quality candidates in order to secure the best candidate for their company.
Making it big in sales
You need to know that you are about to embark on a journey which requires you to sell products to a group of people who know more about the product than you do.
This group also will scrutinize the product to minute detail and they know the profession inside out.
You can prepare for the job by conducting satisfactory research. How large is the market? What is the level of competition?
Are there people with an established base or are there more beginners in the marketplace?
This research is crucial to your planning and the schedule in the future.
Enter the game
Now that your planning and research is complete you are all set to enter the market. Do a final check to ensure that all your departments are in sync with you as you enter.
Continual planning, adapting and restructuring is the only way that you can stay ahead in the race.
The secret to getting a sales job
The morning you wake up with the inspiration to begin a job search is a little scary. There is the factor of the unknown. Yet, you pushed yourself outside of your comfort zone to open the doors to new opportunity. It's been a while since you last looked for a new sales home. How do you go from where you are today to a new, fresh opportunity?
Know what you want. In sales, you often work with the profile of your ideal client. The same applies when looking for a job. You need to know what the ideal fit is for your sales pedigree. If you don't know what you are looking for, how will you know when you find it? This introspective exercise is the subject of another article of mine titled, "Finding the Right Home for Your Sales Skills." That article walks you through the exercise of defining your ideal sales role. Don't go another step in the process until you have read that article.
Develop your marketing tools. Marketing tools? Yes, that is what a cover letter and resume are all about. When you think of marketing, you also think of messaging. Many forget this when they develop their cover letter and resume. However, these marketing tools communicate a message, a story. The key is to make sure they convey the story you intend.
While the easy thing to do is to create one cover letter and one resume, it is not the most effective way to pursue a new job. As someone who has screened thousands of these documents from sales candidates, I can share with you a little nugget of insight. Hiring managers ask themselves a simple question when they first peruse your cover letter and resume. "Do they want my job or just a job?" We know when you are mass emailing your marketing tools just like prospects know when you mass email them.
In sales, you are taught to make sure your message matches your audience. Sales is not taught as a one-size-fits-all, but rather a template that is adjusted to match the need and circumstance. When prospects feel that they are the sales call of the day, they don't respond. The same applies to hiring managers. Hiring managers are looking to hire people that want to work in their organization. They can feel when someone just wants a job, not necessarily theirs. Thus, when they get that feeling, your candidacy for the job goes into the trash.
The cover letter is one of the first ways it becomes obvious that you are treating this as a mass event. The sales person applies for a specific job, but the cover letter communicates a message that says they want a different job. It is not intentional on the part of the sales person. After all, they paid a copywriter a thousand dollars to create this masterpiece. Copywriters are very helpful to those in need of assistance in creating the story of their background. However, the effective cover letter recipe has three ingredients to it, making it somewhat difficult for the copywriter to unilaterally assist you.
Share what you know about the company. Hiring managers want to see that you have at least done a little research about them. This is easily done by visiting their website, performing an online search, and studying them on Hoover's.
Present your relevant qualifications/accomplishments. The keyword here is "relevant." We've all done a lot of things in our lives. Pick the ones that you feel are most relevant to the reader based on what you read when you researched the company. You can also ascertain this from the job posting.
Show the synergy between the opportunity and your background. Connect the dots for the reader. If the company is looking for a sales person that has developed a new territory and you are an expert at doing that, make sure the message comes out in the cover letter. Don't expect the reader to see the synergy. You need to map it out just like you do for sales prospects. When presenting the synergies, use their language. If they call the position "a hunter," refer to yourself as one. If they call bringing in new accounts as "territory development," you are in expert in territory development, not hunting.
When the objective, isn't the objective. The same holds true for the resume. Many sales people write an objective at the top of their resume. Yet, they fail to adjust the title based on the position for which they are applying. My favorite is when someone writes as an objective, "To get a sales or sales management position." I can assure you that approach is a guaranteed way to get yourself removed from consideration in an instant. Those are two completely different jobs. "I want to be a pitcher or the manager of the team. It doesn't matter to me." Again, I just heard you want a job, not necessarily my job.
What you've done. The resume is an extension of the cover letter. The message should be the same. Highlight the results and areas of expertise that are most relevant to this opportunity. I'm not suggesting that you leave certain jobs or employment off your resume. However, package each one as best as you can to convey the synergy between you and the company.
From the job posting, you can usually infer what is most important to the sales manager. Those usually can be found in the section of the job description that highlights the candidate requirements for the job. Include bulleted descriptions and statistics that map back to those elements.
While the work to customize these marketing tools may seem huge and painful, it really isn't. Earlier, I mentioned that you should start the search process by identifying the right home for your sales skills. The reason for that recommendation was to give focus to your search. It allows you to laser-in on those opportunities that best match you. Thus, isn't it worth the time investment to customize your marketing tools for those job prospects that are best suited for you? Wouldn't you do the same thing in pursuit of a major prospect? I certainly hope so.
Know what you want. In sales, you often work with the profile of your ideal client. The same applies when looking for a job. You need to know what the ideal fit is for your sales pedigree. If you don't know what you are looking for, how will you know when you find it? This introspective exercise is the subject of another article of mine titled, "Finding the Right Home for Your Sales Skills." That article walks you through the exercise of defining your ideal sales role. Don't go another step in the process until you have read that article.
Develop your marketing tools. Marketing tools? Yes, that is what a cover letter and resume are all about. When you think of marketing, you also think of messaging. Many forget this when they develop their cover letter and resume. However, these marketing tools communicate a message, a story. The key is to make sure they convey the story you intend.
While the easy thing to do is to create one cover letter and one resume, it is not the most effective way to pursue a new job. As someone who has screened thousands of these documents from sales candidates, I can share with you a little nugget of insight. Hiring managers ask themselves a simple question when they first peruse your cover letter and resume. "Do they want my job or just a job?" We know when you are mass emailing your marketing tools just like prospects know when you mass email them.
In sales, you are taught to make sure your message matches your audience. Sales is not taught as a one-size-fits-all, but rather a template that is adjusted to match the need and circumstance. When prospects feel that they are the sales call of the day, they don't respond. The same applies to hiring managers. Hiring managers are looking to hire people that want to work in their organization. They can feel when someone just wants a job, not necessarily theirs. Thus, when they get that feeling, your candidacy for the job goes into the trash.
The cover letter is one of the first ways it becomes obvious that you are treating this as a mass event. The sales person applies for a specific job, but the cover letter communicates a message that says they want a different job. It is not intentional on the part of the sales person. After all, they paid a copywriter a thousand dollars to create this masterpiece. Copywriters are very helpful to those in need of assistance in creating the story of their background. However, the effective cover letter recipe has three ingredients to it, making it somewhat difficult for the copywriter to unilaterally assist you.
Share what you know about the company. Hiring managers want to see that you have at least done a little research about them. This is easily done by visiting their website, performing an online search, and studying them on Hoover's.
Present your relevant qualifications/accomplishments. The keyword here is "relevant." We've all done a lot of things in our lives. Pick the ones that you feel are most relevant to the reader based on what you read when you researched the company. You can also ascertain this from the job posting.
Show the synergy between the opportunity and your background. Connect the dots for the reader. If the company is looking for a sales person that has developed a new territory and you are an expert at doing that, make sure the message comes out in the cover letter. Don't expect the reader to see the synergy. You need to map it out just like you do for sales prospects. When presenting the synergies, use their language. If they call the position "a hunter," refer to yourself as one. If they call bringing in new accounts as "territory development," you are in expert in territory development, not hunting.
When the objective, isn't the objective. The same holds true for the resume. Many sales people write an objective at the top of their resume. Yet, they fail to adjust the title based on the position for which they are applying. My favorite is when someone writes as an objective, "To get a sales or sales management position." I can assure you that approach is a guaranteed way to get yourself removed from consideration in an instant. Those are two completely different jobs. "I want to be a pitcher or the manager of the team. It doesn't matter to me." Again, I just heard you want a job, not necessarily my job.
What you've done. The resume is an extension of the cover letter. The message should be the same. Highlight the results and areas of expertise that are most relevant to this opportunity. I'm not suggesting that you leave certain jobs or employment off your resume. However, package each one as best as you can to convey the synergy between you and the company.
From the job posting, you can usually infer what is most important to the sales manager. Those usually can be found in the section of the job description that highlights the candidate requirements for the job. Include bulleted descriptions and statistics that map back to those elements.
While the work to customize these marketing tools may seem huge and painful, it really isn't. Earlier, I mentioned that you should start the search process by identifying the right home for your sales skills. The reason for that recommendation was to give focus to your search. It allows you to laser-in on those opportunities that best match you. Thus, isn't it worth the time investment to customize your marketing tools for those job prospects that are best suited for you? Wouldn't you do the same thing in pursuit of a major prospect? I certainly hope so.
Getting a sales job without experience
Strategy 1: Persist
Persistence is the successful salesperson's number one trait. When you persist professionally, the sales manager will often give you the benefit of the doubt. They want to see how you deal with rejection and uncertainty. They want to see how you'll handle their objections. Keep at it. Get a referral to introduce you and make a phone call on your behalf. Write a brief but compelling letter of introduction, and then make your own phone call. Write a follow-up letter. Get the manager's email address and write a three-sentence presentation describing why he should hire or at least interview you. "I'll work just as hard to sell for this company as I'm working to get this job" is a good way to start that email.
Strategy 2: Do Your Homework
The number one complaint about salespeople is their lack of preparation. The interview is just like a sales call. You're selling yourself to the prospective employer. When it's your turn to talk, let the interviewer know you prepared by saying something as simple as, "In preparing for this interview, I..." Then list what you did. Here are some examples:
"I read your last three corporate reports."
"I took one of your salespeople to breakfast."
"I spent an hour on your Web site to see how I fit into your mission."
"I had an informational interview with one of your customers about how you sell and service your products."
The point is to document your preparation. Sales managers want to know you're willing to dig for information. If you're not willing to do it to get a job, then why would you be willing to do it to land a sale?
Strategy 3: Customize Your Resume
Make sure your resume says you are seeking a sales job in the aerospace industry if that is indeed the job you are seeking. Salespeople today are customizing virtually every sales presentation. Your resume should be tailored to the industry and company. A generic resume won't cut it if you have no experience.
Strategy 4: Document Your Achievements and Sell Them
A need to continually achieve is key to sales success. Prove you are an achiever. Document your three biggest victories and be prepared to reel off a list of at least seven other significant wins in your life from school, sports, music, class politics, etc. You will achieve again for the employer, because past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. You may not have sales success, but you have had success in other areas. Success leaves clues.
Strategy 5: Have a Philosophy of Selling When You Walk in the Door
If you want to land a sales job, you should have a rudimentary knowledge about sales and be able to articulate a philosophy of selling, and it has to be more than, "I'm a people person." You can't learn to sell from a book, but you can learn that selling is a process. You can discuss the importance of understanding customer's needs and presenting solutions. You can ask questions about the company's sales philosophy and whether or not they believe in a consultative or team approach.
Strategy 6: Have a Story About Your Biggest Sale
You need to document an incident when you persuaded someone to do something you wanted him to do. Describe how you achieved an objective and what you got other people to do for you in order to achieve it. Show how you already have the necessary skills to do the job you're applying for.
Strategy 7: Be Willing to take an Entry-Level Sales Position
There are minor leagues and major leagues in sales. You may be able to land an entry-level sales job at a television station in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, because their second leading salesperson just took a job in Milwaukee. The point is you'll have less competition in a smaller town or company.
Another variation of this is to start with an internship and demonstrate competence. A willingness to work for free or low wages to get your foot in the door can be a good strategy if you can afford it.
Be Ready to Work
If getting a sales job without experience sounds like a lot of work, it is. Selling is a lot of work. That's why top salespeople make a lot of money. They are willing to do the work before they get paid for it. They are willing to take risks and face rejection.
The reality is that few people have the drive and determination to apply even two or three of these seven strategies. When you do, you'll be a refreshing change of pace for hiring managers.
Persistence is the successful salesperson's number one trait. When you persist professionally, the sales manager will often give you the benefit of the doubt. They want to see how you deal with rejection and uncertainty. They want to see how you'll handle their objections. Keep at it. Get a referral to introduce you and make a phone call on your behalf. Write a brief but compelling letter of introduction, and then make your own phone call. Write a follow-up letter. Get the manager's email address and write a three-sentence presentation describing why he should hire or at least interview you. "I'll work just as hard to sell for this company as I'm working to get this job" is a good way to start that email.
Strategy 2: Do Your Homework
The number one complaint about salespeople is their lack of preparation. The interview is just like a sales call. You're selling yourself to the prospective employer. When it's your turn to talk, let the interviewer know you prepared by saying something as simple as, "In preparing for this interview, I..." Then list what you did. Here are some examples:
"I read your last three corporate reports."
"I took one of your salespeople to breakfast."
"I spent an hour on your Web site to see how I fit into your mission."
"I had an informational interview with one of your customers about how you sell and service your products."
The point is to document your preparation. Sales managers want to know you're willing to dig for information. If you're not willing to do it to get a job, then why would you be willing to do it to land a sale?
Strategy 3: Customize Your Resume
Make sure your resume says you are seeking a sales job in the aerospace industry if that is indeed the job you are seeking. Salespeople today are customizing virtually every sales presentation. Your resume should be tailored to the industry and company. A generic resume won't cut it if you have no experience.
Strategy 4: Document Your Achievements and Sell Them
A need to continually achieve is key to sales success. Prove you are an achiever. Document your three biggest victories and be prepared to reel off a list of at least seven other significant wins in your life from school, sports, music, class politics, etc. You will achieve again for the employer, because past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. You may not have sales success, but you have had success in other areas. Success leaves clues.
Strategy 5: Have a Philosophy of Selling When You Walk in the Door
If you want to land a sales job, you should have a rudimentary knowledge about sales and be able to articulate a philosophy of selling, and it has to be more than, "I'm a people person." You can't learn to sell from a book, but you can learn that selling is a process. You can discuss the importance of understanding customer's needs and presenting solutions. You can ask questions about the company's sales philosophy and whether or not they believe in a consultative or team approach.
Strategy 6: Have a Story About Your Biggest Sale
You need to document an incident when you persuaded someone to do something you wanted him to do. Describe how you achieved an objective and what you got other people to do for you in order to achieve it. Show how you already have the necessary skills to do the job you're applying for.
Strategy 7: Be Willing to take an Entry-Level Sales Position
There are minor leagues and major leagues in sales. You may be able to land an entry-level sales job at a television station in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, because their second leading salesperson just took a job in Milwaukee. The point is you'll have less competition in a smaller town or company.
Another variation of this is to start with an internship and demonstrate competence. A willingness to work for free or low wages to get your foot in the door can be a good strategy if you can afford it.
Be Ready to Work
If getting a sales job without experience sounds like a lot of work, it is. Selling is a lot of work. That's why top salespeople make a lot of money. They are willing to do the work before they get paid for it. They are willing to take risks and face rejection.
The reality is that few people have the drive and determination to apply even two or three of these seven strategies. When you do, you'll be a refreshing change of pace for hiring managers.
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