Sales in whatever form it exists is an essential function in any profit driven organisation. But because it is so widespread it gives the impression than anyone can do it.
Sales is not an ‘Art’, it is a Science - And being a science it requires strict criteria on how it is executed and by who. Sales is also wide ranging in the type of sales that takes place depending on the business requirements -
- Which sales approach suits a business model?
- What margins need to be hit?
- Are you growing your market share or defending it?
So what you should be getting from this is that Sales is actually a difficult sector suited to a limited number of professionals who specialise in specific aspects of sales.
So the different types of sales include but are not limited to:
Business Development – Hunter Profile
If a business wants to take on its competition and increase market share or develop into new markets it needs a ‘New Acquisitions’ sales team. This team attracts personality types who enjoy the buzz of driving business and maybe a little less interested in the detail. Once the main deal is done they move onto the next best thing and hand over responsibility of the project to another function of the business that can maintain it.
Target driven, market aware this type of salesperson has to be constant and not prone to burn out easily and sees rejection as a challenge not an obstacle. But the wins can be major – Commission earned by business developers can be astronomical. If ‘cold calling’ is like nails against a blackboard to you then this is not for you.
Account Management – Farmer Profile
Sometimes seen as the less “sexier” side of sales but in my opinion Account Management is as important as creating new business but requires a completely different skill set. Where business development concentrates on winning the business Account Managers have to maximise the continued sales from the client while also managing the troublesome side of dealing with business customers on a long term basis.
“Cross-selling” and “Up-selling” are two key duties of this role so where a client is currently using one product/service the Account Manager now wants to plug in other products/services to maxmise spend from the client, lock the customer into a more secure relationship and extend the long term gains from the project. Account Managers have to also defend key accounts from being poached from competitors so as well as having revenue targets Account Managers often have retention and customer satisfaction targets too. If you are not someone who is a “multitasker”, great at maintaining relationships and a problem solver while also being excellent at sales then this role is not for you.
Solution Sales
Getting more specific in unique aspects of sales we find that in any sales function you need ‘experts’ who are drafted in like SAS commandos to get a deal across the line. Not by Mrs. Doyle methods of “Go on, go on, go on…” but by listening to the precise requirements of a customer and then creating a “bespoke” solution to their requirement.
Usually suited to the IT and Telecoms sector solution sales is someone who is a product/service expert meets salesperson. Experience is the requirement of this role. Only through becoming a specialist in an area can you truly define yourself as a Solution Sales Professional.
Transactional Sales
Usually based around the FMCG or inbound telesales sectors this role is all about volume and less about meeting specific needs. What you need for this role is loads of energy. Its the easiest way to get into sales but also the most difficult to move out of and develop into higher end sales in my opinion.
That is because this type of sale though important is more based around promotion and less on targeting specific clients. Busy, non-stop and usually involves being either on a desk taking incoming calls or out driving a van with stock in the back battling for shelf space. On the plus side you can develop into management which has very transferable skills which can build a strong career base.
Telesales or Office Bases Sales
This is not based in a call centre environment and it is not inbound sales. To me both of those are reactive approaches to dealing with customers and usually deal with residential consumers not business clients. Office based sales is effective when face to face contact is not the priority but meeting the clients needs are paramount. This is a great stepping stone to moving up the sales career ladder and where many leading sales directors cut their teeth. You can go from office based sales to junior field based sales in an 18 month – 2 year period. From there moving up to higher end business development deals or corporate account management. For those looking for a way into business to business sales start here.
A trend we have started to see in the past 12-18 months is major employers transforming their external sales function into a high level internal sales division. In a post recession period where costs are a major factor there is an automatic saving from bringing a sales function internal. The base salaries and commission structures for some more specialise office based sales professionals can actually exceed those who are field based as these sales professionals are selling into a larger target market.
So hopefully you now have an appreciation of how diverse a sales career can be and also why there are strict requirements from employers for the best sales professionals. If revenue is the life blood of any organisation then the sales function is the heart and lungs of the business.
Sales as a career is incredibly rewarding not just financially but also professionally. It can take you to every aspect of business in every continent. But don’t for one second think it is for everyone because as you see above all aspects of business to business sales has one requirement in common – Unforgiving, unquenchable, unyielding drive. Most people could hake it for a year or maybe two but to build a career in sales takes drive and plenty of it.
For more information or to talk to our specialist sales recruitment team, please contact the author of this post, Ronan Mooney: ronan.mooney@cpl.ie and/or call +353 1 614 6035
The conference entitled ‘Rewarding Engagement and Recognising Achievement,’ marked the CIPD’s 75th anniversary in Ireland and was chaired by Cpl CEO, Anne Heraty who hosted proceedings. It was followed by an awards ceremony which sought to celebrate the work of 76 companies who, over the last year, have shown exemplary leadership and innovation within HR. Anne also played an integral role in the award ceremony and was member of the judging panel who selected the winners from 3 main categories:
Peter Cosgrove and Paul McClatchie provided a 20 minute talk on Effective Networking before hosting a speed networking event that was well attended and in good spirits. Very well organised by Laura Coughlan of the ACCA and hosted by the Head of ACCA Ireland Liz Hughes.
Peter Cosgrove’s talk hopefully offered comfort to those who find networking to be a tough and explained how to get the most out of networking with a view to building your career, developing contacts and having readily available advice on all matters through growing your contacts.
