Sales Manager is a popular and sought after profession. What is the responsibility of a sales manager? How to make a good resume? What is the specialization in this profession? Let's look at all these issues in more detail.
Managers are different
In our country, it so happened that any employee who has at least some relation to trading operations can be called a sales manager. In Western countries, a manager is, first of all, a leader. Let us leave discussions about why this happened, we will understand the typology. Managers are different, therefore, the responsibilities of the sales manager (for resumes of the applicant as well) will also vary.
Specialists are divided by type of sales: active or passive. Their first type is when the client is already interested and turns to the company himself. The manager only needs to process the incoming request so that it ends with a transaction. Active sales - this is when customers need to attract. This is the most difficult, but also the highest paid job.
Key skills required by the job seeker
There is a set of basic skills that are not the responsibility of a sales manager (for a summary, however, you can specify them), but must be present with a professional, regardless of his specialization:
- emotional stability; no matter how terrible the day may be, no matter how difficult the client may be, you need to be able to maintain an even and calm mood, because there will no longer be a chance to make a first impression;
- sociability;
- knowledge of the basics of sales; for this you need to read at least a couple of books on this topic;
- purposefulness;
- the ability to be a good listener; they are sold a lot by people who know how to hear the needs of the client and offer a solution that is ideal for him;
- ability to correctly present a product or service to a potential buyer ;
- organization, because convincing a client to complete a deal is just the beginning: for its successful completion, you need to draw up documents, arrange delivery, receive money and much more; all this must be able to be taken into account and flexibly organized so that the result of the work is positive.
In addition to key skills, you will also need good product knowledge and specific skills required for a particular position.
How to create a brilliant resume?
A resume is a way to attract the attention of an employer to your person, so it’s important to write it correctly. A good resume is not only a list of professional skills and personal qualities, it is also a document that attracts attention with a neat and beautiful design.
Whether or not to supplement the resume with a photograph is a moot point. If you decide that a picture is needed, then choose a high-quality photo, without unnecessary details, the one on which you are present in a business setting. Be sure to check the resume before sending for spelling and punctuation errors, for design - so that there is a single font, fields and indents are respected, so that the text is divided into semantic blocks and paragraphs for easy reading. The resume should make a good impression even before the employer began to read the text.
Be sure to write down which position you are applying for. You shouldn’t just write “manager” in the hope that the employer will decide that you can fulfill all possible duties of a sales manager. For resumes, it is important to specify the scope of their activities. If you are interested in several vacancies, write for each separate document with an emphasis on the skills necessary for this post.
Be sure to fill out the Education section, even if it is not directly related to your future position. Feel free to indicate what trainings, seminars or courses have taken place.
Where to start a career?
The sales area is a huge opportunity for quick career growth, which is why it is so attractive. No special education or experience is usually required to start. The main thing is that your eyes burn. It is even considered useful to start building a career from the lowest levels, from the position of a sales representative or merchandiser - the experience gained will help in the course of further growth.
If you decide to build a career in sales, do not hesitate to go to the lowest positions - active motivated employees quickly notice and move up.
Territorial or regional?
The duties of a regional sales manager are to develop sales in a specific region. To do this, you must:
- conduct work on the collection and analysis of information on the regional market;
- create sales strategies and carry out work on their implementation;
- organize a team of employees and monitor the implementation of tasks;
- to establish workflow and keep records;
- control the receipt of payments, work with debts;
- take part in negotiations and presentations;
- collect and analyze competitor information.
Responsibilities of a territorial sales manager are in many respects similar to similar types of regional work. Often in companies these concepts are used as identical. For the full performance of duties in such a position, a driver's license and a personal car are often required. The advantage will be knowledge of English, especially when it comes to working in an international company. The duties of the regional sales manager may include regular business trips in the territory for which he is responsible.
Wholesale or retail?
The responsibilities of the sales manager (for resumes) may vary, depending on whether you need to engage in wholesale sales or retail. The retail sales manager is most often found to us under the names "sales representative" or "sales consultant." His main duty is the sale of goods to the final consumer, such activity does not imply further resale. Wholesale is the work with outlets, from small kiosks to large supermarket chains or warehouse bases.
The responsibilities of the wholesale manager are as follows:
- the expansion of the customer base;
- control of timely repayment of receivables;
- execution of contracts and related documents;
- organization and control of the work of a team of sales representatives.
In each particular company, the list of managerial responsibilities may have its own distinctive features.
Goods or services?
A good manager can sell anything on any scale. Nevertheless, sales are divided by level of complexity.
Simple sales include the sale of inexpensive goods or services, for example, communication services. You can often find ads on the recruitment of sales managers in the MTS company. What do such specialists do? The responsibilities of the sales manager (for resume) of MTS are as follows:
- attracting customers to sell services - Internet, telephony, digital television;
- conclusion of contracts;
- development of the existing customer base.
Sales of a product that requires further service are considered difficult. For example, expensive software. To work in this area requires experience and a high level of competence.
How to become successful
In order to build a truly brilliant career, you will need to learn: read books, attend trainings, learn from successful sellers, look for an individual style, and develop the skills that are in demand in this company. In some cases, it can be analytical skills, in some - communicative.
It is important to study your product, but not from the point of view of the seller, but from the point of view of the consumer. What problems can a customer solve if they purchase a product? It is important to study the customer audience, stand with friendly, trusting relationships with its representatives, and form your own customer base.
The most important thing is to see the goal in front of you and confidently move towards its achievement.