In the territory of the countries of the former Soviet Union, the seller of goods is still associated with an obsessive, rude person who at all costs wants to deceive the buyer and get as much money from him as possible. Of course, some merchants have not gone far from this definition, but with the development of business and the quality of customer service, this stereotype is more and more a thing of the past.
Description of work
The profession of "seller" is not as simple and obvious as it might seem at first glance. In general, an employee sells goods and services to domestic and foreign customers. They are: enterprises, government organizations, individuals. But not only the search for new customers is important, but also the work with regular customers. With the development of trade, the duties of sellers' offices have expanded significantly to meet new market requirements. Competition is inherent in almost all industries, so a serious struggle is unfolding for each buyer.
Similar in essence are the positions of sales representative, consultant and sales manager, business development representative.
Main responsibilities
Profession "seller" involves the following main tasks for the employee:
- Proposal / closing of transactions with potential and existing customers on the basis of mutually beneficial partnership.
- Demonstration of products, goods and services to new and regular customers and help them in choosing those that best meet their needs.
Perfect employee
Depending on the sphere of trade, the method of sales, the employee must:
- Establish, develop, maintain business relations with potential and existing customers in a specific market segment in order to create new opportunities for the sale of goods / services.
- Make phone calls, personal meetings, make presentations for customers.
- Explore new sources to find potential customers.
- Develop clear and effective written commercial offers / price lists for customers.
- Contribute to the resolution and resolution of customer service issues.
- Coordinate with marketing, sales management, accounting, logistics and technical departments.
- Analyze potential territories / markets and determine their commercial potential.
- Create and maintain an existing customer service plan.
- Identify the benefits and compare products / services of the enterprise.
- Plan and organize a sales strategy in order to maximize profits for a specific territory / market segment.
- Provide guidance in oral and written messages about the needs of customers, their problems, interests, competitiveness of the company's products / services in the market, as well as inform about potentially profitable new products.
- It is good to know the purpose of the product, its technical details and service, competitive advantages, advertising methods.
- Participate in exhibitions and fairs.
Education and experience
Profession "seller" implies the presence of certain knowledge and skills. Employers present the following requirements to the job seeker:
- Confident use of appropriate computer programs (as a rule, this is Microsoft Office, 1C-enterprise, for online stores - the ability to work with popular content management systems, etc.).
- Knowledge of the principles of sales, customer service.
- Experience in sales.
- Experience in conducting presentations.
- Evidence of ability to deliver on sales.
Personal characteristics
Like any other, the profession of "seller" requires a person to have certain qualities. These include:
- very good oral and written communication skills;
- ability to negotiate;
- stamina and perseverance;
- stress resistance;
- work to achieve certain results, determination;
- ability to plan and develop strategies;
- persuasiveness;
- adaptability.
Sales clerk: job description
This profession also went through its evolution and gained a number of new requirements. Demand for it is only increasing, and getting a job is quite simple. The cashier seller must:
- Receive payment in cash and at the terminal, give change.
- Maintain cash discipline: count money at the cash desk at the beginning and at the end of a shift, fill out the necessary reports and comply with accounting requirements for paperwork.
- Issue a check, issue returns in accordance with the internal rules.
- Greet customers.
- Keep clean and tidy your workplace in the cash zone.
- Set price tags, calculate the cost of purchases using a calculator, cash register or optical price scanner.
- Issue coupons and promotional materials.
- Accept and forward customer complaints to superiors.
- Answer customer questions, provide information about the product, the method of purchase and payment, delivery, etc.
- Weigh products to determine the price.
- Offer and sell gift certificates.
- Pack the purchase in a company bag, box, pack goods for transportation or offer a package.
- Keep track of the cash register: make sure that there is enough cash available to carry out trading operations, and that it works properly.
Fashionable work
The success of a clothing store largely depends on its staff. And although sometimes the attention of an overly annoying consultant is annoying, a true professional will help you choose the best from the assortment just for you and in the shortest possible time. The seller of clothes, according to the job description, has such duties:
- Greetings to customers who enter the store.
- Taking part in controlling the movement of goods, accounting for balances, preparing the necessary reports and documentation, reporting to management about problem situations.
- Help customers find products.
- Processing cash and card payments.
- Placement of goods on shelves and display cases.
The job description of the clothing seller also provides that the employee must:
- Answer customer questions, give tips and advice on choosing.
- Issue a check, issue returns.
- Keep the store clean and tidy, which includes dry and wet cleaning, layout of the goods, and if necessary - steaming.
- Consider customer complaints, bring them to the authorities.
- Work within the framework of a specific policy, especially for brand stores.
- Set price tags.
- Responsible for security in the store, look out for thieves, prevent fraudulent transactions with credit cards, etc.
- Update information on promotions on display cases, racks, etc.
How to get to work
Someone believes that trade is the lot of uneducated losers, and someone - that this is the only way to success in today's world. Profession "seller" like no other provides the opportunity for rapid career growth. Most often, the "ceiling" is determined only by the abilities of the employee. There is always a high demand for qualified and talented traders in the labor market, since each company wants to increase sales, and as a result, income. The potential effectiveness of the future employee is evaluated on the basis of a review of achieved and planned goals, an idea of which gives a summary of the seller.
The employer expects that you can always, under any conditions, be able to close the deal. You must be able to “sell” yourself so that the employer has no other options left as soon as you hire you. A true trade professional is purposeful, persistent, charismatic, but at the same time tries to solve the client's problem as best as possible. Your resume should reflect these qualities. It should be result-oriented, and not just be a list of jobs and responsibilities in chronological order.
Important elements
The seller’s resume should contain the following information:
- A generalized story about your successful career in sales, strategies that have helped you succeed in the field.
- A section about your skills and abilities to show that you possess all the qualities inherent in a good merchant. This will increase the chances that you will be invited for an interview.
- The resume should impress you as an energetic and purposeful person. Therefore, use the appropriate phrases at the beginning of sentences, for example: achieved, improved, changed, improved, installed, on the initiative, proved, succeeded, built, optimized, etc.
When you submit a resume to a large company, it is likely that the computer will be the first to process it by selecting documents that contain the necessary keywords. Make sure they are in your file. These may be job titles, skills, terms from the sphere to which the enterprise belongs, types of goods and services.
But in no case do not lie in the resume. The truth will still open someday, and you will find yourself in an extremely unpleasant situation. If your real sales experience leaves much to be desired, then focus on fast learning, energy and hard work and submit a resume for those vacancies that you really can do.