Whether we like to admit it or not, we all seek ways to make more revenue.
Revenue generations allows us to pay expenses, purchase necessary items and go on with daily life with ease.
Individuals generate this revenue through salaries. Government attains its revenue through taxation and investment. Businesses on the other hand generate their revenue through sales!
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The role of sales
Sales is often referred to as the lifeblood of an organisation. Sales enable companies to find markets to sell their products, acquire a customer base and achieve growth and profitability. We often hear about the importance of cash flow –for a company to have liquid funds to cover production expenses. It is the sales function that injects this inflow of cash as well as the following responsibilities:
Research & Feedback
Knowledge is key in selling. Sales people conduct market research in terms of, who is their target audience? Who are the competitors? Is demand for this product strong? If so, at what price? Sales professionals are required to have keen awareness of their market.
Customer acquisition
No business can survive without customers. The sales function therefore identifies potential customers, called leads. From these leads, sales professionals actively promote and market the product in order to bring in the revenue.
Product Knowledge
Marketing and promotions require extensive product knowledge on the part of the sales team. As a sales team member, you will be expected to know about the features and benefits of a product, the value it provides and entertain questions customers may have.
Fostering client relationships
An important aspect of sales is establishing lucrative relationships. Relationships with customer are essential in order to secure those repeat purchases as well as prevent competing companies from taking them away.
Resolve complaints & providing product feedback
Customer care is critical for sales. They must ensure the product is of desired quality and is serving the customer well. Sales professionals are required to resolve customer complaints as they become the ambassadors of the company given their direct contact between customers and management.
Additionally, as ambassadors of the company, they will entertain customer complaints, queries and feedback, which can be both positive and negative. This feedback highlights product strengths and weaknesses and improvements that can be made to keep customers satisfied, maintain relationships and secure repeat purchases.
The role of the sales team is therefore quite extensive and critical to the success of any organisation. As such, when looking to secure a job in this field, your CV has to reflect certain skills, competencies and information that would convince the recruiter that you have the persona, skill set, education and experience necessary for such a demanding, yet rewarding career.
How to write a CV for sales?
Your sales CV would immediately tell a hiring manager if you’re the candidate for the job. Why? Simply because, a CV is already a sales pitch! You are selling yourself in the interview and if your CV can’t sell you, this is will cast doubt on your selling abilities. So, what does a successful sales CV include?
Professional Statement
In your professional statement, include who you are in terms of your career, important skills relevant to the role you’re applying for and what are your career goals. Keep this section concise, as you would go in greater detail within your cover letter, but effective as an additional piece of self-promotion.
Skills
Bring a company ambassador means being an effective communicator and problem-solver, when it comes to promoting products, delivering feedback and resolving complaints.
Critical skills to include on your sales CV include, negotiating, relationship building, copywriting, research, lead generation, presentation and public speaking, digital marketing, time management and emotional intelligence. As a sales professional, you would likely interface with multiple customers a day and often receive rejection or criticism. Therefore, soft skills are just as important to mention when building your sales CV.
Work Experience
Within the sales field, everything is about your numbers! The number of units that you sell, customers acquired, or revenue generated all matter. As such, in your sales CV, it is necessary to include figures. The hiring manager would want to see your results in terms of, were you able to meet or exceed sales targets?
It is beneficial to include the types of products you’ve successfully sold. The dynamics can be different when selling different products, for example tangible vs. intangible products. Being a loans officer in Republic Bank Barbados can potentially be a different selling experience if you were selling for Diamonds International Barbados.
Additional sales responsibilities
If you have extensive experience in complementary fields such as marketing, research, customer care, lead generation or presentation to executives, these experiences can be extremely valuable to your sales CV. They indicate that you can perform a variety of roles such as lead generation, building client relationships and maintaining customer satisfaction.
Sales CV Template
Name
Address
Email/Contact number
Professional Summary
An experienced and capable sales professional with more than 15 years of experience in sales leadership and managing customer experiences. Managed lucrative accounts and thoroughly adept at interfacing with potential clients. A candidate who combines a specific attention to detail with an acute level of commitment, loyalty, and passion.
Skills
- Verbal and written communication skills, both in sales negotiations, presentations, and prospecting.
- Client relationships building, establishing long-term working relationships, and fostering consistent business opportunities.
- Knowledgeable with modern marketing techniques and experienced in improving sales of companies.
- Extensive experience in people management refining excellent leadership and delegation abilities.
Work Experience
Sales Manager 2017 to present- Lead entire sales team and ensure monthly sales targets were met or exceeded.
- Performed performance appraisals and spotted areas that are ineffective and developed strategies to improve these areas.
- Researched and complied sales information on market trends and opportunities to develop a database of potential leads.
- Entertained client questions and resolved issues pertaining to product quality and delivery
- Improved sales numbers by 25% over the course of two years, exceeding the yearly sales target by over 50,000 units.
- Managed client accounts, external communications, purchase orders, and credit information.
- Fulfilled customer orders on a monthly basis to ensure satisfaction at all times.
- Maintained sales records and other information in databases to generate sales reports.
- Was voted in the top five percent of sales team every year within the holding of this position.
Education
University of the West Indies (2010 – 2012) – Master of Arts (Marketing)
University of the West Indies (2002-2005) – Bachelor of Business Administration
