Live Q+A: Careers in Sales – Thursday Sept 16 – 12-2pm
Monday 13th September 2010, 9:00PM BST.
This discussion has now ended. Read the sales careers advice given by our experts in the comments section.
Welcome to our live Q+A on working in sales, where you can ask our panel of local experts all of the questions you’ve ever wanted answered about selling.
Sales has always been about more than just selling – sales professionals are all-round business people who use their problem-solving skills to understand, anticipate and meet customers’ needs.
Answering all of your questions on the world of sales are our expert panel:
Dennis Kennedy, Active Sales Coaching
Dennis provides sales coaching through his company, Active Sales Coaching, working with businesses to help them drive successful selling relationships.
His initial client work has centred on Sales efficiency and Key Account Management.
He has 23 years of experience in the sales industry, mostly in Technology and Manufacturing companies, and recently completed a sales directorship.
David Bromwich, Business Manager, Sales, Hays
David decided upon a role in Sales after leaving school and worked successfully with bluechip companies like Heinz and Canon UK
Having been successful on the client side of Sales, he was approached by Michael Page to go and work for them as a Recruitment Consultant.
Since then, David had a two year a spell in head hunting and executive search and is now responsible for the team that recruits for Sales positions for Hays in the North East, North West and Midlands.
This live discussion has now ended. Thank you for your contributions.
- Search for sales jobs in your area on Home of Jobs
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What do you think the main qualities are that a salesperson needs to have? If I were at an interview for a sales job, what skills are most likely to impress the interviewer?
Thanks
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Hi Steven
For main qualities I would say integrity and a good disciplined work ethic i.e. hard work. Couple these with good questioning and even better listening and you will go a long way.
In an interview situation look to display your questioning and listening skills, now I don’t mean ask 20 questions, but do try to be insightful, think on your feet and ask questions that can display you understand what is being asked of you in the role.
In addition to this try to avoid making statements e.g. saying “I am very hard working” but instead try to give evidence of experience that shows clearly that you have proven yourself to be hard working.
Helping the interviewer to see your strength’s will help you in turn.
I hope that this helpful to you!
Regards
Dennis Kennedy
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Hi Steven,
The main qualities required in a successful sales really depends on what position they are applying for.
For entry level positions, it’s imperitive that candidates have good people skills, the ability to build rapport and probaly the most underrated of all sales skills – the ability to listen. This coupled with lots of enthusiasm should see you clear to securing your first position.
For more senior roles, clients then start to look at your record of delivery against target, the kind of clients you have closed business with and your longer term strategic business development skills.
When interviewing, the best advice I can give is to do your homework on the employer, know your CV inside out and be sure to sell yourself….you would be surprised how many sales people do not close the client down before they leave the interview – it’s vital so show that you you are interested in the job but also have the ability to be direct and handle any objections they may have.
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A question that was emailed in:
“You hear a lot about people that were ‘born salesman’ – are there some skills that you have to be ‘born with’ and can’t be taught to be good at sales?”
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Great question and yes one that you hear crop up time and time again!
The truth is that selling requires a number of items to be in place.
Knowledge, Skill, Attitude and Aptitude.
Knowledge we can all gain.
Skill we may have and can certainly be transferred.
Attitude is up to the individual, and can critically outweigh deficiencies in other areas if it is very positive.
Aptitude is inherent or not i.e. you may or may not have it and that will not change.
This is really what people refer to when they sales people are born.
The good news … the first 3 make great salespeople
The fourth ingredient may take you further!
I hope this is helpful to you.
Regards
Dennis Kennedy
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Good question Todd,
I think that some people are born with “the gift of the gab”, this does help within sales. Being able to strike up a common ground and rapport with clients is a great icebreaker – but after that it’s all down to work ethic and the ability to deliver for them. It’s all very well getting someone to like you as a person, but if you don’t make the sale it’s all for nothing.
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Hello and welcome to the Express & Star Careers live Q+A session on working in sales. A big welcome to our experts are now online and ready to take your questions.
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I’ve got a question myself actually.
When I first graduated with a media degree and was looking for a job as a journalist, absolutely loads of the job adverts were for media sales positions.
As they were advertised in the media sections, I always wondered how relevant they actually were and whether, as a media graduate, I’d even have the skills for a position like that.
Would a degree like media give any advantage to someone looking for a job in media sales – I imagine the background knowledge of the industry could be useful?
(Apologies for rambling question!)
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Hi Todd
Some personal thoughts, but not a definitive answer.
Firstly, a step into any business is still a step in and from that position you can then look to move sideways, upwards etc into other roles with improved knowledge of how the company actually operates.
Secondly, and I guess David will have views here, a degree proves to an employer that you are of a certain calibre and have been able to apply yourself to a task over a long period of time, coupled with the knowledge gained.
The knowledge gained, media, music, history you name it, has in my experience often not been very relevant to the role of selling, but the people with degrees have always tended to be of a higher calibre.
Finally if you had a degree in media I would say it has to help with a sales job in media.
The notes above are my personal views and not definitive, but hopefully interesting all the same.
Regards
Dennis Kennedy
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I’ve been working in sales for ten years now, but I’m starting to think that I might like to do something else. Trouble is – I dn’t know what.
Have you got any ideas for jobs that I might be good at with my sales skills and experience? And how I could sell myself best?
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Hi Estelle
Difficult to answer without knowing more of your personal experiences and roles within sales however I would advise you to question inwardly what it is that makes you feel like doing something else.
The ‘kernel’ of that issue could lead you in two ways, either to change elements of your existing role and continue to progress that, or to take a change of direction.
I think it is important to identify the need for change though, you don’t want to hear yourself saying “I just fancied a change” to prospective employers as this will not be received well.
With regard to actual jobs the list could literally be endless from teaching and training to service, retail even, and on and on.
After 10 years though to change direction will certainly be possible, but greatly aided by being able to explain your reasons for change and clearly being able to evidence the skills you have that are transferrable.
I hope this gives you some helpful food for thought!
Good luck
Dennis Kennedy
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Hi Estelle,
I think the majority of people get to this stage in their careers, regardless of industry and the job they do.
The key questions you need to ask yourself is why are you feeling like this? Is it because you think you have achieved everything you can? is it because you have been in your comfort zone for too long?, or is it that you simply do not want to work in sales any more?. The reason it is key that you answer this question, is that it may point you in a very specific direction with your search.
Identifying the reason is the first step in shaping your future.
It’s important that you do this as once you move out of sales, it’s often very difficult to get back in (clients may have concerns regarding your passion, drive, the want vs need to work in sales).
I would be happy to review your CV and provide you with more in depth advice should you wish. Please forward it to me at david.bromwich@hays.com and I will call you back to discuss.
Regards,
David
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If you have two pieces of bread and cut it in half do you have one sandwich or two sandwiches?
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You’ve got to much time on your hands.
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No,you have four pieces of bread
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It is now 2pm and this live discussion has now finished. A big thank you to everyone who posted questions and an even bigger thank you to our two experts for giving their time and expertise to the Q+A.
In two weeks we will be hosting a live Q+A on marketing at shropshirestar.com/careers. I look forward to seeing you there.
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