UK Sales Jobs

Sales Jobs in the UK
All over the United Kingdom there is a person with something to sell; there is also a person wanting to purchase that same item. The holdup tends to be connecting the seller with the buyer. This is where the exciting world of sales enters the picture. Whether you have sales experience or are choosing to enter the world of sales with no previous experience you can find an exciting and often time lucrative position. How can you find that perfect position? Begin by looking in the employment section of a newspaper or go on the internet searching for “sales jobs in the UK”. You will find links to a variety of websites that will provide leads to finding the perfect position for you. You have found the position or positions you want to pursue, but now you want to stand out in the crowd. Follow the tips below to land this sale.• Be persistent—a good salesperson doesn’t give up if there isn’t an immediate yes. Follow up with a phone call, note mailed to the person selecting the interviewees, and email a follow up reminding them of your qualities. A good line to place in the call, email or note would be “I will work just as hard for your company as I did to obtain this position”.• Do your homework on the company. Find out their sales records, learn about their products or services, find out their largest competitor, and any other information that may give you an upper hand against the competition for the open position. • Have your CV customized to the area of sales you are pursuing. • Document your achievements that show you can pursue a goal and recognition. • Know your philosophy of selling before you arrive for your interview. • Practice your story of your biggest sale. Capture their interest.• Know ahead of time if you are willing to begin at entry level. If so, let the company you are interviewing with know. • Be consistent. • Don’t tell stories that are too personal. • Remember to smile. It is important that you show yourself comfortable and approachable. Sales jobs can include retail sales, call centers, and traveling to customer locations. To be successful you need to develop relationships with your customers and sales leads, remain approachable and deliver excellent customer service at all times. With consistent work and a positive outlook, you can enjoy the benefits of your hard work.

Maintaining a solid sales network

Attracting and maintaining a solid sales network today is the foundation to tomorrow's success. Your net worth is interdependent on your sales network. The more people you know, or who know you, the bigger and more solid your sales network will be.Because people buy from, and refer people to, people they know and they trust, you will find that your success will come from your sales network. So, what can you do to attract and maintain a solid sales network?To attract a sales network you first need to clearly identify your market, your ideal prospect based on your best customers and their profile. Paint the picture of your ideal prospect, the type of customer / prospect that you would like to see in your sales network. If you can't see them, you cannot attract them into your life.Then you need to come up with creative ways of attracting them, engaging them, creating a relationship and then maintaining that relationship for an ongoing solid sales network.When is comes to attracting or building a solid sales network, your objective is not to sell them something, but to acquire the trust to build and maintain a relationship that will turn into sales.Therefore, stop the selling, start attracting people into your sales network by showing interest in others by getting them talking about themselves, asking in depth questions, showing concern and listening empathetically.To attract prospects into your sales network, you need to be creative and do things differently from that of your competition.Ask yourself this question, "what can I do to position myself in the marketplace as an expert where prospects will come looking for me by name?" List out your creative answers.If you are not different you are the same as everyone else. To attract people into your sales network you need to be different.Let me help you out. Is it fair to say that you know more about yourself, your products and services or your organization than I do? Is it also fair to say that you can educate me on how to buy, generate savings, increase performance, etc. on the benefits of your products and services?Naturally the answer is yes to both of these questions because that is how you are probably selling and building your sales network today. Guess what, everyone else is doing that too. That is not how you build your sales network.What if you were to take what you know and reformat it in a way that is not a sales pitch, but and educational type article, seminar or talk where you give readers or participants added value trough how to tips.In the process you are positioning yourself as an authority, an expert and people will come looking for you by name. Your chasing after prospects to do business with you, will be replaced with being chased by prospects who want to buy from you.This is only one of many ideas. Take the time and brainstorm some ideas for yourself.What about a referral fee program? Remember any behavior that gets recognized or rewarded gets repeated.Do you collect and share testimonial letters? Third party stories and testimonials make a big difference. Are you a member of any network or non profit associations?What if you were to step up and be an active member, like the President, would more people know of you and buy from you? Would you attract more people into your sales network? It is in the effective giving that you gain effectively.

Sales Training

Sales Management training is not as common as it used to be, as more and more organizations think the sales management should already know it all. However, lack of training is the root to most companies' bottomline problems.Sales management training is just as important, if not more than, salespeople training.Top executive management are the leaders of the sales force and need to be constantly demonstrating the appropriate behaviours for their salespeople to follow. It is really a monkey see, monkey do situation.Are your sales leaders demonstrating appropriate behaviours?Do they have goals and a plan of action to accomplish those goals? Are they disciplined, motivated, energetic and enthusiastic. Are they the type of mentor that you would like to have? Are they going on prospecting calls with their sales executives, or even handling accounts on their own?Are they debriefing after a prospecting visit and providing feedback / coaching? Are they investing in their team or are they investing their time in moving upwards in the organization?Without proper training, sales management is not half as effective as they can be. However, like most training, for the training to be effective it also needs to be customized to organizational objectives, it needs and should be conducted on an ongoing basis with one on one coaching.Sales Management training should include following a sales results system, and demonstrating that system with their salespeople on an ongoing basis. For example, if sales executive management is always telling their salespeople what to do, who owns the idea and who is committed to making it happen? Also, what are the salesperson going to do with the customer - tell them as well?What if sales management training provided a system whereby sales reps would be engaged, come up with ideas, take ownership and make it happen. Then who is committed? Is that not the way you would want your salespeople to be with your prospects and customers - engaging and buying from you versus telling and selling where there is no ongoing relationship.Most organizations provide sales training, which is great, particularly if it is ongoing, but they forget salespeople management in the process. It will help management to hire top producers, and then allow them to motivate, mentor, coach, delegate, obtain ownership and commitment, build high performing teams, run effective meetings and provide for ongoing training, creating more winners.Sales management training is the foundation to ongoing sales results from selection, to coaching, training, rewarding and promoting. It is absolutely necessary

Direct Sales roles

Sales representatives sell their company's products or services to customers. They could be selling cleaning or food products, ICT or electronics components, medicines and pharmaceuticals, vehicles, cosmetics - in fact almost any kind of product or service. Their customers may be individuals, businesses, factories or retail outlets.
Direct sales representatives sell directly to individuals in their homes, demonstrating products or leaving catalogues for customers to choose from. Technical sales representatives and sales engineers work in the industrial, engineering or ICT sectors, selling industrial, specialised or high-tech equipment, materials and components.
Working hours can be long and irregular, and usually depend on meeting targets for appointments or for sales. Sales representatives visit customers at their homes, offices or factories, which requires a lot of driving. If they cover a large area, they may spend most of the week travelling and staying in hotels.
Salaries range from around £15,000 to £50,000 or more a year.
A sales representative should be:
enthusiastic, ambitious and self-confident
a natural extrovert and good at networking
persuasive and good at negotiating
able to take rejection
knowledgeable about the company's products and those of their competitors
interested in meeting new people.
Sales representatives work for manufacturers and wholesale distributors in every sector. About 14 per cent of representatives are self-employed or work freelance, often on a commission-only basis. There is always a need for skilled sales representatives and there are opportunities throughout the UK and abroad.
There are no set entry qualifications for sales representatives, although most employers do ask for a minimum of GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3) in English and maths, or the equivalent. An increasing number of applicants have higher qualifications, and a degree or an HNC/HND in a related subject may be useful.
New sales representatives usually work with experienced sales staff until they become familiar with the product and the area they will cover. Most companies provide training on their products, organisation and the sales methods they use. They may also take a range of courses and qualifications in sales, including the City & Guilds International Vocational Qualification (IVQ) in Sales and Marketing.
Promotion possibilities for sales representatives depend on their sales results. Progression may involve taking on responsibility for a larger area or moving into sales management. Some sales representatives become national account managers, working closely with one or more large organisations and businesses. Technical sales representatives sometimes move into product development, research and production.

Market Research

Market research executives find out information about customers and potential customers for a wide range of companies and organisations.
There are two types:
quantitative research is based on numbers and explores how many people behave, buy or think in a certain way
qualitative research involves fewer people, but asks more in-depth questions in an attempt to discover why people behave, buy or think in a certain way.
People usually do one type of research or the other.
Tasks may include:
putting together a plan or proposal
designing and organising surveys
analysing and presenting the results
making recommendations based on the findings.
A full-time worker would expect to work around 35 to 40 hours a week in normal office hours. Qualitative researchers may need to be more flexible, as home visits and focus groups are often set up at evenings and weekends. Quantitative research is usually office based, but qualitative work generally involves a lot of travelling.
Salaries may start at £18,000 a year, and can rise to £80,000 for senior people.
A market research executive should have:
good communication skills
an analytical mind and a creative attitude to solving problems
good mathematical and computer skills (quantitative research)
excellent listening and people skills (qualitative research)
an interest in people's behaviour and motivations.
Most opportunities for market research executives occur in specialist agencies, many of which are based in and around London. Other employers include industrial and commercial organisations, government departments, advertising agencies, charities and research institutes.
Market research executives usually have a degree or higher national diploma (HND). Maths is useful for quantitative research, and arts or humanities subjects for qualitative research. There is no upper age limit for joining this profession.
Market research executives build up their skills while working, and may take a professional qualification. In a larger organisation, there may be a structured training scheme.
Career progression in market research can be relatively quick, and managerial opportunities for executives with flair and commitment may be available