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  1. Home
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Sales Executive

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Are you a confident and charismatic individual with a talent for generating sales and hitting targets to help your company grow? Then a role as a sales executive might be for you.

Interested in a career as a sales executive? Explore current graduate opportunities in the sales & commercial sector.

Types of sales executive

Business to business (B2B)

B2B sales refers to companies or sales executives who sell services or products directly to another business. Business sales come down to three different types. 

Firstly you have supply sales, where you sell consumables to aid another business in day-to-day support. This can involve products like office supplies, workwear or machinery, The next is wholesale. This is the manufacturing of a product that is then sold in bulk to another company, which then sells the item in smaller quantities at an increased price. Finally, you have service sales. For example, this can include roles like building maintenance or accounting services.

Business to consumer (B2C)

B2C sales is a similar concept to B2B however you are selling products or providing sales directly to the consumer, the end-user. The actual business model however differs greatly from B2B as many stages of procurement are forfeited. This service has developed vastly over the last five years due to the boom of online retailers who sell products to the end-user through the internet.

What does a sales executive do?

Your job as a sales executive is to sell and educate customers on the product/service they want. This means for the most part your role will be customer-facing with a strong profit margin focus. The daily tasks differ between B2B and B2C however you can expect these constants in your day:

  • Manage your email inbox and address any questions, quotas and targets
  • Source clients and research your target demographic
  • Research your product, find out all you can about what you offer and how you compare to the competition
  • Make calls to clients to create or maintain sales
  • Secure sales in line with your projected margins
  • Gather data to create reports and evaluate any changes that may be needed or trends
  • Consider upsell potential to consumers

For B2C specifically:

  • Cold calling to arrange meetings with new customers
  • Negotiating the terms of an agreement to close a sale
  • Create detailed proposals and have responses for any objections a customer may have
  • Maintain stock levels and display stock
  • Make fast calculations to give quotes to a customer on the spot
  • Answer sales calls with a firm knowledge of the product

Within B2B, you can also expect to:

  • Manage a client portfolio
  • Send annual proposals to established clients with the goal to upsell

Sales executive career path

There are a few different directions a career in sales can take you. It's important to evaluate your skills and preferences before following a certain path.

Entry-level

Your career begins as an assistant sales executive. You will provide support to the sales executives and managers. You will be expected to answer any incoming sales calls as a direct representative of the company, communicate with consumers about products and direct customers to the correct department should the request go beyond your qualification. General administrative responsibilities will also include responding to email sales enquiries, data input, completing paperwork and filing documents.

You will be tasked with cold calling potential customers, arranging sales appointments and handling incoming customer enquiries. As your experience grows, your line manager may give you sole ownership of a client to build up your skills in selling and problem-solving. 

Career progression

The career progression within the role of a sales executive has many different potential avenues and niches, offering you lots of opportunities across multiple fields. Firstly you could progress to sales manager, a very similar role to a sales executive, however, you will have more responsibility as you will be in charge of a sales team. Your role will involve training new salespeople, hitting targets and finding new and exciting ways to motivate sales within your role. 

If you are no longer happy working face-to-face in sales but still enjoy hitting targets and finding new innovative ways to make money, then you may be suited to a role as an account manager. This role is a more ‘behind the scenes’ role focusing on administrative tasks and overseeing the financial side. As an account manager, it will be your job to manage the database, chase up overdue invoices and any after-sales support regarding finance. 

For someone who thrives working with customers, a relationship manager may be the way forward for you. You will be the one completing sales and become the point of contact for your customers. You will keep in contact with customers, ensuring the service or product is to the standard you want and if they have any issues you will go out of your way to solve them. You will also look for avenues to upsell and improve your customers' experience with your company.

Alternatively, if you are inspired by the ways in which you sell your products, but don’t want to be a part of the direct sales process, you may consider being a marketing manager. In this role it is your job to find ways to display your product on the open market, to stand out from the rest. This may be across social or print media developing advertisements, websites or copy.

Future career

Within sales, your progress usually relies on being a high performer, honing your skills to hit your targets every month. Due to the competitive nature of the role, a successful track record is key for promotion. 

Large companies often have a structure for promotions for assistant sales executives, having you move up the sales ladder, usually in a management role with opportunities to sidestep into different sectors. However, it is also common to find promotions by moving companies offering higher salaries.

The role of a sales executive involves many different skills which allow for cross platforming into other professions. Generally, anything relating to sales or customer service is something you will be able to take on, so related fields such as PR, marketing or retail are possible careers.

Sales executive salaries

Salaries in sales tend to be a combination of a basic salary and a bonus/commission scheme. Here are the salaries that you may expect when working in sales:

  • Entry or low-end salary will sit at around £20,000 to £30,000 per annum
  • Mid-range salaries due to sales experience over a period of years can be around £28,000-£40,000
  • A senior-level salary will depend on the sector you work within. Base salary can be anywhere between £30,000 to £60,000 before the commission. It’s worth noting that commission varies and can be anywhere from £2,000 to £100,000 on top.

Qualifications & training

The role of a sales executive is something that does not require a degree, however, certain degrees will improve your chance in applications. Degrees such as Business, Marketing, Management or Advertising will give you a stronger CV overall. 

Many employers offer graduate training programmes, however, these require a good passing grade as well as relevant work experience.

When it comes to landing a role in sales, your personality, work ethic and strong communication skills will be the key factors an employer will look for. 

Pros and cons of being a sales executive

Pros

  • Commission gives you the option of limitless earning potential
  • Your efforts dictate your income
  • You become skilled in negotiation which helps in day-to-day life
  • You can keep your weekends and evenings free
  • A broad spectrum of companies and industries need sales executives
  • You do not need a degree to become a sales executive
  • You get to work with passionate, driven people
  • There is the possibility of travel, both nationally and internationally

Cons

  • Your salary will depend on your output, meaning if you are sick or on holiday, you will see a dip in your commissions during that period.
  • Goals and profit quotas can often be demanding and stressful
  • Most sectors have a ‘quiet’ period but you will still be expected to achieve
  • You may work long hours if you want to earn high
  • With sales moving online, there is an unclear future on job prospects within sales

Sales executive work-life balance

Due to the nature of commission-driven work, the work-life balance for a sales executive is very varied depending on how much work you put into the role. People earning high-level commissions are often working long weeks and unsociable hours to achieve more sales. However, it is also easy to find yourself working a standard 9-5, without the need to work weekends.

Sales executive skills

The ideal candidate for a sales executive role with a varying set of skills to be successful. Here are hard and soft skills that you need to succeed as a sales executive:

  • Maths. This role will require the quick calculation of quotes on the spot as well as the analysis of financial reports and the presentations of sales data. Strong mathematical skills will be essential when carrying out these tasks.
  • Written ability. The drawing up of sales contracts, professional emails and understandable quotes will be a daily activity. It is crucial to have a good level of written ability to maintain a high level and professional appearance to new clients.
  • Client engagement. As your role will involve customer relationships and the maintenance of them, it will be important to engage a new customer and maintain a level of interest throughout the interaction in order to secure a sale.
  • Phone manner. When picking up the phone, you could be talking to your next big contract, so it is crucial to be professional and informative when talking on the phone.
  • Collaboration. Although sales can often be about you and your own numbers, you need to be able to collaborate with members of your team. All your resources, promotional material and equipment will be managed and produced by separate teams within your company. It will be important to stay up to date with these departments and work as a team for an equal end goal.
  • Problem-solving. Often customers will have issues or challenges that need resolving to land or maintain a contract. You need to be able to come up with fair resolutions that benefit both your customer and the company you work for. Learn more about creative problem solving with this Bright Network Academy module.

Sales executive employers

There are many employers looking for talented, entry-level sales executives. Here are some top companies for you to consider:

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