A Great Person for a Great Sales Position
11.23.2020 | Blog
BY Coco Ito
We often see “Sales position” on job posting websites however do you really know what this is and what tasks you will be responsible for?
It is obvious that in a sales position, someone sells products or services to customers. Some people may think of “verbal marketing” or “high income”, while other people think that having a sales position requires toughness. Some of these ideas may be true, but not in this exact way.
People tend to have the wrong impression or a vague idea about sales positions and come to the conclusion where they would not be good at sales. In this article, I would like to discuss what a sales position really is and change the commonly held view of what it means to work in sales.
First, do you know what a sales administrator is responsible for? As I began working at Bond Consultants, I realized that there is a common misunderstanding of this position. Although the title of “Sales administrator” position includes the word “sales,” she or he does not sell products or services, but does the administrative and office work like creating reports or supporting people who actually make the sales.
Second, if my understanding is correct sales may be divided into two departments called “inside sales” and “outside sales.” Inside sales take place within the office. For example, inside sales positions like the sales coordinator mostly sell, but also do administrative work. Sales associates, which are similar to sales representatives, mostly sell their products directly to their customers. In contrast, those working in outside sales visit the clients directly. “Business development” could be inside or outside sales that goes outside to present the company’s products.
Now, what types of people are good for a sales position?
You may think that you need to be good at networking, competitive, assertive, or extroverted, but a good salesperson is not limited to these traits. To explain good traits for salespeople, I would like to share the experience of a salesman. This salesman is kind, friendly, caring, and honest. While some people may think a salesperson has to be aggressive, he is the opposite. He is good at listening and sharing his soft side when there is a need. After he graduated, he had no idea what he would be good at and had limited knowledge about business. He had no idea what a sales position really was but started working in a sales position anyway.
The sales position was harder than he imagined. Since he is such a nice and gentle person, it was difficult for him whenever a customer denied his sales pitch. He was frustrated when his sales were low while his colleges were clearly succeeding. This made him worried and a began to make him depressed. He found out that just being a nice person was not enough to be in sales. Everyone is busy including customers, and he realized he wouldn’t be successful in sales unless he was confident in himself and the product sold.
He started to research the product he sold and began understanding its value. He committed himself to his work and sacrificed his time, and his sales skills started to show improvement. He was enthusiastic and eager to gain more knowledge as he adapted to the environment. It was not easy, but he decided to face customer rejection by being optimistic and upbeat.
When he was working as an outside salesperson, he was responsible for selling a high quality, brand name product that other companies sold as a lesser, cheaper generic product. It was almost impossible to sell, but he applied his newfound work ethic of tenacity and knowledge of the product. When customers wondered about the price, he was honest about it. He was patient and listened to customers’ concerns, but persistent about discussing the value and worth of the product. Because he had initiative, and was empathetic, resilient, confident, and expressive, a big company decided to buy his product.
When he started to work in sales, he was having a tough time. However, his effort was rewarded in the long run. I know being in a sales position may be challenging at first, but the potential for high earnings and personal satisfaction is definitely something worthwhile and beneficial. If you are unsure of what career opportunities would fit you, consider a sales position. I guarantee that efforts made in sales will pay off.