In London there are the full range of sales jobs available. A career in sales can involve working in a highly stressful office or selling to individuals in a relaxed environment. Here are the different types that we regularly show:
Distributor sales
Direct Sales
These types of job opportunities are common, as the employee usually only gets paid if a sale is made. Commission only jobs are obviously attractive to the employer, although new regulations are coming in and minimum wages should be paid. The experience of direct selling is a valuable one, but the job can be very unrewarding, both financially as well as where job satisfaction is concerned. Products that an employee will be asked to sell can be home improvement items such as double glazing, furnishings or cleaning products. Financial products or holidays are also often sold by Direct Sales.
Business to Business
Also referred to as B2B sales, the job involves selling products to other businesses rather than private individuals. The technical knowledge is often a bit more complicated and the transactions can involve higher amounts. There can be incentives provided by companies and various corporate perks. However, the bottom line is that selling to anyone is tough. For those that are good, the rewards can be high, but for most of us the direct or B2B sales environment is stressful. With Business to Business sales you can be dealing with companies directly which involves the skill of knowing who to speak to and sensing who are the real decision makers. Alternatively you may sell through distributors who have margins to make as well.
Sales Rep
Consumable sales or Sales Representatives operate in a specific sector and generally deal in low cost items. This may be at a country level or town. For instance, laboratory chemicals may be sold to research institutions nationwide, or you may be selling office products to businesses in your local town. There is little if any cold calling, because there is usually an established clientele. Your job role is to make sure they are happy with the products and keep them supplied. Being a sales rep is a good entry level job in sales with little experience required. The company will train you up and from there you can build up your skills. Pay is likely to be around £20,000 per annum with possibly commission.
Sales Executive
This is the next step on the sales career ladder. The job involves selling more machinery or equipment than consumables, with the costs of transactions demanding more responsibility. You will be dealing with heads of departments or senior buyers, rather than technicians. As per being a sales rep, the clientele will be established and there will be little demand for chasing new business. However, you will need to have good persuasive qualities and the ability to understand complex products. Pay is usually around £25000 to £30,000 depending on experience. Another area of sales executive jobs is called Capital equipment sales. This can be divided into medium value or high value. Equipment costing £5,000 - 50,000 is sold nationwide, so travelling is a big factor. A sale can require 3 or more visits and the negotiation requires you to not only convince the workers that the equipment is a good idea, but also the management. Demonstration work is frequently involved so the ability to perform under pressure and in front of a large audience is sometimes required. With high value equipment sales the sales process can take months and involve numerous meetings. Pay is £35,000 - 60,000 plus with very generous bonuses. Personal qualities required are at least 5 years sales experience, the ability to be able to travel and be away from home a lot, plus the usual negotiating skills.
Technical Sales or Sales Engineer
OEM or Engineering sales is a very hands on area of sales. An OEM salesperson will often be found surrounded by engineers and discussing technical details. They often can be at the workbench pulling apart equipment in order to demonstrate their product. The type of equipment being sold is normally components for bigger machines, such as circuit boards.
Service sales
Selling services is notoriously difficult but the rewards can be the highest of all. There is no real entry level and your success really depends upon how convincing and persuasive you can be. Honesty, reliability and integrity are values that could take you far in Service sales. You could be involved with low cost services such as advertising through to high value annual contracts worth many millions, such as management consultancy.
Distributor sales
Selling to distributers often involves working abroad, managing distributor organisations and guiding them with their business plans. You will be required to train the distributor and make sure they have sufficient product knowledge. Pay is usually £30,000 - 40,000 plus 20% of salary.
