Looking for job in sales.....not much experience tho

B

Bob the slob

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Only have a small bit of sales experience tho. Was a sales person in champion sports for a year and also upselling of financial products to customers when I worked in a bank. That would be it.

Anyone any advice on where to look? Someone mentioned school of sales....

Cheers.

Bob.
 
I know loads of people who work in Sales and none of them had any qualifications. Some worked in a particular company and with knowledge of the company/products they went into sales. I think all you need is to have an idea of waht your selling and be able to give a good waffle about it.
 
i work in sales, my formal training is as a journalist, pick a product that you like and are excited about and pick up the yellow pages and ring a supplier and explain you would like to sell the product, they can only say no

good luck!
 
Many sales exec jobs don't require any qualifications, all you need is a brass neck and good people skills.
Apply for a sales position that takes your fancy, make sure you research the company you are applying to, their products, and what clients they tend to target before going for interview - most sales reps I have worked with have no qualifications whatsoever relating to their job, but spin a great line in BS/waffle, and there's tons of sales reps jobs going as there seems to be a very high turnover rate - entry level salaries tend to be a low basic with most of your earnings coming from commission, so the more you sell the more decent the paypacket at the end of the month. Beware going for a sales job with very high targets and hard-to-sell products, as this means you will more or less end up on minimum wageor a little extra if you don't hit targets each month.
 
good points, i am thinking about quiting my job to get some sales experiecne before i start my own business. Every business owner must be able to sell!
 
I work in sales and agree with the above comments and I think this

ring a supplier and explain you would like to sell the product
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is a great suggestion! Displays exactly the kind of qualities most people are looking for in a sales person - initiative, brass neck, people skills.

However don't fall into the trap of thinking that good sales people are always aggressive and pushy; interviewers are looking for someone who can display a range of people skills not just those ones.

There is also a forecasting / targets / numbers dimension to sales which may or may not come up in an interview, for which you may be able to draw on previous experience for instance managing budgeting or procurement?
 
Bob....

A couple of bits of advice....

Salespeople in the 80's/90's had little ears and big mouths...Now, to be successful you need to have a small mouth and big ears...

This also applies to the suggestion of calling potential employers, if you ask them questions, please listen to the answers. If they ask you questions, be positive but concise.

I've worked with people who were not thought of as 'sales types' but succeeded with endeavour and honesty. Have you thought about going to a large company such as a Telco ? Maybe you could begin by looking at TeleSales and move on from there. Most large organisations will also offer basic sales training from time to time. Other then that, get a start somewhere and don't be afraid to ask for advice from someone in the organisation who is successful already....

One final point.....Don't make any reference to Bob The Slob in your application !

Best of luck....

r2d2
 
r2d2 said:
Bob....

Have you thought about going to a large company such as a Telco ? Maybe you could begin by looking at TeleSales and move on from there.
Best of luck....

r2d2
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I do not mean to be flippant but where abouts do you live Bob the Slob. If you live in the Greater Dublin area and have a decent command of English which I'm sure you do, then you should be able to get any choice of a job at €40k entry level (basic €30k plus comission €10k+)
 
I'm looking for a new job myself. I've been in software telesales for major multinational for 4 years now and next year is the year that I inflict myself on customers in person. Anyone care to guess at the going rate for my level or recommend any good recruitment agencies?
 
Yeah the wage seems pretty good but most places want someone with experience.

What is an "inside sales rep"???
 
Bob the slob said:
Yeah the wage seems pretty good but most places want someone with experience.

What is an "inside sales rep"???
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Sales is all bull, if you can bull you can sell. €40k is the min if you are in anyway good. Bull**** a firm with experience if nec - if you don't work out its too bad. You won't get a company car at the start but with exp and sales generation record, these goodies will become yours to enjoy!

Rewards are direct as you make profits direct for the company's bottomline. The nearer to Dublin you are the better.
 
Thats very cynical to say sales is all bull. I know quite a lot of it can be but I wouldnt say its ALL bull though.
 
Bob the slob said:
Thats very cynical to say sales is all bull. I know quite a lot of it can be but I wouldnt say its ALL bull though.
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I agree.

I've been in sales for over 15 years - a lot of qualities/skills are utilised:

Charm, craic, expertise, cheeziness, flattery, honesty, even self deprecation...

I can honestly say I have never actually deceived or misled anyone.
 
Some good advise above....take heed!!

- Make sure you know about the company and what they sell (I interviewed one guy who didn't have a clue what we sold....non-starter)
- Be honest and upfront when selling: avoids customer issues and helps to ensure repeat business
- Don't worry about not knowing about the product as most companies will train you.
- get book on sales out of the library so you have an idea of the process....incorporate these tools into your interview. At the end of the day you are selling yourself
- Don't be afraid to say you are motivated by money (one of the few jobs where this is a welcome trait!). Make sure you have a substanial goal (eg - buy you our house in X years) to show you will be motivated to work hard and get the sales

All I can think of off hand, good luck. Sold for years and I loved it!
 
Caveat said:
I agree.

I've been in sales for over 15 years - a lot of qualities/skills are utilised:

Charm, craic, expertise, cheeziness, flattery, honesty, even self deprecation...

I can honestly say I have never actually deceived or misled anyone.
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Exactly, in a market the size of Ireland (regardless of what it is you're selling) sales is more about partnership with your customers than about pulling fast ones and bullsh1tting your customers. It's such a small place that if you get a reputation like that you won't find any customers to sell to after a short while.
 
Sales is all bull, if you can bull you can sell.
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That's one of those myths, like all salespeople are pushy and agressive. Most customers can recognise bull a mile off.

If you get any good at sales you can spin a line alright but it is never ever blatant lying, more like PR, and beside I've spun many more lines for my manager than I ever have for any customer :D
 
annR said:
That's one of those myths, like all salespeople are pushy and agressive. Most customers can recognise bull a mile off.

If you get any good at sales you can spin a line alright but it is never ever blatant lying, more like PR, and beside I've spun many more lines for my manager than I ever have for any customer :D
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Sorry!!!!!!!!!!! For the offence. When I mean bull I mean it in the colloquial sense. What I mean is, banter or personality is very important i.e. communication skills. The rest should follow as its not high educational stuff. Bob you sound like a person with a good view of the world, and equally think your personality should be matched for sales. Put me down as a referee - Eddie Hobbs (Part time salesman).
 
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