Lord Sugar may have started his empire flogging car aerials out the back of a car boot at about the age many of us were only just contemplating a paper round. But what if you, er, don’t have quite the same dedication to selling – will you still be in with a chance of landing a sales job?
Well, according to experts in a recent graduate sales live Q&A, employers are not necessarily looking for new recruits who’ve been tapping their inner sales guru since the year dot. Marc Fels, director at video recruitment specialist Meet The Real Me, explained employers often initially look for people who understand the role of a salesperson and who feel they have the ability to do a good job.
However, what if you’re not sure if you’ve got what it takes to sell? Especially if you’ve not had any experience? Graduate Recruitment Bureau’s Owen Gill recommends thinking about the competencies needed in this field and whether you can demonstrate you have them. These include the ability to persuade, build rapport, meet pressurised targets and lead groups. He explained: “You can be a natural salesperson by being the captain of a sports team, debating in competitions or societies, presenting to large groups of people and convincing peers, friends and employers that you have a great idea and they should take it on board.”
The reason Lord Sugar holds sales experience in such high regard is clear, as according to a Guardian Money piece, sales experience often features on the CVs of managing directors – usually at the start of their careers – so a stint in sales might be just the ticket for climbing the corporate ladder, if that’s what you’ve got in mind.
So, you think you’ve got what it takes to succeed in a sales role, or you’d like to know more about what’s involved, we’re assembling a panel of experts to share their insight and answer your questions in a live Q&A on Wednesday 12 October. Join them live from 1pm or get your question in now in the comments thread below.
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Our panel:
Matthew Gardner is a media sales executive who works for specialist educational publishers Open Doors Media. Matthew manages advertising sales in several regions of England.
David Heard is commercial director for Abintegro, which provides online career planning and transition solutions for outplacement firms, recruitment consultancies, corporations, universities and business schools. David heads up the sales and marketing strategy.
David Bumby works in recruitment at Graduate Fasttrack, a consultancy which places high calibre graduates with an selection of employers. David has placed more than 400 graduates into sales-based careers during his time spent working in recruitment.
Marc Fels is a director at video recruitment specialist Meet The Real Me. Marc has worked in the recruitment industry for more than 10 years, and has particular expertise in the sales sector.
Paul Drew is the head of marketing at Pareto, a sales recruitment and sales training organisation. Pareto Law’s sales training works in partnership with the Institute of Sales & Marketing Management.
Hugh Alford is a training consultant who specialises in training for professional selling and marketing for business professionals. He has designed and implemented over 400 in-company courses. He has just completed a new research study for TACK International on sales leadership. Hugh blogs at http://fruitsofsuccesswithhugh.blogspot.com/
Indiana Pearce is sales training manager at Formula Won Media. Indiana started her career on a graduate scheme at Haymarket Media Group in 2006, selling advertising space in to consumer magazines and websites.
Ben Turner is director of online community for sales professionals www.thesalespro.co.uk and national sales manager for The Institute of Sales & Marketing Managers (ISMM). The ISMM helps to support, promote and represent the sales profession, as well as endorsing and supporting sales qualifications.
