The sales industry, in general, plays a large role in the job market globally. For example, at P&G Required skills and experience for different positions vary based on the industry, brand, market or season.
That’s why when looking for a job in sales, proper research and preparation are incredibly important.
Preparation for an interview is best organized in some type of Q&A list:
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What is your experience in sales?
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What soft and hard skills do you possess that fit the job description?
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What type of sales software have you used in the past?
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What values can you bring into the organization you’re applying to?
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What are your employer’s requirements regarding responsibilities, benefits, administrative topics and remuneration?
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How do you fit the sales job description?
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Are there any industry-specific insights that you should be aware of?
If you organize your thoughts and come prepared for an interview, your potential employer will immediately understand what your strengths are, why you’re applying for that specific job, and will know if you’re a good fit for the role. That’s exactly what you want to know asap, right?
Sales representative
This position requires a hands-on approach to project management and a willingness to maintain supervision over multiple moving elements synchronously.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR SALES PLANS, OPPORTUNITIES & TARGETS
It’s best if a candidate has prior experience in project management, working Business to Customer (B2C) or Business to Business (B2B), directly with products. It also can help to have a university degree in Management or Logistics.
The main responsibilities include:
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Coordination and execution of sales plans and programs
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Identifying sales opportunities
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Deliver sales targets
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Building relationships with vendors and customers
Sales consultant
This role also requires multitasking but with an emphasis on business effectiveness and analytical skills - without the actual project execution.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ANALYTICS, EXPLORING PRODUCT POTENTIAL
Where a university degree can be a great asset, especially an MBA in Product Management or a similar area, actual business results speak the most for consultants. This usually requires at least 3-5 years of commercial experience in various sales and business development roles.
Primary duties associated with this role can be:
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Direct cooperation with customer/agency to track sales performance
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Various reports and research documentation supporting chosen strategies
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Identifying business opportunities and exploring new product development avenues
Sales management
As a manager, you can expect to lead a team of Sales Executives and other specialists.
METRICS REFLECTING WORK PROCESSES, LEADING A TEAM OF EXECUTIVES
The key factor to being an efficient manager is possessing people skills - the ability to resolve conflicts, or better, anticipate them.
Experience as a Sales Executive is crucial to building confidence and trust. A business-related university degree is a great advantage. This role often includes duties, such as:
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Project management and allocating resources based on priority
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Overseeing employees professional development, supplying them with training
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Cooperation with internal clients - such as other business units in the company
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Reporting to external clients with project reports, evaluations
Account executive
An Account Executive is quite an execution-related position. This role develops, sells and implements business plans to meet (or better yet exceed!) financial goals.
RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT, DEVELOPING AND EXECUTING BUSINESS PLANS
In the sales industry, account executives are to manage and improve distribution, influence pricing and oversee merchandising.
In this case, a bachelor’s degree is sufficient - preferable related to business-related studies. Common Account Executive responsibilities are:
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Leading daily & monthly planning to deliver sales goals
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Setting visions, strategies and directing product development
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Building relationships with customers and vendors
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Driving growth in sales, shares, and return on investment
Executive-level management
The executive level, being the highest possible in the corporate ladder, requires years, and sometimes decades of experience in multiple roles. You’ll also find a university education, quite often backed up by an
additional MBA is expected.
Most importantly, you must have a proven track record of having the ability to guide, develop and scale businesses. Quite often C-level representatives, apart from strategic duties, are responsible for the management, overall supervision and mentoring.
Kick off your sales career path at P&G
If it’s a sales job you’re after, and you’re just entering the job market, we strongly encourage you to consider starting that adventure at P&G.
ENCOURAGING WORK-LIFE BALANCE AT P&G
P&G offers competitive salaries and total rewards, as we believe it’s important for you to feel valued and so you'll be able to spend your generous vacation time doing more of the things you love with the people you love.
AT P&G WE’LL HELP YOU WITH YOUR CAREER PATH
Within the first 10 years, the average new hire holds 5 different roles - you can explore multiple avenues in sales, test your skills, challenge yourself with various responsibilities and build your career with us.
Be sure to check out open Sales Opportunities, with us, in the US P&G is one of the largest and fastest-growing consumer goods companies in the United States. Maybe that dream position in sales is already waiting for you?
