What Sales Representatives Do. What does a sales representative do? Who is the Sales Representative? working as a sales representative: pros and cons

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A good sales agent is able to sell three pairs of Venus de Milo gloves.

Robert Orben

In the modern job search market, the most popular and sought-after profession is the profession of a sales representative. The payment is decent, there are no special requirements, so people are interested.

But little is taken seriously, since often the profession is associated with the sale of things that no one needs (this is exactly how they worked in the 90s of the 20th century). But times change and demand changes. So who are sales representatives today?

Sales representative - who is it?

First of all, a sales representative is a person who likes to communicate, doing sales in the process of communication. And no matter what the sales representative does, whether he sells tea or cars, he must love his job.

A more professional definition is that a person of this profession is an intermediary between the supplier (the company in which he works) and various outlets. For example, a consignment of hair care products arrives at the warehouse of a certain company.

The task of the sales representative will be to find as many retail outlets as possible that will take this product for sale. You can pay for it immediately, or after the sale.

Of course, first of all, the goods are offered to those with whom they are already working, and only then they begin to look for new customers. This is, in principle, the general scheme of the work of a sales representative. In reality, quite often, it is different.

Functions of a sales representative

To more clearly understand the essence of this work will help the list of functions that employers present to sales representatives. So, the work includes:

  • Taking orders for the company
  • Looking for new clients
  • Sales increase
  • Work with documents
  • financial control
  • Service

Receiving orders is a stage of work that allows you to maintain stable sales with trading partners. For example, a representative has his own database of outlets, to which he supplies his goods more than once. After the product is sold, the store places an order for its re-delivery.

An enterprising sales rep will never stop at the list of clients he has. He will always look for new ones, thereby expanding his client base and increasing sales. And in each store or kiosk, a representative will work to expand the range of products supplied.

The duties of a sales representative also include documentation: the conclusion of contracts, the provision of invoices, checks, certificates and other documents. In addition, all financial control and accounting is also on his shoulders.

And, finally, no matter what a sales representative does, if necessary, he must provide support and assistance in selling his goods to sellers of the outlet where the goods are sold.

He can not only advise store employees, but also communicate with consumers, talking about the product and his company. But, very often, the functions of the sales representative listed above may look somewhat different.

There are situations when he only takes orders and fills out, at the same time, documents, and, directly, the products are taken by the buyers themselves. That is, a sales representative in such a situation is also a forwarder: he independently draws up an invoice and issues products.

You can work only on the phone, finding new customers to conclude contracts, or you can independently go around all the outlets. The method will depend on the specifics of the product being sold.

Employers' requirements for the level of job seekers

In reality, sales reps roam the city all day long. That is why, one of the requirements for applicants is the presence of a driver's license, and often a personal car.

In addition, employers take on such a position people who are sociable, inspire confidence and sympathy, under the age of 40 years. Sales experience is welcome, a great desire to do this and undergo training, if necessary.

The presence of secondary or higher education depends on the level of the company where the person gets a job. When selling specific products, knowledge of the product is welcome.

When choosing the profession of a sales representative, a person must have ambition, an active life position. You need to think quickly, be able to respond correctly to the situation, be organized and attentive, especially when processing documents. It is not bad to navigate the business of the direction that the sales representative does.

Even for those who have some skills, the work of a sales representative takes a lot of time. The schedule is usually irregular. It follows that it is no less important than all of the above to have increased resistance to stress, to be an adequate person.

This is the only way to withstand the crazy rhythm of this labor activity. But, nevertheless, the work of a sales representative is worth it to try your hand. Especially if a person feels a desire for this type of activity.

In this sales representative job description, you will find a complete list of duties, a training program, as well as a ready-made sales representative job template.

Who is a sales representative?

First of all, the sales representative is the official face of the company. This position can also be found under the names: external service agent, sales agent, merchandiser, active sales manager. But the essence of the work is the same - the presentation of the company's products to customers and sales.

The main thing that a sales representative should be able to:

  • work actively with clients;
  • to present the company's goods qualitatively;
  • ensure sales in the territory assigned to the specialist.

Sales representatives are a powerful external service that no serious company or firm can do without. Almost 80% of the success of the development of an enterprise depends on the skills of a sales agent.

Let us analyze in detail what is included in the job responsibilities of a sales representative.

Working with clients - 15 golden rules of a representative:

  • retain and replenish the client base;
  • conclude contracts;
  • make regular visits to the client according to the plan in the route sheet. The purpose of the visit is to collect data on the balance of goods and draw up a new order;
  • visit all points of active and potential customers within the specified period;
  • monitor the completeness of the product range and its layout in accordance with merchandising standards;
  • timely update advertising material at points;
  • control the dispatch of goods to the point in accordance with the order. The terms of dispatch must be observed, the goods must arrive exactly in terms of completeness, volume and name of the product;
  • monitor the solvency of customers, their debts to the company. Always inform the office about a possible delay in the client's payment;
  • a sales representative can collect money from customers for a completed order;
  • quickly respond to the wishes or claims of customers regarding the quality and quantity of delivered products, try to correct errors as quickly as possible;
  • monitor compliance with all terms of the contract, prevent violations;
  • work with employees at points, conduct a consultation or presentation on a particular product, pointing out the main characteristics and advantages of products;
  • train employees at the point of sale techniques and features of the presentation of goods to the final buyer;
  • monitor competitors, provide the office with all the necessary information about changes in the market;
  • control during tastings and promotions.

Reporting documentation is the best method for an objective assessment.

The duties of a sales representative include the following documentary work:

  • maintaining contacts of the client base;
  • creation of daily, monthly and quarterly reports on the turnover of goods;
  • maintaining an analytical report for each client separately, thanks to a general analysis, you can get a general picture of the work and create an optimal plan for further actions;
  • creation of presentation material for clients, both in paper and electronic form;
  • providing reports on financial and material expenses.

Basic requirements for a candidate for the position of a sales representative:

  • incomplete higher or higher education;
  • work experience (desirable);
  • pleasant presentation appearance;
  • neat appearance, formal suit;
  • communication skills, attentiveness, responsibility;
  • grammatically correct speech;
  • no bad habits or criminal record.

TOP 5 basic skills that a sales representative should have:

  • be able to negotiate;
  • master the art of persuasion;
  • be able to work with objections and difficult clients;
  • find a compromise;
  • make cold calls.

Sales representative from scratch - how to turn a beginner into a qualified specialist

Training a new employee for the position of a sales representative is quite easy and fast. This will require the mentorship of an already experienced employee of the company, a few days and a clear training plan:

  1. acquaintance with the company, employees and labor working order - several hours;
  2. a detailed explanation of all the duties of a sales representative - a few hours;
  3. acquaintance with the company's products and place of work - 1 day;
  4. theoretical training on sales techniques and features of psychological techniques - 1 day;
  5. practical test work under the supervision of a responsible person - 2-3 days;
  6. regular training seminars to improve the skills of sales representatives - an average of 1-2 seminars per month.

This sales representative job description contains all the necessary items for training external service agents. All of the above responsibilities and preparation steps are drawn from the experience of the best companies.

How to post a job posting
sales representative on more than 40 sites at a time

In order to find a candidate for the position of a sales representative as quickly as possible, it is most effective to place your ad on the maximum number of specialized sites on the topic of work and vacancies. Such as:


However, registering manually on each of them will be very dreary and time-consuming. Therefore, it will be easier and faster to do this through a special online service. jcat .

What are the benefits of this service:

  • Manage vacancies on all sites in 1 personal account. That is, to update, extend or remove vacancies from the publication, you need to do only 1 action and the changes will take effect immediately on all sites.
  • Responses and resumes from all job sites in one list. Select candidates and conduct interviews. Save the history of work on the vacancy in your personal account. The status system will allow you to quickly find the right candidate.
  • Answers to candidates in 1 click. You can use the built-in candidate response templates or create your own.
  • Tracking candidates at every stage of the HR funnel. Dividing candidates into groups: “New”, “Think”, “Telephone interview”, “Interview”, “Job offer”, “Employed” - will allow you not to lose a candidate at any of the stages.

Evgeny Balakin

You got a job as a sales representative. You do not have a diploma in this specialty and, most likely, there is no paper about the completion of special courses. No wonder: few people consider this work a profession, and very few remain in it for more than five years.

Many trade representatives, before going into this business, must have heard from acquaintances that "they pay a lot, but nothing needs to be done." And this is true - from the point of view of all those who work with their hands. I worked as an electrician for 15 years and as a trade representative for MARS for two years. Then in two years he reached the director of a trading company. There are prospects if you treat this work as a profession, and not as a temporary income.

At the very beginning, your idea of ​​​​the work of a sales representative will be something like this: I went shopping, collected applications and money, handed it over to the office. The way it is. The essence of the work of the trade representative is to ensure the export of goods to retail outlets and the return of funds (hereinafter referred to as DS, see Brief Dictionary of the Trade Representative). But there is one circumstance that debunks the myth about the ease of being of our brother. 3-5-10-100 companies in your city send dozens and hundreds of trade representatives to the fields every day (and these figures are about the pet market - food trade representatives have an order of magnitude higher competition!). The store you visit today is visited by several of your fellow competitors every day. They offer the same or a similar range. So why does a merchandiser take goods from some and not from others? I will give a simple example of the first visit to TT by two trade representatives. The first one is dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, in his hands - either nothing, or a pile of crumbling “pieces of paper”, entering, he says “hello” and immediately begins to “offer”: “We have food, toys and collars. Will you take it?"

The second is dressed in a decent suit (or, if it's hot, no jacket, but a good shirt and tie). A diary, presenters, contracts, a calculator - everything is in a briefcase. After inspecting the trading floor and casual (but reconnaissance) communication with the seller, the trade representative goes to the merchandiser and introduces himself: “Good afternoon, Marya Ivanovna! I'm Ivan from "Super-Supplier", a distributor of brands such as "X", "Y" and "Z", came to discuss the possibility of mutually beneficial cooperation. Give me five minutes, please."

Which of the trade representatives is more likely to work with this point?

Ideal Trade Representative

The ideal trade representative knows and can do a lot. He knows the product (characteristics - and the benefits from these characteristics), his own and competitors' prices for the same product, knows how to calculate the benefit of the point and clearly show it to decision makers, knows how to come up with and correctly propose new layout options that will allow him to place his goods in the maximum assortment and in the best places and at the same time bring TT additional profit. He is organized: he is never late, all the necessary “papers” are always with him, the car is clean, in good order and refueled. He is friendly, tactful, can always support any conversation and lead this conversation to the topic he needs. He remembers (writes down and refreshes his memory before visiting TT) his own and other people's promises, the names of decision makers, their habits, personal details that the decision maker spoke about at past meetings (or about which the trade representative, being partly a psychologist, drew conclusions on his own).

A good trade representative knows how to negotiate with any person. Not only at work, but in life. And he is simply obliged to persuade the stubborn buyer. The ability to solve one's own and other people's problems is one of the main characteristics of a good trade representative. No wonder he is often called a manager (manager). Becoming a trade representative, you take the first step on the career ladder in trade. To learn all this, you need to have a strong will, courage, communication skills, a developed intellect and a great desire to make good money and live better. If none of this is available, do not waste your and other people's time, there are simpler professions.

Strength of legs, will and mind>

Feet feed the wolf. The legs in this case are movement, the energy that you put into work, into your training, into achieving the goal. How quickly you get used to the profession and gain experience depends on your energy.

A couple of tips on how to maintain physical condition. The main thing here is the way of life. Get enough sleep, exercise, if possible do not smoke or drink alcohol, eat right (better more often a little than at night to satiety). Many do not know how to eat in the fields - they look for cafes or go home for lunch and afternoon tea, wasting time and money. I have diabetes, I studied the physiology of proper nutrition. Meat, cheese, good sausage provide protein, and bread, biscuits and fruits provide carbohydrates. Combine. Believe me, a piece of cheese with a bun eaten in the car and washed down with yogurt replaces a full meal.

There are people who have self-confidence under any circumstances, but I have only met such people in the movies. In normal people, confidence appears only with experience and as a result of strong-willed efforts. The more TT you visit, the more you communicate with CL, the faster your confused look will be replaced by a businesslike one. It is precisely the uncertainty of the trade representative that is the main reason that merchandisers and sellers reject him, and they do it with undisguised pleasure. Imagine you are a merchandiser in a grocery store. Dozens of trade representatives come to you every day. Many have been working for a long time and speak to the point. And here comes the newbie. A shifty glance, gets confused in words, does not know his own product well, does not understand at all what the merchandiser and his store really need. Will you discuss his proposal with such a trade representative? If there is time and the mood is good - have fun, give hope (imaginary) and let go without salty slurping. Or send it off right away if you don't have time. The most important thing for a novice sales representative is to survive the first wave of rejections! Hang in a conspicuous place in large letters: " One rejection is not a rejection!».

However, without turning on your head, all your marathon runs will be tormented. I went to the director of one store eight times, after the fifth refusal I didn’t want to go anymore. But then I suddenly realized what the problem was. Everything turned out to be simple - I was over 30, and I used to communicate in trade on “you”, and the director was 20 years old, and he was already the Head! At the sixth meeting, I began to address him by his first name and patronymic - and the ice broke. At the eighth meeting, I did break through this point and then worked with it for a long time.

Psychologist or psychopath

But even having gained confidence, do not flatter yourself, because this is the confidence of a beginner. The first-second-tenth luck does not make you a professional. We are dealing with people, and this requires patience and special knowledge. Even having worked successfully for many years as a sales representative, I cannot be absolutely sure that I will pick up the key to any person. In addition, many people are more complex than they seem at first glance. Therefore, a beginner should not play with the psychology of the client - he will figure it out, and you will not go to him again. Now your maximum task is not to break down on the first failures. It doesn’t work, you can’t find the strength in yourself to meet the requirements, to convince and achieve results? Look for another job - otherwise it is fraught with psychosis. Stress at this job is guaranteed to you in any case. In order to survive the stage of becoming in the profession with the least losses, do not take the rejection to heart, it’s not for you personally, but for your offer - turn on the “I am thick-skinned” mode and go to a new client. It is also very important to be an actor. Don't lie, don't play for someone you're not. The most disgusting example is defiantly talking on the phone with a supposedly different customer whom you supposedly make happy with your deliveries. Better try to take the place of KL - get used to his role in order to understand what exactly he wants. The psychological knowledge and skills that you will definitely acquire while working as a trade representative will remain with you forever.

Study your product and think for others

To successfully sell a product, you need to know it. To know not only how Whiskas differs from Friskies, but also what are the sales statistics, what is the target audience of your product, what price niche does it occupy and what products does it compete with. Each distribution company has its own assortment. Ask management to conduct assortment training for you. Sometimes the company gives out a memo to a novice sales representative for each group of goods, in which there are all frequently encountered remarks on these specific goods and phrases that neutralize them - study them like "Our Father". The ROP and the supervisor should compile such cheat sheets and distribute them to their trade representatives.

But you can not rely only on memos and bosses. Turn on your own head. I go to a small shop. The owner apparently decided that his customers only wanted cheap goods, so he put out a bag of Chappi and had the saleswoman sell the food by weight. I imagine that she thinks about all this (the food crumbles, hence the shortage and dirt - and the service time is very long), I find options for solving the problem and suggest that she (not the owner!) Put Chappi 400 g and Pedigree jelly 100 for a test next to the bag d. If you don’t sell it in a week, I’ll take it. A week later I sold it and began to take it always. A month later, other packages were added. Six months later, the bag disappeared, and everyone was happy - the owner of the store, the seller and me. Know that few ordinary personnel think about how to improve the performance of their TT! They are simply not up to it. Yes, and the look is blurry. Often it is a good trade representative who comes up with how to increase sales at the outlet. And then they say to such a trade representative: “Oh, Petya, dear, come in, have a cup of tea with us, and then make an application yourself and take the money at the checkout for the last delivery.” ALWAYS THINK FOR THE POINT!

Success and emotional wounds

You help make money for the company. You are usually paid a salary and bonuses for this, less often a percentage of sales. The plan is always growing. This is the axiom of the trading business. If you do not raise the plan, the work of the trade representative will turn into a collection of applications for the same points and for an established assortment. I call this work "posting prices." Part-time students will cope with it - and they will do it for much less money. The trade representative is a striking force. It is he who gives the constant growth of distribution in breadth and depth - more TT and a wider range. A good sales representative constantly increases sales. Before me, they worked on my territory for years with the same sales volume - 800 thousand rubles a month. In six months I reached 1.6 million, a year later - 2.4 million, the territory was divided in half, and in another year we brought it together by 4 million. The division of the territory that you personally "plowed" will be very painful for you , but vital for business, because with good work there always comes a moment when you can no longer develop the territory yourself, you just don’t have enough time and effort, and you start to slip, serve existing sales. When they divided my plot, I was terribly offended, I even wanted to leave. Novice trade representatives, know that if you work well, the division of the territory is inevitable and necessary. I couldn't sell for 4 million alone.

Routes and reports

The trade representative must be able to independently organize his work. In the evening, a detailed plan for tomorrow is drawn up: where to go (route on TT), with whom and what to talk about (KP and purpose of the visit), what should be with you at every meeting (presenter, diary, two or three pens - they are always lost , price, receivables schedule, contract forms ...).

A well-thought-out route helps save time, physical and emotional strength. Chaotic throwing to the trade representative is contraindicated. In addition, CLs get used to the fact that you appear on a certain day and at about the same time - and they will no longer say: “Oh, we didn’t expect you.” Building a route is easy. There are approximately 50-100 TTs on the territory of one trade representative. It is necessary to find out at what points CLs work with orders and receivables only on certain days. You may have to negotiate special conditions if you have to travel through half the city to visit one point. Take a map with streets and houses and mark all points with days of the week. Then mark those TTs with which you are already working, then those with which you want to work (for a developed territory, at least 10 pieces - two visits per day for development, for a poorly developed one - much more).

20-25 TT per day, I know from my own experience, the optimal number of visits. At some points, there are already good relations, and in them you can save time for communication every other time (once, not more often, otherwise you will lose contact!). 5-10 minutes to order, money and a few words about the weather. At new points, more time is needed (15-20 minutes). In development - much more. Half an hour for inspection, thinking through tactics and negotiations is a minimum. Although the first time it is better to make an inspection, write everything down, and think over the tactics of negotiations in the evening. Feel free to discuss with your manager or experienced trade representatives how best to plan and negotiate with a specific TT: they know much more, including they can personally know the decision makers you need - the advice of senior comrades will be very useful.

Over time, the route changes. I advise you to recycle it every 3-4 months. There are always outlets that need to be visited twice a week, and outlets that are enough for two visits a month - this determines the size of the store and sales volume.

Trade representatives for the most part do not like reports. However, they need them more than the most strict bosses. A self-compiled detailed report on the assortment at points (of your own and competitors) allows you to notice where and what can be improved, what to strive for. This is a great help for a thinking and purposeful trade representative.

Bribes are not smooth

Novice trade representatives are often afraid that they will be asked for a bribe for entering the point, and mistakenly classify retro bonuses as bribes. In fact, not many CLs take bribes. They ask even less. One good trade representative recently told me that she saves 500 rubles from her salary every month for small gifts for KL - chocolates and so on. For the same purpose, manufacturers' souvenirs are used, which are sometimes given out in the sales department (pens, mugs, notepads, product samples). These are not bribes, just gifts, and they help improve relations. Never say that you bought it yourself - say with a smile "gift from the company" and put it on the table. And immediately transfer the conversation to an abstract topic - relieve tension. For example: “It’s so hot today on the street, but it’s good here, cool!”

And retro is actually a kind of TT profit from the sale of your product. If you sell goods to a point of sale for 100 rubles and pay retro 10%, then if the price on the shelf is 120 rubles, the point earns 30 rubles. Sometimes it’s easier to give a discount of up to 90 rubles, they will sell for 120, and still earn 30. Often, when preparing negotiations with a point that requires retro for everyone, the price is deliberately inflated in order to give retro without loss. Recently, I honestly say: “The price is minimal, there is no other money, if you want retro, we raise the price.” But I don’t advise novice sales representatives to say this - you still don’t know the economics of the enterprise well, and an experienced buyer can fill you up with numbers that are not necessarily adequate and honest.

Epilogue

Most sales reps get into the profession by accident. Only a few remain for a long time. Almost anyone can be average. To become a pro, you need to study - to study psychology, economics, marketing, management ... Only in this way will the path to the top open. Or you will become a guru who solves problems with one call, who is appreciated by management and competitors are trying to poach. Or, if you don’t study, you will, like most trade representatives, pull the strap with a creak, languishing from boredom and lack of prospects.

Soon I will begin a detailed story about the psychology of sales. For urgent questions, sales representatives can ask me at www.torg-pred.info

Brief Trade Representative Dictionary

AKB - an active customer base - retail outlets to which shipments are systematically made. It can be both a battery of an organization, and a battery of an individual trade representative, or a department, and even a separate product.

OKB - total customer base - the number of TTs in the territory.

DS - Cash.

ROP - Head of Sales Department. There are ROOP (wholesale), RROP (regional), etc.

Supervisor - in large organizations with huge price lists, the sales department is divided into groups under the control of supervisors, the price list is divided into them for better study of the territory. Such a supervisor is essentially a full-fledged ROP. In small organizations - an intermediate link between the trade representative and the ROP, so to speak, the senior trade representative. In words, he manages several trade representatives, but usually this is an additional incentive for a powerful trade representative who cannot be nominated to the ROP (or the place is occupied, or has not grown yet) and it is a pity to let him go. He can share experience with newcomers, help them get in touch with TT, he has a personal sales plan to follow.

TT - Trading Point.

Trade representative, TP, torpedo - sales representative. Torpedo - in my opinion, reflects the essence of the work - pressure, energy and striving for the goal.

Fields are the territory of responsibility. He worked in the fields - he visited TT on his territory.

Decision maker, CL - Decision Maker; The Key Person is the right person, the one who can help solve this problem. Depending on the situation, from the storekeeper to the director.

Retrobonus is a reward paid by a wholesale company to an outlet based on the results of sales. For example, TT purchased goods for 100 thousand in a month - the company pays it 8% retro - 8 thousand. It can be both monetary and commodity - they will give goods for the same 8 thousand.

Distribution - market share, ratio of battery to OCB, breadth of the product line, presented in t / t. In general, the degree of development of the territory.

The Key Client is the one who generates the largest volume of sales or brings the greatest profit.

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A poorly trained salesperson insults customers and wastes their time

Buck Rogers

Despite the fact that few people can explain what a sales representative should do in their workplace, this is one of the most popular professions. And its popularity is growing every day.

After all, any company will always feel the need to distribute its product or service. And, of course, there will always be a need for people who can do this.

So the popularity of the position will only grow. That is why many are interested in the essence of this work, what a sales representative should know, what to be able to do, and so on.

The specifics of the profession of a sales representative

If we turn to a modern dictionary and read the definitions, we can conclude that a sales representative is, first of all, an intermediary, such a link between a company offering its products in bulk and retail outlets.

His main task is to promote the goods of his company in the entrusted territory. To do this, the sales representative works closely with existing customers, looks for new ones, accepts and processes incoming orders, and finally controls the timing of execution and payment.

Modern trade distinguishes three main ways of selling:

  • Distributor orders (the company itself does not trade, but only collects orders for orders and transfers them, for a specified percentage, to a distributor, that is, a supplier).
  • Orders with subsequent self-delivery (collecting applications, the representative fills out all the necessary forms, but the goods are not delivered immediately. The client, if desired, will be able to remove it from the warehouse on his own).
  • "Trade from wheels" - when all the necessary goods can fit in the car, and the task is to sell it. Here the representative also performs the function of a forwarder, that is, he ships the goods, fills out invoices and receives payment. This is exactly what a sales representative should be able to do when “trading from wheels”.

What education do you need to be a sales representative?

The work, of course, is responsible, but here's what a novice sales representative should know - not the most prestigious. In other words, if you build such a kind of hierarchical ladder of career growth, then this is one of the lowest steps.

That is why education does not play a special role. Success can be achieved by both a specialist who has an institute behind him, and an employee who has received a secondary specialized education. In the profession, business qualities and the desire to engage in trade are important.

But, as elsewhere, there are exceptions: when getting a job as a sales representative in the HoReCa (restaurant business), the applicant is required to provide a diploma of higher education.

The thing is that a novice sales representative should know: first of all, an excellent knowledge of the goods and equipment of the restaurant business. This kind of activity involves direct communication with the owners of bars and restaurants, and they are mostly foreigners. So knowledge of languages ​​is very welcome.

Responsibilities of a sales representative

Persuading to take the company's products for sale is not easy. It is necessary to use all the necessary methods and everything that a sales representative needs to know can be divided into several points:

  • Build relationships with store managers and other outlets.
  • Properly present information about your product.
  • Convince buyers that this is exactly what they are looking for.
  • Make a deal or sign a contract.

Everything should be taken into account during the work: timely delivery, control over the correct placement of products, monitor the progress of sales. Getting a job, the sales representative receives at first only 1-2 points.

And only later, with a successful state of affairs, it is possible to expand the client base. Often a successful start to a career is built on the emotions and sympathies that appear during the first visits.

This is exactly what a sales representative should know before entering a retail outlet (and not just on their first visit). If they are positive, cooperation will continue and will only get stronger.

Requirements for an employer to a sales representative

There are usually no special requirements for applicants. But driving a car is not only welcomed, but in some places it is becoming mainstream. Driving well is the first thing a sales rep should know when applying for a job.

After all, it is beneficial for both the representative himself and the company where he works to go around the allotted territory as quickly as possible. The work schedule is tense, constant communication, unforeseen situations - all this requires excellent stress tolerance from the representative.

According to modern psychologists, a sales representative starts to get bored already at the 4th minute of a conversation. But he must run through the entire range of goods.

And in such situations, the ability to conduct business negotiations helps. Usually, what the sales representative should know at the interview is negotiated.

If a sales representative has worked in his position for several years, he, of course, has already developed his own sales technique, gathered a client base, and “overgrown” with the necessary connections and acquaintances. This makes him a valuable worker and allows him to make a good career.

People who are looking for work more and more often stumble upon such a mysterious vacancy as a Sales Representative in the media, the Internet, and advertisements. And judging by the number of submitted ads, we can say with confidence that this is one of the most sought-after professions in the labor market. While employers often do not require work experience for the position

sales representative, they offer attractive pay for work. In small towns, it can compete with the wages of middle managers. When looking for a job, it is difficult to pass by such offers, but most job seekers are deterred by the unknown. What are the official duties of a sales representative what kind of job is this? In this article, I will briefly describe what the job of a sales representative (TP) is.

The sales representative is the link between the seller and the buyer. Under the seller we mean the company of the supplier, and under the buyer - wholesalers, chain stores, retail outlets, as well as restaurants, hotels, clubs (this sector is called HoReCa). 90% of the time the TP is in the fields and 10% in the office.


The duties of a sales representative include:

  • visit their outlets on their territory according to the route sheet,
  • collect requests for the supply of products,
  • promote new products
  • collect money for previous deliveries of goods,
  • control the accounts receivable of its customers,
  • exhibit your products in the best places,
  • search for new outlets
  • conclusion of contracts, signing of reconciliation acts.

But still, the main goal in the work of a sales representative is for retail outlets to take a product that is promoted by a product supplier. And for this, a sales representative sometimes has to try:
- to establish good relations with managers and staff of stores;
- highlight your company and products sold in the best light;
- competently "persuade" the point of sale to take these products to their shelves;
-conclude a contract and bring products
It is also the duty of the sales representative to "knock out" the best place on the shelf for his products, to install his equipment, if his company has such.

Working as a sales representative has its advantages:

career prospects;
salary is directly proportional to the efforts made (with an adequate leader)
it is outdoor work;
remoteness from superiors;
flexible work schedule (if necessary, you can easily leave for your own business);

The disadvantages of this profession include:

Attachment of the TP to the car (if it breaks down, it will be problematic to serve its territory);
- hard work, close to stress;
-material responsibility (sometimes you have to be responsible for quite a lot of money);




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