How to Become the Sales Rep Every Company Wants to Hire

A Sales Representative is someone whose primary task is to facilitate the sales of products or services to buyers or clients. A Sales Representative is like a walking company brochure; they must be able to provide information about the business's products or services and provide answers to the customers’ questions. 

Sales Reps are either inside reps or outside reps. Inside reps do most of the work from their workspaces or offices, while outside reps have to travel sometimes to meet and discuss with the customers physically. 

In this article, we will discuss the roles and responsibilities of a Sales Representative, the significance of having a Sales Representative, and the skills you must be equipped with to function as an effective Sales Representative every business wants to hire. 

What Does A Sales Representative Do?

Being a Sales Representative could involve numerous interconnected tasks, but here are some of the key duties of a Sales Rep. 

In many firms, a Sales Representative typically has a quota to fill within a specific period. It means that they must have a solid hang of reaching out to prospective customers to ultimately convince them to purchase the products or engage the services. 

      2. Order Processing

After successfully convincing a prospect to make an order, the Sales Rep has to monitor the process, ensuring that the customer receives their order in time and is onboarded without hassle. 

      3. Customer Relationship Management

Asides from reaching out to prospective customers, Sales Reps also have to maintain contact with the already existing customers for the possible continuance of patronage. They may have to visit the said customer to get relevant information on their experience with the product so far and give feedback or advice on how to improve.

        4. Brand Representation

A Sales Representative usually acts as the mouthpiece of the brand. They are usually present at meetings with prospective client organizations, presenting a demo of the products and the perks of patronizing the brand during a presentation.

        5. Curating Regular Reports

For assessments and accountability, a Sales Rep is expected to curate and submit weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual reports to the management team or the head of the sales team. 

What Skills Must A Sales Representative Have?

Seeing the above outline of the duties of a Sales Rep, we can tell that there are several tasks a Sales Rep does, many of which require them to possess some crucial skills. Let’s highlight a few of them.

         1. Good Communication Skills

One thing a Sales Rep always does is communication — communicating with the prospects, customers, and team members. As such, they must be highly-skilled effective communicators. 

• Effective Listening: A key to converting clients is letting them know you understand their needs and can cater to them. The only way to get to this point is to listen to them and understand their needs and what they want to solve. 
• Clarity and Conciseness: An email or statement must be properly constructed, without vagueness, leaving almost no room for misunderstanding. It implies that there must be a standard level of clarity and conciseness during communication. 
• Persuasion: During lead generation, a lot of persuasive conversations happen. You must be able to make them see reasons to do business with you in a manner that does not come off as forceful or aggressive, but convincing nonetheless. 
• Negotiation: During sales processes, there may be people who want custom packages or payment plans. Negotiation is at the core of dealing with such prospects. You want to listen to them, their complaints, and their needs. Regardless of the difference in opinions, thoughts, and plans, negotiation skills enable you to build a relationship and find a compromise that works for both parties and close the deal. 
  
  

         2. Critical Thinking

Sales Reps, especially outside reps, must be critical thinkers. They mostly have to make decisions that have potential effects on the client and company. And oftentimes, they have minimal time to do this. As a Sales Rep, you must be able to weigh options, spot shortcomings, and take decisions in a short while. 

           3. Doggedness

Working as a Sales Rep is not the most predictable thing. Sometimes, you may put your all into trying to convert a client and even go as far as the last stage where all that’s left is to make payment, and it may not work out. 

Sales is a field where a lot of disappointments will be thrown at you. However, there is a goal to achieve; that’s where doggedness comes in. A good Sales Rep is determined to do something and continues to persist despite the odds till the aim is reached. 

How Do You Become An Effective Sales Representative?

If the above description of a typical day in the life of a Sales Rep interests you and it looks like a field you want to explore, there are certain things to put in place. 

1. Get Trained: Due to the technicalities involved in sales, you must get adequate training from the right source, whether it’s from a college or any recognized organization that specializes in it. 
2. Obtain Certifications: The expectations required of a Sales Rep are often high, so recruiters often look out for certified people to hire on their team. 
3. Apply for Internship Opportunities: Internships are an awesome way to gain practical experience and apply everything you have learned. It’s a good way to kickstart your career in Sales.

As a Sales Representative, you learn by doing most of the time. Most of the people who are good Sales Representatives today started by learning on the job, making mistakes, and learning from them. It is having a growth strategy and consistency that determines your growth in Sales. Thinking about growing a career in sales? The Scalein Academy is a good place to start.