"The fact is, everyone is in sales. Whatever area you work in, you do have clients and you do need to sell." - Jay Abraham - author of "Getting Everything You Can out of All You've Got."
Writing a great Sales CV means doing what you have always done as a salesman or sales woman. The sales cycle for clinching an interview is similar to selling a product:
Qualification: Ensure you do research to ensure the target role you want is likely to be interested in you as a potential employee.
Presentation: Make sure you create a CV that is properly structured, well presented (with sufficient white space), and of suitable length so that it is easy to read and scan; otherwise it may not even be read.
Proposal: Unlike a deal when you present the terms, here the details of your CV are the terms setting out exactly what the customer/employer is going to get from you. It has to be strong and focus on benefits (what you bring) as well as features (what you can do).
Negotiation: Unlike in a sales activity, you are not negotiating - your CV is. It is trying to stay in the running against other CVs that are offering their own terms with slightly different benefits. You need to write your achievements with this in mind.
Close: They decide that your CV has the mix of benefits that offers greatest benefit and think you should come in for interview.
While this is slightly contrived to fit the sales cycle, in general this is what is happening and you will need to apply the same selling tips you will hear regularly in sales courses:
Know what you're selling thoroughly: Know yourself and what you have achieved. List the benefits you delivered and responsibilities you have held within each role. Understand your USPs and select the best benefits that meet the customer's needs to use in your CV.
Show confidence: A CV is no place for modesty. Believe in yourself and what you can offer, ensuring the language of your CV is confident and convincing.
Think like a buyer (employer): Always ask what you would want if you were in the employer's position when selecting what to include. What would impress you and make you want to speak to that person if you had to run the sales department.
