Job description

The role of the Sales Executive is to increase a company's sales from existing and potential clients.

Most large companies employ Sales Executives and as such there are a wide variety of different types of jobs across all industries including FMCG, Healthcare, IT, Finance, Property and Advertising.

Due to the nature of the job, Sales Executives are often employed to cover a large geographical area meaning extensive travel (sometimes overseas) may be required. They are often referred to as Field Sales Executives.

The role really does vary from job to job and industry to industry though typically some daily duties include:

• Speaking to and meeting clients to discuss their requirements.
• Managing existing client accounts and exploring avenues for further sales.
• Negotiating price and terms of deals.
• Taking orders and closing sales.
• Attending trade shows to promote company products.
• Extensive competitor analysis.
• Market assessment, feeding back information to sales managers/directors.
• Liaison with marketing employees to discuss promotions and forthcoming offers.
• Processing orders and arranging payment from clients.

Qualifications

None are formally required - most companies look for experience and track record in a similar role or at least evidence of a personality that would be likely to be successful in sales. The larger companies may well require a degree and will usually have an intensive sales-training programme before beginning the job.

Salary Snapshot

Recent salaries for roles advertised at time of writing (Dec 2009) include:

• £27-30,000 plus bonus, plus OTE for a Sales Executive working in an advertising company in Manchester.
• £35-80,000 OTE plus benefits for a Senior Sales Executive working in the healthcare industry in Greater London.
• £22-55,000 OTE for a Field Sales Executive working for a pharmaceutical company in West London.
• £35-40,000 plus bonus for a Telesales Executive working for a new media sales business in the West End of London.