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Do you aspire to become a sales executive? Then you’ve come to the right place.
In the following article, we’ll talk about the sales executive job description and understand the career trajectory of this field. You’ll also learn what you should do to kickstart a career in this field most effectively.
Sales Executive Job Description
A sales executive is responsible for driving their company’s product or service sales by seeking out prospects and pursuing sales opportunities. They have to generate leads, make sales calls, and update the CRM database.
Sales executives have to meet with new and existing customers of their organisation. A sales executive has to build rapport with customers, pursue leads and close sales. They have to set sales goals and develop strategies to achieve the same.
They are responsible for generating leads and researching prospects. A sales executive has to contact potential and existing customers through email, in person, and on the phone, depending on their industry and organisation’s requirements. For example, a sales executive in the retail sector might meet clients in person, while a sales executive for a digital product might contact them through email more.
They must do thorough research on their industry and their products so they can handle customer questions and inquiries. However, they must also be prepared to handle customer complaints as they interact directly with them and are usually the preferred channel for a customer to contact the company.
A sales executive must prepare and send quotes and proposals. They are also required to manage the sales process through specific sales solutions. Therefore, they must be well-acquainted with sales and CRM software programs.
They have to build and maintain a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) database for their organisation. A sales executive participates in regular meetings and is responsible for meeting the daily, weekly, and monthly sales targets.
They have to participate on behalf of the company in conferences and exhibitions and create frequent reviews with sales and financial data. Sales executives collaborate with team members and ensure they achieve the team’s sales goals.
They have to identify new products and product improvements by staying up to date on industry trends and competition activities.
What are the work hours and conditions for a sales executive?
Usually, a sales executive works in the traditional office hours. However, the job might require them to put in overtime occasionally. Depending on the organisation’s industry, a sales execution would also need to travel frequently to meet prospective clients.
Another reason sales executives have to travel is to attend conferences and exhibitions on behalf of their organisation. They have to attend networking events and establish personal networks by participating in professional societies.
Sales Executive Job Profile: Required Skills
A sales executive must be proficient in multiple domains. They represent their company in various areas, and so companies look for highly skilled and qualified candidates for this role.
Due to this role’s unique nature, soft skills play a vital role in determining the competence of a professional. Without the necessary soft skills, it would be highly challenging for a sales executive to make any professional progress.
The usual sales executive job profile requires the candidate to have the following skills:
1. Communication
Most of a sales executive’s success depends on how they communicate with their prospects, existing clients, and team members. Hence, having strong communication skills is vital for any sales executive. This also includes interpersonal skills that determine how well a person behaves with different people.
2. Presentation
Sales executives should know how to present their ideas and pitch their products (or services) effectively. Presentation skills matter a lot for this role because a sales pitch can make or break a prospect. Good presentation skills help them pitch their products to prospective clients and maximise their chances of generating more sales.
3. Teamwork
In most cases, sales executives work in teams. They work together to achieve the organisation’s daily, weekly, and monthly sales targets. Hence, a sales executive must have strong teamwork skills. They should know how to motivate their team, collaborate with them on projects, and maintain sportsmanship in the workplace.
5. Research
A sales executive must know how to conduct proper research. They have to stay on top of the latest industry trends and keep a close eye on what their competitors are doing. Due to these reasons, strong research skills are vital for this role.
Read: What does it take for a fresher to get a job in sales?
How to Become a Sales Executive?
The role of a sales executive is quite a challenging one. They have to meet with new prospects, generate leads, pursue existing leads, and achieve their organisation’s sales target.
This role also requires a professional to develop multiple soft skills, including communication and teamwork. Learning and developing these skills all at once can be rather tricky.
Moreover, developing soft skills takes additional effort. You need proper guidance and strategy to learn these skills and become a proficient sales executive. The best way to go about this process is by getting a course on the subject.
Taking a course will help you learn the necessary concepts and skills quickly and efficiently. It will give you a structured curriculum so you can plan your studies properly and ensure that you learn everything step-by-step.
Completing a course in sales will also help you stand out among your peers and make it easier for you to climb the corporate ladder. Companies prefer qualified candidates for senior roles, and as a certified professional, you’d become a preferred choice for them.
At upGrad, we offer a Job Guaranteed PG Certification in Sales. It’s an excellent program for anyone who wishes to pursue a career in sales.
More about our program
Our Job-linked PG Certification in Sales is a 6-month program and comes with an assured placement within the program duration. We have created this program for recent graduates and freshers who want to learn in-demand sales skills and strategies.
The program teaches you all the necessary sales skills and subjects:
- Interpersonal and Communication skills
- Prospecting the lead
- Account Management
- Structured Thinking and Problem solving
- Lead Generation
- Adaptability to Change
- Behavioural Management
- Productivity Management
- Teamwork and Leadership
After completing this program, you can apply for sales roles in various industries such as FMCG, Edutech, Fintech, etc. The course only requires you to be a graduate in any discipline to be eligible to apply.
The program offers 160+ hours of learning through live sessions, videos, lectures, and assignments. There will also be dedicated soft-skill training sessions.
During the program, you’d have a dedicated mentor help you resolve doubts and learn the various subjects efficiently. You’ll have the option to learn industry-specific jargon depending on your career plans and aspirations.
The course also offers mock trials where you gain experience of how to perform during work and interviews.
Conclusion
Sales executives are the backbone of a company. They drive growth and are responsible for generating revenue for their organisation by achieving sales targets.
They work in teams, contact prospective clients, follow up on existing leads, and represent their company in professional events. Certainly, their role requires a lot of effort and dedication. If you’re interested in pursuing a career as a sales executive, we recommend taking the course we mentioned in the previous section. You can learn more about it here: Job-linked PG Certification in Sales.
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