Business pals, hearing the word ” sales ” doesn’t sound familiar anymore, doesn’t it? Its vital role for the company makes the sales role as the spearhead of the company’s sales. Therefore, it is often easy for us to find job vacancies for sales positions . Unfortunately, many people actually underestimate this profession.
Because, sales are often labeled as a job that only has sexy clothes or a slippery mouth. In fact, the sales function is not that simple, so what? Come on, see the following sinaumedia.com review, friend !
Sales Definition
Sales can be understood as part of selling activities, whether in the form of goods or services to buyers. Likewise, HubSpot also defines sales as the activity of selling goods or services.
It can be seen, almost all companies do not have a sales team . The reason is that direct interaction with consumers makes sales performance have a direct impact on company sales. Therefore, the assumption that underestimates the position of sales, of course, is not right. Because, facing rejection outright and even insults is not easy for someone to accept, unless he has mental steel and resilience.
Then, it is also important to know that in its movement, there are at least three elements behind the sales movement . First, by region or sales area. Namely, before selling the goods, the sales team will map the area first. After that, the team will get a map of which areas need the goods or services they sell.
Second, based on the goods or services sold. In this case, the depth of understanding of the goods or services being sold will determine the results of the strategies drawn up. The reason is, the characteristics of the product to be sold will break down the market segmentation that will be targeted.
Finally, the third, based on the target customer. Making the target customer as a reference in sales , will automatically determine the sales target area as well as complete the characteristics of the product to be sold.
General Terms in Sales
Sales as a sales activity, in business, gives rise to several general terms. Sinaumedia.com summarizes at least five general terms, including the following:
1. Salesperson
Salesperson in question is an individual who peddles a product in the sales transaction process. Therefore, in other terms, a salesperson is also called a salesman .
Regarding his job, a salesperson sells products , goods or services to buyers. Where in doing so, the salesperson will suggest products or services that can meet the needs of buyers. Therefore, he must first find out what the buyer wants or needs, and to do so often requires a certain sales technique.
On the other hand, in addition to the salesperson , he must be able to bring in new buyers, he must also be able to keep the buyers in order to continue to subscribe to the products he sells. That is why, the situation and needs of the company greatly affect the responsibilities and target buyers of the salesperson .
2. Prospect
Prospect, according to Krugman and Maurice, is defined as an opportunity that arises because of a person’s efforts to fulfill his needs as well as to gain profit . More specifically, prospects can also be translated as potential clients as ideal customers. That is, those who are not very interested in the products or services offered.
In another understanding, prospects are also often considered as a way for a salesperson to approach prospective customers, either by making phone calls, social selling , or it could be email marketing . Now, after successfully conducting prospects to customers, the salesperson will enter the deal stage .
3. Deal
Deal may be a more familiar term in the ears of many people, which is understood as a price agreement between the seller and the buyer. In the process, the deal will be classified into many levels. And, each company has different levels of deals depending on the business and industry. This is where a salesperson must be able to design a deal plan based on needs and conditions. So, the dealing process can run according to the set time period and the planned target.
4. Sales Pipeline
Sales pipeline , a term that refers to the steps in the process of selling a product or service. In providing an overview of the sales process, one of the pipelines that is often used is the sales team plan diagram. Where usually through this diagram a series of stages will be described starting from the prospect assessment, meeting with prospects, offering goods or services, to the transaction or deal stage .
5. Sales Plan
As with the sales pipeline , the sales plan describes the long-term goals, strategies, and objects of a company’s sales team. This includes details on pricing, target customers, market conditions, team structure, revenue targets, and others. However, what is no less important is the existence of tactics and techniques in the sales plan to realize the targets that have been set.
Several Position in Sales Departement
Furthermore, we also need to know that sales within the company also have a position with its own name. The following, there are several positions that are usually under the sales team within the company, citing The Balance Careers , as follows:
1. Sales Representative
A sales representative is a position that is at the bottom level of a sales team. Thus, this position becomes the spearhead of the company’s sales. Success in this position will open up opportunities for career advancement to higher positions. Usually, the sales representative position within the company is known by various names, such as sales agent, brand ambassador , advertising representative , account representative , and so on.
2. Sales Management
Sales management is a level position above the sales representative . In charge of the sales representative , the position of the sales manager is at the same level as the supervisor .
In addition, the sales manager is also in charge of leading the sales team within the company, so they also have the authority to set goals and analyze sales. For this reason, in some companies, a sales manager also interacts directly with big buyers, in order to build good relationships so that the big buyers are loyal and stay subscribed to the company.
As in general, sales manager positions in companies have various names, for example area manager, account manager, franchise development manager , business development manager , and others.
3. Sales Administration
Sales administrative generally plays a role in assisting the administration of the sales team. For example, helping with travel permits, preparing quotations , preparing marketing kits for buyers, as well as calculating and managing the administration of bonuses given to loyal buyers .
In addition, in some companies, the sales administrative also has a crucial role in bridging the marketing and sales teams . As with other positions, sales administrative is also referred to by many names within the company, such as business development representative , financial assistant , enterprise representative , and industry representative .
4. Account Executive
Account executive or commonly abbreviated as AE is a position that is almost similar to a sales manager but has slightly more duties.
In terms of duties, AE generally establishes a relationship between the company and its clients as well as maintains good relations with existing clients. So, AE is not only focused on attracting new clients.
However, an AE is required to have a deep understanding of the product. At the same time, you must always keep up with industry and market development trends, of course. That’s why AE is usually closer to repeat customers. Meanwhile, in the company itself, AE is generally known by several names, such as channel partner executive , client executive, account handler , and others.
5. Executive-Level Management
This position is usually occupied by someone with 10 years or more experience in sales. The reason is, for executive-level management positions, they generally determine and direct the company’s long-term sales goals and targets.
In addition to the provision of experience, an executive-level management must also have sufficient knowledge of market competition and the products to be sold to buyers. That is why, this position requires great responsibility in marketing planning as well as planning the relationship between the company and its customers. While in the company, besides being called executive-level management , this position is sometimes also called sales director , chief sales officer , and even chief financial officer .
Closing
From the explanation above, we can not learn how crucial the role of sales is to sell products until they reach consumers. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that sales are the spearhead of the company. In fact, almost all companies have a sales team. So, after knowing what sales are and what they do, are you interested in a career as a salesperson ? Hopefully this article from sinaumedia.com is useful, friend!