Listening to customer requirements and presenting appropriately to make a sale;
Maintaining and developing relationships with existing customers in person and via telephone calls and emails;
Cold calling to arrange meetings with potential customers to prospect for new business;
Responding to incoming email and phone enquiries;
Acting as a contact between a company and its existing and potential markets;
Negotiating the terms of an agreement and closing sales;
Gathering market and customer information;
Representing their company at trade exhibitions, events and demonstrations;
Negotiating on price, costs, delivery and specifications with buyers and managers;
Challenging any objections with a view to getting the customer to buy;
Advising on forthcoming product developments and discussing special promotions;
Creating detailed proposal documents, often as part of a formal bidding process which is largely dictated by the prospective customer;
Liaising with suppliers to check the progress of existing orders;
Checking the quantities of goods on display and in stock;
Recording sales and order information and sending copies to the sales office, or entering figures into a computer system;
Reviewing your own sales performance, aiming to meet or exceed targets;
Gaining a clear understanding of customers' businesses and requirements;
Making accurate, rapid cost calculations and providing customers with quotations;
Feeding future buying trends back to employers;
Attending team meetings and sharing best practice with colleagues.
The ability and desire to sell;
Excellent communication skills;
A positive, confident and determined approach;
Resilience and the ability to cope with rejection;
A high degree of self-motivation and ambition;
The skills to work both independently and as part of a team;
The capability to flourish in a competitive environment;
A good level of numeracy.