Who is a sales representative and what are his functions?

Advantages and disadvantages of working as a sales representative

The undoubted advantages of this profession include:

• room for action;
• The work schedule is adjusted independently;
• high income level (a percentage or bonus system of remuneration is often used, and the more you sell, the more salaries you receive);
• Constant communication with people is an opportunity to expand your personal horizons and make useful contacts;
• the opportunity to climb the career ladder in the shortest possible time.

Despite the many advantages of such work, it also comes with disadvantages:

• versatility of the profession - you need to be a specialist in accounting, psychology, consulting, advertising, driving;
• constantly on the go - here the expression “the feet feed the wolf” is more relevant than ever; a sales representative spends more than 70% of his working time “in the field”,
• constant communication with people is not suitable for everyone, it makes you more tired than after digging up potatoes;
• irregular working hours - the customer can call at any time, or a situation may arise that requires strictly personal intervention, even if it is a weekend

Personal qualities

It is difficult for a sales representative to work without possessing certain character traits and personal qualities. To be invited for an interview, you should add the following features to your resume for a sales representative:

• focus on results;
• talent for persuasion;
• stress resistance and communication skills (strong nervous system and sociability);
• the ability to interest the interlocutor and the ability to find a common language with clients;
• high level of self-organization and discipline;
• active life position;
• initiative and efficiency.

Types of work channels for a sales representative

Retail

The “infantry” of sales representatives is retail work. Its trading arsenal includes both large non-chain stores and a kiosk at the city tram terminus. The main rule is that there must be a demand for his trading group. Orders are not wholesale in the general sense; most often they are small wholesale orders. The working day of such a “foot soldier” is longer and busier than that of his colleagues. And the field scatter is large. Well, you can’t call her boring either.

Net

Network partners or key clients are a separate group of clients. Here you need to keep your finger on the pulse every second, maneuvering in the rapidly changing trade policy of networkers. Your main activity will be reduced to merchandising, strict adherence to contract clauses, control of orders, balances and delivery times. The last point is the most capricious. But on the other hand, you don't need:

• worry about what and how the networker will sell;
• desperately look for new partners;
• fawn over “harmful” store owners.

The main task is to follow the well-trodden path of the agreement and strictly observe it. You are an elite representative of your profession.

HORECA

Who are your clients here? And this:

• bar;
• cafe;
• restaurant;
• hotel;
• club;
• cinema and the like.

Of course, their assortment group is limited, and the goal is to supply only their own goods here or let it be the predominant one. The decision on the assortment in such establishments is made by their owner. This is where your extraordinary personal qualities are needed to convince them of the exclusivity of your product, delivery conditions and payments.

This type of activity mixes both the elitism of the networks and the retail infantry marathon. Well, and the night schedule of your work day, because this is their working time.

Job description

A job description is a document that contains several sections, such as a list of duties, rights, and responsibilities of employees. The job description outlines in detail what the responsibilities of a sales representative are. But since the job description is not a mandatory LNA, it is better to duplicate some of the nuances of this employee’s work activity in his employment contract. It is permissible to specify the following job responsibilities of a sales representative:

• control over the display of the fullest range of products in accordance with standards;
• control over the placement and updating of advertising materials and equipment;
• drawing up applications for agents;
• informing the supervisor and the person in charge about the lack of a sufficient number of products and applications;
• creation of duplicate points of sale;
• taking measures to improve the placement of products in relation to competitors' products;
• work with customer complaints regarding the quantity and quality of goods supplied in accordance with the contract, etc.

What is the essence of a sales representative's job?

Each sales representative has a sales plan established by his management, which he must fulfill for the prosperity of the company and himself personally. To achieve this, he must actively sell his product group to established partners and look for new ones.

What does a sales representative do:

• takes requests for the supply of goods;
• merges them with the remainder in the warehouse;
• controls the work of collecting the order and sending it to the final goal;
• controls the document flow on these issues;
• monitors accounts receivable and their return;
• provides maximum service support to partners in its product group.

A competent sample resume for the position of trade representative

We have prepared a typical sales representative resume sample for you.

If you are not interested in reading our recommendations, then you can download it right now (link above) to the desktop of your PC and replace the information point by point with your own.

torgpred-resume.docx (download document)

Otherwise, we think that some of our other tips will be useful to you. Together with you, we will analyze the important points that you should definitely pay attention to when writing a resume, and at the end we will present to your attention a clear example of the finished document.

Main sections in a resume (professional and personal)

We describe professional sections with special care, remembering and documenting all the important points, which we’ll talk about now.

Scope of work

1. Food. If you work for a manufacturer, then it is much easier for you in the assortment group, it is not large, and does not require memorizing a variety of information on its own. In distribution companies the situation is more complicated, because the wider its product range, the more income it will receive. Your price list will be large, but, on the other hand, this is a plus, because the more you can offer your partner to buy, the more you will sell. Do not forget that such a product can quickly lose its selling properties and become unusable. Therefore, it is important for you to be able to quickly navigate expiration dates, compare them with the purchasing power of your partners and the speed of delivery of goods to them. If these points are successfully completed, your work activity will not be nervous, but only successful.
2. Alcohol products. There is always a demand for it. This product is not perishable, which is a big plus. There may be problems with transportation, but mainly these are problems of the warehouse and drivers; some must pack and load normally, while others must deliver. Network partners order such goods in large quantities, when large and small stores prefer to order “randomly”, but for a decent amount.
3. Household chemicals. Very heavy price due to the variety of assortment. And it’s not at all easy to figure it out. After all, in order to sell you need to not only understand what you are selling, but also quickly find it in the price list and orient it according to its price. The situation with network partners is simpler - everything is strict with them, but retailing such a product group is not for weaklings. Therefore, it is very good if you have a sales communicator that will display information not only on the product itself, but also on its actual stock in the warehouse. Ideally, placing an order online.
4. Toys. The situation is similar to household chemicals. A large assortment, a variety of their properties, and most importantly, be able to show and tell everything about them. It is advisable to be a little child yourself, then this will be your successful field.
5. Electrical goods, etc. There is always less demand for this group of goods than for food and alcohol. To meet sales targets, you need to significantly expand the territory of your activities. Actually, your leadership is doing just that, assigning entire regions and districts to its specialists. Working with network customers for your products is again not difficult. Usually, all delivery conditions and prices have already been agreed upon; check their implementation.

Responsibility

What responsibilities of a sales representative are a priority for successful work are formulated in the job description. These responsibilities also form the specialist’s area of ​​responsibility for dishonesty in the service. Punishment for incompetence is provided for by labor, criminal legislation and the Code of Administrative Offences. The representative is responsible for:

• causing material damage to the organization;
• negligence in work, failure to fulfill one’s duties, illegal disposal of property;
• disclosure of trade secrets;
• failure to comply with the rules and duties set forth in the job description;
• rudeness with clients, employees and violation of the rules of politeness;
• actions beyond one's competence.

Personal qualities of a good sales representative

1. Talkativeness. Your tongue, as they say, “should be suspended.” You must not only competently operate with knowledge of the product, but also win over the conversation. The ability to conduct a conversation and direct it in the right direction is the key to your success.
2. Fast response. The trade market is not asleep. Many of your competitors from other organizations appear on it, and their goal is to become better than you and “snatch” your customers. Therefore, you must be able to not only quickly respond to prices, demand, but also competitors’ offers. Your proposals should always be one step better than theirs.
3. Ability to create a positive impression. And this needs to start with your appearance. It doesn't matter that you are an employee of a distributor. Don't be lazy and dress in a business casual manner. The right conversation and appearance, plus a good business proposal, and you have a partner in your pocket.
4. Ability to quickly assess a situation and develop an optimal action plan. Reacting quickly to changes in the situation and developing a sound work plan will help you avoid a lot of trouble.

Education

Here you need to describe in detail all the educational institutions in which you studied. A properly written sales representative resume will include the following points:

• period of study, from the year of admission to the year of graduation;
• the name of the institution. City where the place of study is located;
• names of the faculty, specialty and specialization;
• description of the acquired knowledge in the sales representative's specialization. For example: “completed courses in the specialty of SMM specialist, gained sales skills in social networks”;
• all educational institutions and advanced training courses must be listed in chronological order.

Employers' requirements for applicants

1. Higher education. Such a requirement is now not at all mandatory for this profession. Most sales reps don't have one. Basically, it is required by manufacturing enterprises. Although everyone knows that the comprehensive development that it gives is an advantage in such professional activities.
2. Communication skills and grasping new information. The ability to build and maintain relationships and quickly adapt to changes in the busy trading world is valued above all else. After all, only with this in place will an employee be able to fulfill the goals set for him.
3. Having a car. As we found out above, this work involves frequent movements and takes place mainly in the “field”. Your mobility and maneuverability lies in the availability of transport. This is often a requirement of companies that do not have corporate transport staff. And they save on it.
4. Knowledge of maintaining primary documentation, drawing up reports and contracts. This is one of your direct responsibilities. Without it, you will not be able to work as a sales representative. Therefore, it is important for management to know whether you have this skill, in order to avoid reporting confusion and more serious troubles because of it.
5. Availability of a client base. It is always better to hire a person who has established sales channels, because he will give good standard indicators in the first month of work, unlike a colleague who does not have such a colleague. The salary of such an employee will be higher, but this is a completely natural expense, in view of the profit that he will provide.
6. Ability to work with a PC. Nowadays, this is already a standard requirement. After all, everyone understands that now everything is computerized.

Professional quality

Professional qualities are what determine your suitability and importance in the labor market. It’s worth remembering everything you know, can do, and have used in your work. As an example of the key skills of a sales representative in a resume, we will mention:

• ability to conduct business negotiations and make presentations;
• knowledge of sales techniques with experience in personal selling;
• organizational skills;
• ability to create, maintain and expand a client base;
• ability to persuade and motivate;
• knowledge of financial documents and reporting;
• Correct oral and written language;
• ability to make independent decisions;
• resolve conflict situations.

1. GENERAL PROVISIONS

1.1.

This job description defines the rights, duties and responsibilities of a sales representative (hereinafter also referred to as an employee) of the Limited Liability Company "XXX" (hereinafter referred to as the Company).

1.2.

A sales representative belongs to the category of specialists.

1.3. A sales representative is appointed and dismissed in accordance with the procedure established by current labor legislation by order of the General Director of the Company.

1.4.

The sales representative reports directly to _______________.

1.5.

A person with secondary vocational education or higher professional education is appointed to the position of sales representative without presenting a requirement for work experience.

1.6. In his activities, the sales representative is guided by:

— legislation of the Russian Federation;

— <�…>;

— Federal Law of March 13, 2006 No. 38-FZ “On Advertising”;

— Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights”;

— retail trade rules;

— Charter of the Company;

— local regulations of the Company, to the extent that does not contradict the terms of the employment contract and taking into account the specifics of regulating the labor of remote workers (hereinafter also referred to as local regulations);

- this job description.

1.7. The sales representative must know:

— regulatory legal acts, recommendations and methodological materials on the issues of providing the population with the Company’s products;

— regulatory legal acts regulating the spheres of wholesale (retail) trade and consumer protection;

— legislative and other regulatory legal acts, methodological materials on organizing sales of the Company’s products;

— methods and procedures for developing current sales plans;

— the state of the regional market, its conditions and development prospects;

— <�…>;

— fundamentals of marketing and management, methods of conducting marketing research;

— fundamentals of a market economy;

— psychology and principles of sales, rules for establishing business contacts and negotiating;

— basics of advertising, forms and methods of conducting advertising campaigns;

— basics of merchandising;

— assortment, classification, characteristics of the Company’s products;

— the basics of organizing work to create demand and stimulate sales of the Company’s products in the region;

— organizing accounting of consulting and information operations and reporting on their implementation;

— ethics of business communication;

— rules for establishing business contacts;

— fundamentals of sociology, psychology and labor motivation;

— methods of information processing using modern technical means of communication and communication, a personal computer at the level of an experienced user;

— basics of labor organization and management;

— basics of labor legislation;

— Internal labor regulations to the extent that does not contradict the terms of the employment contract and taking into account the specifics of regulating the labor of remote workers;

— Labor protection and fire safety rules to the extent that does not contradict the terms of the employment contract and taking into account the specifics of regulating the work of remote workers;

— local regulations.

1.8. The sales representative must have the following skills, including:

— <�…>.

— Self-organization (full understanding of the nature of the work that he must perform, the need to independently plan the work, taking into account the restrictions established by the employment contract, job description, local regulations).

— Determination (the presence of personal enthusiasm, personal interest and ambition).

— Self-discipline (the presence of personal responsibility and the understanding that he works in a team that works to achieve common goals).

— Self-sufficiency (the ability to perform job duties autonomously, taking into account the restrictions established by the employment contract, job description, local regulations).

— Professional consulting skills using information, reference, and advertising materials.

— Skills in business communication and informing potential buyers about the Company’s products, disclosing (not inherent to others) their specific features.

— Skills in working on a personal computer at the level of an experienced user (knowledge of programs for preparing documents: Word, Excel, etc.; programs for working on the Internet: Outlook, Skype, etc.; other specialized programs necessary for performance of work duties).

2. JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

The duties of a sales representative are:

2.1.

Organization and planning of work to promote the Company’s products in the territory assigned to the employee in order to achieve the Company’s profit:

— <�…>;

— informing potential buyers located in the territory assigned to the employee about the advantages of the Company’s products, their application and features, including the results of comparisons of the characteristics of the Company’s products and the products of competing companies, reviews and recommendations of authoritative experts;

— organizing and conducting trainings and presentations on the Company’s products;

— distribution of various information and advertising materials among potential buyers;

— establishing and developing communications with clients and other potential buyers of the Company’s products;

— development and maintenance of effective relationships between the Company and partners/key clients (OL, distributors, etc.).

2.2.

Representation of the interests of the Company, organization and implementation of planned events, including:

— <�…>;

— lectures, presentations, seminars;

— exhibitions, meetings with authoritative experts;

— other activities aimed at increasing the Company’s profits.

2.3.

Active participation in the preparation of information and advertising materials intended for their use during the representation of the interests of the Company, organization and conduct of the above events.

2.4.

Preparation and maintenance of a database regarding:

— <�…>;

— organizations engaged in the production and (or) sale of products similar or identical to the Company’s products;

— organizations that have the rights to use the trade name of a product similar or identical to any product of the Company;

— organizations of wholesale trade of products similar or identical to the Company’s products.

2.5.

Fulfillment of qualitative (KPI - key performance indicators) and quantitative (sales plan) indicators established by local regulations or provided for by business practices in the areas of management, marketing and advertising.

2.6.

Expanding the client base, searching and attracting new clients and partners.

2.7.

Drawing up, control, maintenance and accounting, sending to the Company reporting and other documentation provided for by the employment contract, this job description, local regulations, in the manner and within the time limits specified by the above-mentioned documents. Coordination and modification of reporting and other documentation.

2.8.

Monthly preparation of a work plan for the next month in electronic form (in Microsoft Excel format, “.XLS or .XLSX extension”), sending the work plan to your immediate supervisor via electronic communication no later than <…>(Appendix No. 1 to the job description).

2.9.

Weekly reporting in electronic form (in Microsoft Excel format “.XLS or .XLSX extension”) on the implementation of planned indicators for the past week and the work plan for the next week, sending the specified electronic documents to your immediate supervisor via electronic communication no later than <…> (Appendices No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 to the job description).

2.10.

Mandatory participation in weekly meetings, trainings, video conferences, and other events held by the Company through the use of the Skype program (other analogues of communication). The date and time of the start of the event is communicated by the immediate or superior manager by sending an email or SMS message no less than <...> calendar days before its start.

2.11.

<�…>.

2.12.

Effective use of computer and technical means, software, channels and means of electronic and telephone communication, as well as monitoring their performance and proper functioning. Immediately inform your immediate supervisor and take prompt measures to eliminate failures/breakdowns in the specified facilities and equipment.

2.13.

Collecting and analyzing information about the regional market, clients, competitors, developing, based on it, the results of a strategy for promoting and selling the Company’s products.

2.14.

Study of the market for similar goods (analysis of demand and consumption, their motivations and fluctuations) and its development trends. Regular monitoring of the market for the competitive environment, new sources of business, new sales channels.

2.15.

Study of factors influencing the sales of the Company's products, as well as those that are important for their successful implementation, types of demand (sustainable, rush, short-term, etc.), reasons for its increase and decrease, differentiation of the purchasing power of the population.

2.16.

Improving information support for ongoing market research.

2.17.

Carrying out work to popularize the Company, its commercial relations, the principles underlying its activities, aimed at creating a favorable attitude among buyers and consumers and ensuring the prestige of the Company.

2.18.

Maintaining your qualifications at a level sufficient to perform job duties, mandatory certification and testing.

2.19.

<�…>.

3. RIGHTS

The sales representative has the right:

3.1.

Represent the interests of the Company on issues within its competence.

3.2.

Receive from the Company's officials the information necessary for the implementation of its activities, get acquainted with the draft decisions of the Company's management relating to the performance of its official duties.

3.3.

Interact with divisions and officials of the Company on issues within its competence.

3.4.

Submit proposals for improvement of activities on issues within its competence for consideration by the management of the Company.

3.5.

Inform the management of the Company about existing shortcomings in the work, make proposals for their elimination.

3.6.

Undergo retraining and advanced training in the manner established by labor legislation and local regulations of the Company.

The sales representative is not entitled to:

3.7.

Bring to the attention of potential buyers deliberately false information about the Company's products.

3.8.

<�…>.

3.9.

Accept from organizations engaged in the production and (or) sale of products similar or identical to the Company’s products, organizations who wholesale products similar or identical to the Company’s products, gifts, funds, including for payment for entertainment, recreation, travel to a vacation spot, samples products, as well as participate in any events held at the expense of the above-mentioned organizations and their representatives.

3.10.

Conclude agreements of any kind with organizations engaged in the production and (or) sale of products similar or identical to the Company’s products, with organizations engaged in the wholesale trade of products similar or identical to the Company’s products, without prior approval from the Company.

4. RESPONSIBILITY

The sales representative is responsible for:

4.1.

For improper performance or failure to fulfill one’s job duties as provided for in this job description or an employment contract, within the limits determined by current labor legislation.

4.2.

For offenses committed in the course of their activities - within the limits determined by the current administrative, criminal and civil legislation.

4.3.

For causing material damage - within the limits determined by current labor and civil legislation.

4.4.

For improper and untimely fulfillment of duties provided for in these instructions.

4.5.

For causing damage to the business reputation of the Company.

4.6.

For untimely submission of reports, low work efficiency.

4.7.

For non-compliance with regulatory legal documents regulating the employee’s field of activity, local regulations.

4.8.

For disclosure of information constituting a commercial or other secret protected by law.

4.9.

For providing the Company with false information and information.

5. WORKING CONDITIONS

5.1.

The work schedule of the Sales Representative is determined by the terms of the employment contract and the Company’s Internal Labor Regulations to the extent that does not contradict the terms of the employment contract and taking into account the specifics of regulating the labor of remote workers.

5.2.

Due to production needs, the sales representative may travel on business trips.

6. PROCEDURE FOR REVISING THE JOB DESCRIPTION

6.1.

The job description is reviewed, amended and supplemented as necessary, but at least once every five years.

6.2.

All employees of the Company who are subject to this instruction are familiarized with the order to make changes (additions) to the job description against signature.

AGREED:

________________________ _______________ /________________/

position signature Last name I.O.

Appendix No. 1 to the Job Description <…>

Appendix No. 2 to the Job Description <…>

Appendix No. 3 to the Job Description <…>

Appendix No. 4 to the Job Description <…>