Sales
Sales careers provide a huge variety of options at all levels, from entry level roles such as working in a call centre to very senior roles managing large teams of staff. Typical job titles might include Sales Executive, Sales Consultant, Sales Representative, Business Development Executive, Account Executive, Client Acquisition Executive, Sales Manager, Business Development Manager, Territory Manger, Sales Director, Business Development Director and many more. Jobs in Sales are available at all levels, from entry level roles such as working as part of a team in a call centre to very senior roles as Business Development Director responsible for managing large teams of Business Development staff.
Sales and Business Development Executives are employed by many businesses across the public and private sectors to increase the demand for, and sales of the company’s products or services. Within the Life Sciences sector business development executives which typically be selling medical, pharmaceutical, biotech and research supplies and services.
The role of a Sales Executive will usually be fast paced, target driven, pressurised and varied. Typical responsibilities for a Sales Executive might include identifying potential new clients and business opportunities, building relationships with clients and ensuring that their needs are understood and negotiating with them to ensure that the deal is closed by offering them solutions. Business Development Executives will also usually need to maintain a database of clients and prospects using a CRM such as Salesforce, create and maintain business development plans which will include forecasting annual targets and identifying new opportunities for sales campaigns.
Skills & Qualifications/Experience required for a career in Sales
Most Sales roles in the Life Sciences sector will require a degree in a Life Science or related subject. However, academic qualifications are often less important than personality, attitude and abilities. Typical attributes required include:-
- The ability and desire to sell
- Resilience, tenacity and the ability to cope with rejection
- Persuasive and
- Goal-oriented with a high degree of self-motivation and ambition
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills; the ability to call, interact, influence and persuade potential customers
- Able to multitask, prioritise and manage time efficiently
- Ability to work independently or as an active member of a team
- Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Excel) and CRM/Salesforce experience preferred
Career progression
Sales roles are target driven in most cases and promotion is usually based on results, meaning that rapid progress and early promotion is common for high performers. A typical career path could be from Sales Executive to Sales Team Leader through Sales Manager and on to Sales Director. Salaries, commission and other performance related bonuses mean that Sales/Business Development careers can be very lucrative.