LIFE AS A SALES EXECUTIVE
‘Life As A’ is all about sharing what it's really like and what it takes to do the job. We feature what a typical day and the reality of it is like, the ugly and the pretty.
Here, Tom Smith a Sales Executive at VWV shares their take.
What does your job involve?
My main responsibility is working on our sales pipeline, so I have a lot of day-to-day contact with potential clients.
Most of our leads come from events and webinars, so a key focus for me is contacting the attendees after they enquired and then following up with booking and hosting meetings to introduce our products and see these through to the point of sale.
I also get to input on areas such as product marketing, site improvements and the methods of communication we use day-to-day. For example, we have recently been experimenting with different styles of email and phone calls to see which are most effective and I keep track of the engagement we get to help shape our strategy going forwards.
Alongside this I am responsible for keeping our CRM up to date and keeping track of any competitors we come across and sharing useful feedback to the team.
What is your background?
From the age of 17, I wasn’t enjoying sixth form so I took an apprenticeship and went into the motor trade as a Business Administration Apprentice.
I was mainly doing administration tasks which varied from organising external prep work to photographing stock cars. As I progressed, I quickly became more and more involved in sales until I was a full-time Sales Executive.
Having watched a lot of the other Sales Executives before me, it built up a huge passion to start selling and I managed to build some great relationships with our customers. After a few years I decided to join a new industry for a new challenge!
I joined VWV in August this year and although I was extremely nervous going into a sector I knew nothing about, I have not looked back since and don’t plan to do so.
What is a typical day like in your role?
I work in the office twice a week and commuting to Bristol from Gloucestershire has definitely made me a morning person, so if I am in the office I'm typically leaving the house at 6:30.
Once I'm in the office and a bit more awake I check my emails, review any scheduled pipeline follows ups for the day and then plan a to do list. If I have a call with a client I will normally set aside some time to familiarise myself with the conversations we have had previously and then prepare accordingly.
If I have no calls planned typically I'm working my pipeline of leads for the day and checking in with any prospective clients to see if they have any questions or feedback for us.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Of course, there is no better feeling than getting a proposal back with a signature across the dotted line… but there are other areas I do find massively rewarding.
It’s a very collaborative environment at VWV, so everyone can have a say and the feedback is taken on board by all. I’m lucky to have a passionate and motivated Sales Manager who asks for ideas on what we can do differently in our team while also offering her suggestions which really helps me to look at things from a different perspective.
We are constantly taking a moment to evaluate our approach and I enjoy this strategic element of the role which means we can always put our best foot forward. And working 10 minutes away from Ashton gate has its perks too!
What’s the hardest part?
Rejection in sales is something which - like most - I do sometimes struggle with, especially when it’s after investing a lot of time and effort because your first thought is if it’s a reflection of something you’ve done.
However, it is also an opportunity to evaluate and understand why we haven't been successful. Everyone can feed it back to the team and work out if there is anything that could have been done differently. It is also worth noting rejection is just something which is just inevitable in sales and will always happen no matter how good you are at what you do.
What makes it your career of choice?
For me, it’s the idea of meeting people from all different sectors and walks of life and being able to provide them with something I truly believe is a great product and service.
I also find there is nothing more rewarding than receiving nice feedback or just having a conversation with a client which is such a pleasure you can't believe you are getting paid to do so.
We are a small team and I just love the idea that I am responsible for being involved in trying to grow something and I get to tell people all about it. In my opinion, this just makes the whole process so much better when you get to be involved from point of enquiry to point of sale and then you get to have the pleasure of your clients starting their journey with you and your team.
- Written by Shannon Matthews
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