Welcome to Graduate Sales
Graduate sales jobs is a resource for graduates looking to start their career in sales. The site also has links to expert graduate sales recruitment services and news that is useful for any undergraduate or postgraduate looking to embark on a selling career.
In a comprehensive 2007 survey on sales in the UK it was commented that 62% of businesses in the UK are now sales led organisations. This is an increase of over 12% in a decade. And, so they should be for without sales a business doesn’t have an income and without an income it won’t be business for too much longer!
Sales used to have a stigma. The term conjured up door-to-door sales and endless rejection and was deemed only a role for the immensely thick skinned or stupid! However times have changed. In the same survey 68% of respondents commented that their sales skills and abilities were as recognised within their businesses as accounting or legal skills.
As business becomes tougher all organisations will have to become extremely sales led and increasingly advertised positions for CEO’s and Managing Directors detail that applicants must have sales experience. It is therefore becoming a prerequisite for those looking to embark on a career in business, and particularly senior management, to have proven sales experience.
It is true that many graduate sales jobs are new business oriented and many will start in a telesales environment. This shouldn’t put you off as organisations have learned that the ‘boiler room’ set up of the 1980’s doesn’t work – the ‘work hard – work hard’ micromanagement approach makes too many people leave causing internal conflict and lack of organisational stability. Telesales or new business generation of any description is a great habit to have for your future sales career. You will soon become adept in being able to speak to decision makers, handle objections and closing deals. You’ll also have a lot of fun along the way as graduate sales roles in telesales tend to be within environments that are fun and success led with loads of opportunities to ‘work hard’ and ‘play hard’!
Typically after a year to eighteen months of training and development in a telesales or call centre environment you will be tasked with effectively managing accounts or winning high valued tender led business and the role normally takes on more face-to-face client contact.
Five Great Reasons for Graduates To Embark On A Sales Career
1) It’s unlikely you’ll be able to rise to the very top without sales experience
2) Sales will expose you to how businesses work and how business isn’t easy
3) You’ll be a far more useful marketer, analyst or business consultant having experienced at least two years in sales. In fact most of the top advertising agency and management consultancy jobs require graduates with at least two years sales experience
4) It’s fun. If led by a great sales manager there will be healthy competition within your sales team and you’ll thrive on the prospect of being one of the top performers. Often businesses have great reward and recognition schemes to help keep you driven and motivated
5) The money’s great. Starting basic salaries may be lower than other graduate jobs but if you’re successful you’ll typically earn upto 50% more than your peer group with bonuses and incentives, commonly referred to as OTE (or ‘On Target Earnings’). Oh, and it’s also worth mentioning that in a 2007 sales survey an incredible 69% of those earning over £100K were graduates with sales experience!
Five years after embarking on a career in sales you will be a highly sought after and valuable resource and will easily be able to command basic salaries in excess of £28K and packages in excess of £40K. Thereafter doors will open into other business departments and senior management as you’re career continues. And, you never know, you may agree that sales is for you and grow into sales management roles or a even a sales directorship!
Aaron Wallis is a specialist sales recruiter operating from three offices across the UK. The head office is in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire covering Birmingham down to London. The Aaron Wallis office in York covers the North of England in particular Yorkshire and the North East. The Cheltenham office covers the South West of England and Wales. All Aaron Wallis locations offer interview rooms and boardroom facilities to facilitate assessment centres. These are available at no charge to employer clients of Aaron Wallis
For those looking for a sales career, Aaron Wallis offers one of the most comprehensive libraries of career advice including MP3’s on how to get into sales, how to sell yourself at a sales interview, writing a winning CV and goal setting. For free access simply register your details with Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment.
For employers looking to hire graduates Aaron Wallis offers a unique Assessment Centre solution which is backed by a twelve month rebate scheme to protect your investment in graduate sales staff. The unique Assessment Centre programme includes exercises tailored to your requirements, psychometric assessment, formal skills testing and sessions overseen by British Psychological Society Level ‘B’ practitioners.
Aaron Wallis also offers a ‘Results Based Recruitment’ service which includes tutoring, training and mentoring of graduate sales professionals through the first year of your business.
For further information about any of our graduate sales recruitment services please complete the employer contact form or call 01908 764280.