The Results-Oriented Sales Workplace

Sales jobs, whether selling, administration or technical service, are involved in a lot of detail. When sales people are so engrossed in the details of their jobs, it's easy for them, for anyone actually, to lose sight of the job's major contribution.

A Results-Oriented Sales Job Description is different from a traditional job description because it focuses an employee on the several job results that answer the question: What results must this sales affairs job accomplish for the organization?

Sales Job Standards added to job expectations tighten management controls by clarifying how well and when results must be accomplished.

Sales Job Objectives establish management and employee plans by highlighting important current and future results needed.

Job-specific Sales Employee Management Forms maintain consistent and salesly sound management actions by basing manager-employee interactions on job results.

The Purpose of Sales Jobs

Stated in a results-oriented, three-line style, sales affairs jobs--

GENERATE SALES REVENUE by

analyzing market surveys and sales statistics; estimating volume and profit potential; preparing sales forecasts; researching, testing, and introducing new products; establishing sales policy, objectives, pricing, and discounts; developing and establishing promotional strategies.

Types of Sales Jobs

Most sales jobs involve talking to potential customers to convince them to purchase a product or service. Other jobs are behind the scenes tracking and studying sales results, making sales forecasts and setting quotas. Still other jobs serve customers after they have made a purchase. Somebody needs to write sales promotion materials. And, of course, somebody has to manage and supervise the sales people and processes.

Sales Job Management Tools

Here are actual job examples of how sales affairs job actions can be focused on results and kept on track using each of our job management tools:

Results-Oriented Sales Job Descriptions form the foundation of all job management tools. Our uniquely structured job descriptions focus on the result to be accomplished first and prominently, followed by the duties performed in order to accomplish the result. For example,

RECOMMENDS SALES ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Sales Job Standards sharpen employee attention and management control by defining and communicating how well the sales affairs results must be accomplished and what benchmarks will be used to measure job results. For example, for the job result above, the job standards might be:

• Sales situations are correctly understood.
• All options are identified and evaluated.
• Sales recommendations are ready when needed.

Sales Job Objectives point the direction for employee actions by focusing job efforts on current and future sales affairs issues. Job objectives are written in the three-line, results-oriented structure. For example, for the job result above, a job objective might be:

SPEED-UP DECISION MAKING by

reducing time to deliver sales affairs recommendations by 10% by (date).

Sales Employee Management Forms tied specifically to each sales affairs job description are more helpful (and sales) than generic forms used for all different kinds of jobs. Job-specific forms are used to state job qualifications, guide job interview questions, orient new employees, plan job training, and appraise job performance.

Sales Job Qualifications are stated in the same terms used in the job description. They are not translated into generic (typically behavioral) terms. For example:

RECOMMENDS SALES ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Sales Job Interview guide questions are inserted directly below each job result in the job description: For example:

• "What specific job responsibilities have you had in this area?"
• "Where did you have these job responsibilities?"
• "When did you have these job responsibilities?"
• "How did you go about accomplishing these responsibilities?"
• "What accomplishment in this area gave you the most pride?"
• "In this area, what were some of your biggest challenges?"
• "How did you overcome the challenges?"

The Sales Job Orientation guide reformats the job description sequence so that job explanations, policies, protocols, processes, and procedures are logical and complete and can easily be checked off. For example:

RECOMMENDS SALES ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

The manager might say: "Here's the procedure and format we use to analyze and present sales affairs recommendations."

The Sales Job Training plan guides a thorough examination of actual job knowledge, skills, and abilities as described in the job description that need improvement or that might be enhanced. For example:

RECOMMENDS SALES ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

The manager might say: "Analytical skills would be improved by enrolling in a statistical analysis class."

The Sales Job Performance Appraisal guide is a job-specific form. It is not a universal form used for all jobs. The guide adds an appraisal scale below each job result in the job description so that attention can be drawn to each job requirement and expectation. For example:

RECOMMENDS SALES ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

__ Great! Just want we wanted.
__ We have a problem.
__ Improvement is needed.
__ Much, much more than we asked for.

Comments: _________________

Sales Résumé Template

Potential employers want to know what a job applicant has accomplished in his/her sales affairs work career. They don't want to be bored with minor details. Our Résumé Template provides:

• an outline to help assemble personal background information.
• a Results-Oriented Job Description to provide the sales affairs job language-focused on results-needed to write an effective résumé.
• Sales Job Objectives to orient thinking in terms of accomplishments.
• instructions on how to use a Results-Oriented Sales Job Description and Sales Job Objectives to express job accomplishments.

Use the sales affairs job description responsibility statement as a base:

RECOMMENDS SALES ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Select the sales affairs job objective that fits your experience:

REDUCE COSTS 10% by

improving sales affairs processes.

Combine the two into a résumé statement:

Reduced costs 10% by analyzing, identifying, and recommending new sales affairs system controls.

Sales Career Links

Northern Illinois University, Marketing Careers

Information on jobs in sales.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sales and Related Careers

Training and education needed for sales jobs, earnings, expected job prospects, what sales workers do on the job, and working conditions.

CareerOverview.com, Sales Management Careers

Non-commercial website dedicated to providing aspiring career professionals and students with relevant, reliable and up-to-date career and job information whereby helping them to make better, more informed career choices.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sales Management Careers

Training and education needed for sales management jobs, earnings, expected job prospects, what sales managers do on the job, and working conditions.

University of Southern California - Marshall, Sales and Sales Management

Description, career opportunities, entry-level positions, positions for graduate degree holders, requisite personal qualities, academic preparation.