Career Profile:

Job Summary: 

As a sales rep you will travel to companies, businesses and events to promote your brand and their products to other businesses and also direct to customers. You have a key role in educating people about your brands’ products and the focus is to persuade people to buy them. The role is diverse and there are rarely two days the same.

Job Tasks:

This job can involve a lot of travelling to visit shops and businesses to educate and inform staff about your products. You are essentially a part of the marketing department of your company. You may run and organise your company’s presence at events, being the first point of contact on stands. The role includes administration, calling customers and using email regularly, so IT literacy is a must.

Skills Needed for this Job:

You need to be organised, with excellent communication skills and the ability to make positive connections with people.

Administration skills are key to being organised and meeting targets. You will usually be expected to use email, Word, Excel and Powerpoint competently and confidently, as a minimum. Working under pressure is a feature of sales rep roles; the level depends on the company you work for.

A knowledge of the company and its products will be important to be able to sell the products to other experts in the industry. Having a passion for the products can help you to sell more and be more effective in the role.

Whilst usually office based, most sales reps spend a lot of time on the road and for this you need to be adaptable and able to think on your feet. You will need a full clean driving license.

Working Hours:

Hours of work are often 9am-5pm Monday to Friday, but you will be expected to be flexible as the role will certainly involve some evenings and weekends, depending on the role and location of the business.

Income:

Salaries can range from £15,000 to £30,000 within the UK outdoor industry, depending on experience & length of time with the company. A company car will often be provided.

Training & Qualifications:

There are no standard qualifications required for this role. Entry into these types of roles may depend on contacts and product knowledge.

Training will often be given on the job, but prior experience in work that involves product knowledge (Sales Assistant, for example), will be an asset.

Mentors/ Industry information: DMM: https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/news.php?id=8364
Marmot: https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/news.php?id=4618

Other Relevant Information: There are many brands who will require sales representatives to deliver training, sales support and looking at engaging new markets. See the outdoor industries association website to see a few. Some of the larger companies will require several representatives: http://www.outdoorindustriesassociation.co.uk/