What are the job responsibilities of sales executive?

We can broadly classify that a salesperson’s job is do sales. However, even in sales, we have a hierarchy and multiple tasks which need to be completed everyday. There is execution of sales and then there is management of sales. Depending on your sales profile, your job responsibilities can be decided. The job responsibilities of sales executives are completely different then the job responsibilities of sales manager. Let us delve more in detail for both the profiles.

Job responsibilities of sales executive

1) Prospecting

The first and foremost role of sales executive in a company is prospecting. It is the sales executive who has to bring leads to the company through use of multiple procedures like cold calling, generating enquiries, handling enquiries and other such sales tactics so that they continually bring good leads for the company.

2) Database management

Naturally when you are prospecting, a sales executive is expected to maintain a database which lists their daily work, or in better companies, at least builds a CRM which helps the company in better converting leads to prospects and prospects to customers.

3) Building the pipeline

After prospecting and database management, the pipeline comes into the picture which can be built only by the sales executive and which is one of the most important job responsibilities of sales executives. In this, the executive has to break down the pipeline into hot, warm and cold customers. This stands for customers who are very interested, who are somewhat interested and who are not interested respectively.

4) Handling complaints

Primary customer complaints have to be addressed at the sales executive level. This is because the sales executive himself is the face of the brand in front of the customer. Thus, if the customer has any problem, he will approach the sales executive first and then anyone else. Thus, many companies conduct training for sales executives so that they know proper way to handle customer complaints.

5) Self management

This is a very tangible element in sales. By self management, i mean that the sales executive should know the product of the company in and out. He should also know basic tricks such as negotiation tactics, the best ways of prospecting and converting the prospect to a customer. At the same time, grooming himself, improving communications and having discipline are things which the sales executive has to manage himself. These things have a direct impact on the performance and hence the appraisal of the sales executive.

6) Relationship management

Sales does not end when the product is sold. In fact, even after selling the product, the sales executive should be in touch with the end customer. Many companies have a rule that once the product has been sold the first time, they have a separate sales team in place who are for relationship management and who concentrate on cross selling other products or getting the maximum benefits of relationship marketing through selling more quantities of the same product to the same customer as per their requirements. Thus, relationship management is also an important role of sales executives in an organization.

The above are all the job responsibilities of a sales executive. In a battle of two armies, the sales executive is the soldier who destroys the oppositions main force. Being a sales executive is not easy because you face rejection over and over which gets you demotivated. This is where the sales manager steps in who is important for your career as a sales executive. Read on to learn the role of sales manager.

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