The nature of a sales job means you should be
able to sell, so your CV should reflect your skill. If you're having
trouble selling yourself, you'll leave employers wondering how on earth
you're going to sell their product!
We've compiled the top 5 keywords to include when you're writing a sales CV to help your CV stand out:
1. Financially Motivated
Someone who is inspired and enthusiastic about working hard to receive a financial reward.
Don't be afraid to use this phrase in fear that
you'll seem shallow or greedy. The sales industry is all about making
money, securing deals and of course; getting that commission! If you're
financially motivated; the employer knows you'll be working hard to
secure great deals for the company and a nice bonus for yourself too.
2. Resilient
Can recover readily from rejection, adversity or hardship.
Selling a product or service to someone who isn't
necessarily interested or doesn't understand your product could lead you
to a lot of 'thanks but no thanks' responses; so you'll need to be
resilient and bounce back from the rejection.
3. Down to Earth
A sensible and practical person who is without pretence or one who is practical in their decision making and philosophy of life.
Having a down to earth attitude and sales
technique will mean you're much more likely to get those sales. It can
be good to have a quick anecdote that you can share with potential
customers about your own experience, this could help people relate to
you; and the product. However; if you don't have your own experience and
you have to make one up; make sure its believable - test it on a few
friends and see if that would encourage them to buy.
4. Excellent Communication Skills
The art and technique of using words effectively to impart information or ideas.
These transferable skills can be related to a role
in any industry, but for jobs involving sales and communicating with
clients; good communications skills are a must. Don't put on your CV
that you have great communication skills if in the interview you're a
waffling muttering mess. When communicating with anyone; be confident
and concise.
5. Consistent
Unchanging in achievement or effect over a period of time.
Prospective employers want to know that you're
going to continually deliver great sales results, smashing targets and
exceeding expectations wherever you can. You can tie this in with your
resilience; it's natural that you might have 'off days' where you won't
perform as well; but it's important to know that you won't give up and
you'll persevere to achieve.
When discussing your previous achievements; use
action words. Rather than stating that you generated a lot of income for
the company; state the exact figure! When stating that you continually
over-achieved sales targets, use words like 'smashed' and 'maximised' to
portray yourself as an active worker.
However; it's not enough to just list numerous
skills and traits that you supposedly have! Only use these keywords if
you actually have this ability. Ask those who know you best to come up
with a few keywords to describe your personality and work ethic.