The Skills You Need for a Construction Sales Job

Are you looking for a sales job? Do you want to start a successful and profitable sales career? It’s not just enough to scour the sales vacancies; you need to know that you have the skill set and experience recruiters are looking for. It’s one thing to be a great salesman, but are you a great salesman in the right area? Many industries are becoming increasingly specialised, so you need to know the area in which you’re working.

Take a sales job in the building sector, for example. This isn’t just any old sales vacancy; you need to know what you’re talking about. Construction has proved relatively recession proof, so it’s a promising area for recruitment right now. It accounts for about 8% of the UK’s GDP and employs 1 in 10 people in Britain. Such a large industry means a fair heft of buying power. To keep those buildings going up and those roads being built requires cabling, concrete, glass, flooring, doors, windows, carpets, insulation, plumbing, electrics and more. Anyone with a construction sales job is going to need to know what they’re talking about, because there are potentially huge profits to be made.

To be more specific, if you’re applying for a construction sales vacancy, here are a few of the things you are going to have to show to your recruiter;
• Not only will you need to have experience in the construction industry, they’ll be expecting anyone applying for this sales job to have a sound understanding of the economics and logistics involved.
• What challenges does the average construction firm face? As much it’s about being able to drive a sale, you won’t get anywhere in your chosen sales career if you can’t empathise.
• Some sales vacancies may require you to be familiar with estimation software. Even if it isn’t a requirement, it never hurts to be better informed of the tools of the trade.
• Many vacancies will require you to be educated to at least degree level.
• A sales career requires you to be proactive. You need to have the self-motivation to maintain contacts, build up relationships and pursue the sale.
• It may sound obvious, you need to be a good communicator. Sales is all about speaking with people and trying to win them around. As much as you need to be proactive, you don’t want to fall into the trap of becoming overbearing. No one wants to deal with something who makes them feel uncomfortable.

As we’ve said, the sales industry is very big business – and the rewards match. You’ll typically receive a generous basic with the potential to earn large amounts in commission. Generous benefits packages are also common, with possible benefits including a company car, gym membership and private health insurance. But to get that sales career you need to be driven and you need to be motivated.