Field sales executive

As a field sales executive, you’ll sell goods or services to customers. This will involve you travelling around a particular area, visiting existing or potential new customers to make sales presentations, negotiate new sales and discuss aftersales service.

Also known as:

• Sales representative

Work activities

As a field sales executive, you will sell a wide range of goods and services. You could sell anything from industrial cleaning materials to chocolate bars, replacement kitchens or the latest tablet or mobile phone. Your customers could be members of the public, businesses, public sector organisations or shops. Usually, you would specialise in selling one type of product or service, and you must learn all about it, so you can answer your customers’ questions. Some field sales executives call on potential new customers with catalogues and samples. You must impress them in order to make a sale. You might follow up a customer’s enquiry made by phone or email. It is crucial that you build up and maintain good relationships with all your existing customers.

As a field sales executive you will come into daily contact with a wide range of people, and you usually have the freedom to organise your own work. However, you must meet weekly or monthly sales targets that are agreed with your sales manager. The work can often involve you travelling long distances to visit customers, with short stays away from home.

Personal qualities and skills

As a field sales executive, you will need to have the following attributes:

• Ambitious.
• Committed.
• Confident.
• Determined.
• Enthusiastic.
• Focused.
• Resilient.

You’ll also need to be:

• An effective negotiator.
• Well organised and self-motivated.
• Able to cope with pressure to meet sales targets and earn commission.
• Prepared to plan your own time.
• Able to keep records and deal with paperwork.

You should have:

• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• A clear speaking voice.
• A friendly, persuasive manner.
• The ability to get on with people you haven’t met before.
• The ability to build up detailed product knowledge.

Pay and opportunities 

As a field sales executive, you can expect to earn £20,000 and £52,000 per year. Your salary could be boosted by performance pay and you may even be entitled to a company car. However, some work entirely on a commission basis, only being paid for what you sell.

As a field sales executive you will usually work a basic 38-40-hour week. However, you could frequently work longer hours, perhaps to complete paperwork at home in the evening.

Employers are a wide range of firms in all sectors of industry and business.

Self-employment opportunities occur in some sectors to work independently on a self-employed basis.

Where are vacancies advertised?

Vacancies are advertised in local/national newspapers, on job boards and employers’ websites, and on the Government’s Find a Job service.

Entry routes and training

There are no standard academic entry requirements for field sales executives. For most employers, an extrovert and determined personality is just as important as formal academic qualifications. A level 4 (higher) apprenticeship in the role of sales executive could be a good place to start.

Qualifications are available from the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM) and are aimed at people wanting to get into sales. However, where specialist knowledge is needed, for example, for selling engineering or medical products, entrants usually have a degree or HND in a relevant subject. Experience of sales would give you a big advantage. You could get this experience by working in a shop or in telephone sales.

Sales training for new entrants depends on the training policies of the individual employer and the type of products or services sold. However, technical sales, which involves developing considerable product knowledge, often requires a longer training programme than for other products or services. In most cases, regular in-house training courses are combined with supervised practical experience in the field (on customer visits) with a more experienced colleague. It might be possible to work towards Certificates and Diplomas in Sales.

As you gain experience as a field sales executive, you can progress to team leader, business development manager and sales manager posts.

Qualifications

Entry requirements vary widely according to the product or service you are selling and also your employer. Appropriate personal qualities are often just as important as academic qualifications. However, many employers prefer you to have GCSEs in at least English and maths; some applicants have A-levels or equivalent.

Where specialist knowledge is needed, for example, in engineering or medical sales, entrants usually have a degree or HND in a relevant subject.

If you wish to enter this career through a higher apprenticeship, you will need two A-levels plus GCSEs in maths and English.

Adult opportunities

Age limits: it is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Representatives may have developed relevant skills in sales, or have specific technical or scientific knowledge.

The Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM) offers qualifications by distance learning.

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