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Specialist sales representative, Business representative

Description

These professionals are in charge of promoting the company or business within the sector in which they are located. It is a highly specialized professional profile since the type of products and services that they commercialize often imply a high degree of technical complexity. Under the supervision of the commercial director, they are responsible for the commercial management of the company's product line and client portfolio, providing technical and commercial solutions to market needs. Their tasks include visiting clients in order to determine needs, drafting commercial offers, technical advice on products, conducting promotions and negotiations, managing orders and after-sales technical assistance together with product specialists.

Usually, they operate in a certain area, visiting companies, research centres or universities, delivering catalogues or arranging telephone appointments, and it is common for them to maintain relationships with purchasing managers and scientific personnel.

They will be responsible for the maintenance of the client portfolio and for carrying out market prospecting to attract new accounts in the field of goods and services in their sector of economic activity. In order to achieve these objectives, they often have the support of their own team and the company's commercial network.
They may work with different target audiences: they may sell and commercialize the product or service from company to company, known as the Business to Business (B2B) sales process, or go from company to end customer, known as the Business to customer (B2C) sales process.

These professionals have knowledge of the technical and manufacturing characteristics, but their versatility enables them to work in other areas such as the start-up of new business expansions or their management. For this reason, they must know this market in depth, both the different products they can offer and the needs of their potential customers and how they can help them meet their needs. Usually, they act under the supervision of the commercial management or, in the case of small companies, directly from the general direction or management, to which they report. They act with a wide margin of autonomy for the establishment of commercial relations with their clients, materializing through the signing of a service provision contract. Once the contract is signed, they follow up on customer relationships through the term of the contract, trying to meet and satisfy their needs and making regularly scheduled visits.

Trade specialists are part of the sales team or sales department within their company. They occupy a strategic function since they represent the company to customers within their own market. The activities that they carry out imply a permanent collaboration with different departments, including the technical office, production, financial and legal areas, and logistics services. Professional development leads to roles of sales coordinator, commercial director or large account manager, depending on the company and the experience gained.

Tasks

The tasks generally associated with this professional profile are the following:
  • Maintenance of the client portfolio: monitor current clients in order to detect new needs and try to establish new contacts by visiting companies or attending trade fairs and related events.
  • Provide support to the technical department in the drafting of projects.
  • Responsible for creating commercial support teams and subsequently evaluating and monitoring the technicians.
  • Obtain and prepare detailed technical documentation on the products commercialised.
  • Determine the proper framework for commercial action, in accordance with the company¿s action plan in order to achieve the established sales objectives.
    Sell, guide and advise the client, identifying and analysing their needs.
    Identify and analyse in detail the client's needs and characteristics, as well as the budget margin, by asking appropriate questions.
    Prepare and plan a technical sales argument in order to more easily commercialize the product.
    Organise an operational sales plan: planning visits, routes, sales objectives and conditions offered.
  • Clearly inform, guide and advise the client on the products that can satisfy their needs, highlighting the competitive advantages of the company's offer.
    Prepare commercial offers in collaboration with the different departments of the company.
  • Manage the after-sales service through timely monitoring and resolution of incidents in order to guarantee customer satisfaction within the standards established by the company.
  • Actively participate in improving the positioning of the company by observing the market.
    Communicate to their superiors the evolution of sales made, by preparing a report on visits and the results obtained.
  • Detect, through contacts and visits to customers, possible causes of deviation in sales, unsuitable products and quality problems, transmitting them to their superiors.
    Provide the commercial management with information regarding customers, the competition, prices, new products, their modifications and the promotional and advertising actions of the competition.
    Attend specialized fairs and exhibitions in order to find out new and trends in the field of activity to which they belong.
  • Communicate to technical services proposals and suggestions related to the operation and possible improvements that can be made to the products.
  • Actively intervene in advertising actions with the aim of contributing to the increase in company sales.
    Collaborate giving opinions and providing experience in the definition and design of catalogues, samples and other commercial support elements.
  • Carry out information or demonstration sessions for groups of real and potential clients.
    Send letters, documents or other direct mail material or promotional information to customers.

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Centre per al desenvolupament professional Porta22

Barcelona Treball (Porta22)
Llacuna, 156-162, 08018 Barcelona
bcn.cat/treball

900533175
Monday to Friday from 9 to 18 h

Generalitat de Catalunya
Unió Europea FEDER
Unió Europea FSE