As a director at Salesagents.uk I see all the applications from sales agents for sales opportunities advertised by our clients. What I’ve seen has prompted me to write this help guide on how to apply for a sales agent opportunity.
Some of the applications I see are professional, well crafted cover messages, which show how the agent meets the advertiser’s requirements. The best applications include an attached CV or details of experience while working as a sales agent. At the other end of the scale I see applications that have a few lines saying the applicant is hard working, willing to learn, ambitious, or they once had a job that is in the same sector. Applications such as this, and others that don’t address what the advertiser is looking for from an agent, rarely get a response.
This guide will help agents write an application that will be considered and maximise their chances of being selected. I will show you how to apply for a sales agent opportunity and present your skills, experience, and other features to match the advertiser’s requirements.
Content
- How to apply for a sales agent opportunity
- Match the advertiser’s ideal sales agent profile
- Customise your application for each role
- Do your research
- What to include in your application
- Now look for an opportunity that matches your skills and experience
How to apply for a sales agent opportunity
On the Sales Opportunities page you will see a brief summary of all advertised opportunities and a link to view the individual full page advert. The full page advert gives information on the company looking for agents, the products or services they want agents to sell, and the target markets sales agents will be approaching. In the last section of each advert is the criteria the company has for agents applying to work with them.
If you like the opportunity and you meet the requirements presented in that last section of the advert, you simply click the Apply Button at the end of the advert, complete the application form, and attach a CV or overview of your sales experience.
The key to success when applying for a sales agent opportunity is to show how well you match the advertiser’s requirements presented in the last section of the advert.
Match the advertiser’s ideal sales agent profile
Some business principals looking for sales agents have a very well defined list of skills and experience the agent must have and other attributes that are desired for the role. These could include experience in a particular sector or sales channel, product or marketplace knowledge, or a network of connections in a certain industry. The advertiser may want sales agents with experience of selling at a specified level, such as boardroom or shop floor. Computer skills, good communication, and location or ability to cover a sales area may also be wanted.
Others have just a few requirements that they are looking for in an agent, perhaps just one factor that an agent must have such as a successful track record selling to the same target market.
When applying for a sales opportunity, do not take the lists of criteria in the last section of the advert lightly. If you do not meet the necessary requirements you will not get a positive response, in fact it is unlikely you will get any type of response as you will be wasting both the advertiser’s time and yours.
Customise your application for each role
On occasions, I have seen the same application used to apply for several very different sales agent opportunities. I strongly advise that you customise your applications for each opportunity if you want to be successful.
Customise your application by including what you can offer that meets the specific demands of the each advertised agent role.
Pick out the important points in the advert. List the required and desired features of the agent profile section and add other points you can identify in the rest of the advert. Use this list to write your customised application.
By creating a list of what the advertiser requires you will be able to see whether or not you meet the criteria to apply for the opportunity. If you do, you can use the list to create an application that clearly shows how you match what the business principal is looking for in an agent. If your experience does not match the list of requirements, don’t bother applying as there is little chance of success. Move on, there are hundreds more sales agent opportunities to apply to on the website.
Do your research
Don’t just use the information on the sales agent opportunity advert to write your application, that’s what all the other applicants will do, and you are in competition with them. There are plenty of sources online that will give you ideas to make your application stand out.
Research the company, the products, the marketplace and the industry sector. Add to what you already know and if the sector or the product is new to you, learn as much as you can so you can find connections and show the relevance of your experience or current sales activity.
Examine the marketplace, have you sold to similar customers? What connections can you make between your current or past roles and the advertiser’s customers or the sale channels they are using.
The more you research the more information you will have to include in your application that shows how you fit the sales agent opportunity advertised.
What to include in your application
When you apply for a sales agent opportunity through the Salesagents.uk website you can include why you are a good fit for the role. This is your chance to give short pitch that sells what you have to offer the advertiser. And just like a good sales pitch you should include the features and benefits the business wants. Don’t just enter a few statements about you, sell what you can offer.
You can, and should, attach a CV or overview of your work and experience as a sales agent. This can be as long as you wish but make it relevant. Show how your experience and career to date will be a real asset to the business you are applying to work with.
Now look for an opportunity that matches your skills and experience
Now you know how to apply for a sales agent opportunity go to the Sales Opportunities page and find a sales agent role that matches your skills and experience. Use the guide above to craft an application that presents why you are a good fit for the role. Do your research and attach a CV or overview of experience that highlights how you meet the advertiser’s requirements.
A good application takes longer than just writing a few words about you or using the same application for all adverts. But the results make it worthwhile as the actions above will show whether an opportunity is right for you and let you show the advertiser why you are the right agent for them.
Written by Stephen Craine.
