How to become a successful sales agent?

A sales agent works as an intermediary between manufacturing and distribution companies. A salesperson visits commercial companies proposing the purchase of products on behalf of various wholesaler companies. A sales representative deals with real sales contracts and should be a recognized expert in professional sales systems, capable of providing comprehensive assistance to the consumers.

Skills to become a sales agent:

1. Up-to-date information and knowledge of the products he or she sells or is going to sell.

2. Knowledge of commercial contracts.

3. Relational skills.

4. Professional goal and ambition.

5. Meeting his/her target in the specific turn around time.

6. Motivating and encouraging juniors to sell the product at a reasonable price keeping in mind competition in the market for that specific product.

Qualifications for becoming a sales agent

• 1. Diploma of secondary education to address commercial needs of the company.
• 2. Completion of compulsory training for becoming a sales agent and a degree course in business.
• 3. Completion of compulsory training and courses organized by different companies.
• 4. Completion of compulsory training and work experience of at least 2 years as an employee qualified salesperson.
• 5. The sales agents must register with the Chamber of Commerce of their country to become professional commercial agents.
• 6. Successful completion of a diploma from a recognized commercial institute.
• 7. Should be graduated from a faculty of economics and commerce.

Courses to become a sales agent

Courses for becoming a sales agent are organized regularly by special schools of economics and commerce and have a minimum of 80 hours worth of materials for business operations, such as commercial law and taxation, and social security rules, standards, and contractual sales techniques. Aspiring sales agents who have no qualifications or work experience must complete a course with a reputed business management school in their area.

A sales agent implements orders, collects debts, and also takes care of delivering the goods. A sales agent should be well versed in his area of expertise and should be in regular contact with the producer or wholesalers for the study of developing trends in the market. Information system between the producer and sales agent should be transparent. Most sales agents work as freelance sales agents or self-employed professionals who have the ability to self manage their time working in the area or region designated to them. They should know the need of consumers and this thing is only possible with good market research before selling a product for commission.

Sales agents should have great ability to organize and motivate their team members by constantly mentoring them and monitoring their work.

In much more simple words, a sales agent is an intermediary between wholesalers and distributors or he/she is a person who receives a mandate from a company that is developing the sales of products that make up his portfolio. The company represented by the sales agent compensates the agent with "commission" for selling its products and the sales agent earns his commission when the order sought by the client is processed by the company.

Some multinational companies provide lucrative benefits for sales agents other than commission in form of cash. For outstanding sales agents, companies have different schemes of compensations.

Some companies also provide gifts for example travel companies offer their sales agents free travel when they accomplish the required target of selling products, so after a lot of study and research in business management, it has been agreed upon by various market researchers that the professional agent market over the world is growing and will be growing in the future and there is a lot of scope in becoming a professional in sales and marketing.

When selling, it is important to know what you are selling. It is not enough that you are a good sales agent. It is like in telemarketing, just because you talk well does not mean you are the best telemarketer. Understanding what your client product/services is the most essential so that no matter what questions they will throw you can answer it effortlessly.

To be a sales agent it is also important to have great timing. To know when to ask the right questions and how to throw the sales pitch.