SALESPEOPLE

        Salespeople typically hate to write. That fact is generally quite evident in their resumes, most of which are poorly written, poorly designed, and reveal very little of substance. Taking just four to five hours of your time to write a quality resume could net you an extra $100,000 in your lifetime earnings.

        The sales resume is usually one of the easiest to write because it is so results oriented. Sales resumes rarely require extensive details about duties because sales managers already know what you do. What they care about is the bottom line. Don’t tell a sales manager how hard you worked or how many phone calls you made or how many sales calls you went on. Did you sell? That’s all that counts.

        There are a number of ways to show results:

1) sales awards,

2) your ranking within your sales organization,

3) improving the position of your territory compared to other territories in the company,

4) increasing sales,

5) increasing profits on sales,

6) increasing market share.

        Use whatever is most appropriate. If you know your market share or can estimate it pretty closely, use that figure. Market share is effective because it provides an excellent means of comparison. During an economic boom with high inflation, the gross sales of even a mediocre sales­person will increase 5–8% annually. To increase market share, however, means you have taken business away from competitors and increased your share of the pie. It means you’re doing something right. Employers won’t know if you’ve done it on the basis of your great personality, your outstanding closing techniques, your strong product knowledge, your hard work, or your excellent time manage­ment, but it won’t matter. Sales managers care only about results.

        Showing increases in market share is great, but most companies simply don’t do the research to know what those figures are, territory by territory. Use whatever figures will work best for you. During the last recession even many outstanding salespeople were not able to say that they increased sales. In some industries just holding steady was the mark of a great salesperson.

        To show yourself in the best light you might use a combination. Let’s say from 1983 through 1986 you sold office machines. Those were recession years in some parts of the country. You took over an established territory and only increased gross sales 14% in three years, slightly less than inflation. You obviously won’t brag about your sales increases. Out of a sales staff of 18, you were second in sales, since no one else sold well either. That would be the result you would use. In 1987 and 1988 you sold photocopiers. You were in the right place at the right time and sales really took off and increased 20% each year for an actual increase of 44% over two years. Assuming you didn’t know what market share was, nor how you did compared to the rest of the sales staff, you would certainly want to use the sales increases.

        From 1989 through 1991 you decided to sell cars. You did well and each year won an award from the manufacturer. You were also Salesperson of the Month eight times during your 34 months with the dealership. You were competing with 12 other salespeople. For that job you would mention the awards and the number of times you were Salesperson of the Month. In 1991 you went to work for a tractor manufacturer which paid a research firm to determine the market share in each territory. In five years the market share in your territory increased from 15% to 20%, a 33% increase in market share. In 1997 you joined a heavy equipment distributor and moved the territory from seventh to second. The resume might look something like this:

 

B & N Machinery, Tempe, Arizona 1/97 to Present

        Marketing Representative ‑ Developed and implemented marketing strategies to increase heavy equipment sales to the construction industry in Arizona. Took the territory from 7th (out of 8) in the company to 2nd during the first 36 months.

John Deere, Phoenix, Arizona 10/91 to 12/96

        District Representative ‑ Assisted 26 dealers in Arizona and New Mexico in marketing John Deere products. Set up five new dealers and developed their sales, parts and service departments. Moved seven dealers from near bankruptcy to very strong financial positions. Increased market share 33%.

Gerald Lincoln Mercury, Phoenix, Arizona 1/89 to 10/91

        Salesman ‑ Each year won the Professional Sales Counselor award for sales excellence. Out of a sales force of 12, was salesperson of the month 8 times in 34 months.

Canon Corporation, Trenton, New Jersey 1/87 to 1/89

        Sales Representative ‑ Sold a full line of photocopiers to end users. In two years increased territorial sales 44%.

Olivetti Corporation, Trenton, New Jersey 1/83 to 12/86

        Sales Representative ‑ Sold typewriters, calculators and dictating equip­ment to office equipment stores throughout metropolitan Trenton. Worked closely with store managers and sales staffs and provided excellent training in selling Olivetti products. Ranked 2nd in sales in 1986 out of a regional sales force of 18.

        If you haven’t been doing so up to this time, begin collecting and saving all the sales data you can. Whenever you start a new position, get data on what the territory was doing prior to your taking over. In the absence of cold, hard figures, rely on your memory and your knowledge of the territory. Estimate and guesstimate when you must, but do come up with some figures which you feel are accurate, and be sure you can explain how they were derived.

 

 

 

Sales Representative                                                                 Avante Guarde

 

PAUL KIRSTEN

525 Bates S.W.

Beaverton, Oregon  97006

(503) 962‑0013

OBJECTIVE:  Sales Representative

EMPLOYMENT

Prescal & Hemsted Wire Rope Company, Beaverton, Oregon  3/89-Present

        Sales Representative (2/94-Present).  Sell wire rope through 18 distributors and through direct sales to OEM accounts, covering Oregon, Washington, and Alaska.

        Key Accomplishments

            •  Between 1994 and 1999, built sales from $652,000 to $1,404,000.

            •  Have trained all inside sales staff in effective sales techniques.

        Inside Sales Manager/Office Manager (3/89-2/94).  Handled all inside sales, purchasing, inventory control, and traffic.  Supervised the warehouse and shipping/receiving operations.

        Key Accomplishments

        •  Reorganized the office and warehousing procedures which increased on‑time deliveries and customer satisfaction.

        •  Coordinated a switch from a manual to a computerized inventory control and billing system. Increased productivity 32% and decreased errors 21%.

        •  Regional sales manager attributed most of the 43% sales increase between  1989 and 1993 to the new level of professionalism at the
order desk.

Peterson Manufacturing Company, Coos Bay, Oregon  2/83-3/89

        Sales Representative (3/87-3/89).  Sold replacement parts for the barkers and chippers manufactured by Peterson, covering Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana.

        Key Accomplishment

        •  Increased sales of replacement parts 16%.

        Inside Sales (2/85-3/87).  Called on customers of Peterson products and sold replacement parts. Worked closely with purchasers of new machines to ensure an adequate inventory of the parts most likely to need replacing.

        Key Accomplishment

        •  Increased sales of replacement parts to existing customers by 18%.

        Expediter (2/83-2/85).  Responsible for expediting, scheduling, and inventory control in the manufacturing of custom‑made wood barkers and chippers.

        Key Accomplishment

        •  Significantly increased total production and on‑time deliveries.

EDUCATION

        B.S. ‑ History, University of Oregon (1983)

 

 

Sales Manager                                                                                      Bookman

 

GAIL SHUMWAY

2928 Sunset Blvd.

Phoenix, AZ 85004

(602) 755‑2428

 

QUALIFICATIONS

     As Division Manager and Area Marketing Manager, increased market share each year by effectively identifying new markets, recruiting and developing successful sales teams, and obtaining quantifiable results through Total Quality programs.

EDUCATION

     MBA - Marketing, University of Colorado (1982)

     BS - Electrical Engineering, University of Colorado (1978)

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Dyatech Inc. 11/90 to Present

     DIVISION MANAGER ‑ Phoenix Division, 7/95 to Present. Responsible for the total operation and profits for this distributor of electronic com­pon­ents and systems, with sales to industrial users, original equipment manufacturers, and federal and state agencies. Supervise 45 employees. Introduced an effective Total Quality program into an organization with low morale and loose controls. As a result, market share has increased from 10% to 14%, while customer retention has been increased 65%.

     AREA MARKETING MANAGER ‑ Denver Division, 11/90 to 7/95. Managed the 22‑employee Colorado Area in the four-state Denver Division. Created and implemented a new concept in technical marketing which doubled sales and increased market share from 12% to 22%.

Insofen Corporation 5/85 to 11/90

     FIELD ENGINEER ‑ Denver, CO. Covering Colorado and Utah, sold high technology semiconductor products to major manufacturers of electronic equipment. Worked closely with engineers to get proprietary devices designed into new products. Increased sales from $60,000 to $210,000 per month.

Xytex Corporation 7/78 to 5/85

     ENGINEER ‑ Boulder, CO. Designed power systems and interfaces for data processing peripheral equipment.

 

 

 

 

Sales Manager                                                                                      Helvetica

Warren Driscol

927 Honeycut Drive

Atlanta, Georgia  30032

(404) 527‑6819

OBJECTIVE:  Sales/Marketing Management

QUALIFICATIONS

      Strong Sales and Marketing background. Significantly increased territorial market share in each position held, with increases ranging from 45-330%.

EDUCATION

      B.S. ‑ Forest Engineering, University of Georgia (1977)

EMPLOYMENT

Ubasco Machinery Company, Atlanta, Georgia  8/94 to Present

      Forest Products Sales Manager ‑ As Ubasco’s first Forest Products Sales Manager, responsible for selling to key accounts and for training the sales staff in methods of increasing sales of earth moving equipment to forestry related companies. Perform extensive market research to target sales and identify sales potential. Gross profit has been increased from 14% to 18% and unit sales have increased an average of 16% per year.

John Deere Tractor Company  7/77 to 8/94

      Forest Products Sales Representative, Atlanta, Georgia 8/89 to 8/94. Developed and implemented marketing strategies to increase sales to the forest industry through 24 Southeastern John Deere dealers. Worked closely with the dealers and trained their sales people to sell earth moving equipment to the forest industry. Created a special training program which covered sales techniques and forestry applications of John Deere equipment. Unit sales were increased 148% and market share was increased from 6% to 26% between 1989 and 1993.

      District Representative, Bangkok, Thailand 11/86 to 8/89.  Responsible for increasing sales and service levels among all dealers in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea and the Philippines.  Identified new market areas, developed marketing strategies for dealers, and trained sales forces in effective sales techniques.  Increased John Deere’s market share from 14% to 21%.

      Product/Market Rep, Hong Kong 2/80 to 11/86.  Conducted market studies and consulted with dealers on applications and modifications of John Deere equipment. Developed an extensive market study on the uses of wheel loaders in Asia and concluded a huge untapped market existed for wheel loaders to replace track‑driven loaders. Made sales calls with dealers throughout Asia as they visited customers. Businesses immediately switched to wheel loaders. Sales of wheel loaders increased an average of 76% each year between 1982 and 1988 and captured over 60% of that market.

      Market Rep, Spokane, Washington 7/77 to 2/80.  Acted as machinery appli­cation consultant to dealers.  Studied mill and mining operations and made recommendations for the most appropriate John Deere equipment.

 

 

Sales and Marketing Management                                                          Times

 

PRISCILLA BEACHMAN

2820  232nd Place SE

Renton, WA  98055

(425) 765‑2321

OBJECTIVE:  Marketing and Sales

QUALIFICATIONS

      Effectively market products and services and substantially increase sales. Create strong working relations with wholesalers and retailers. Excellent reputation and high credibility with buyers from all grocery and drug chains in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

      Quickly promoted by Modern Circulation because of high sales and increased circulation. Opened up magazine sales in chains that had never before sold magazines. Cultivated ex­cellent relations with those buyers and demonstrated how a carefully monitored magazine sales program could increase profits.

      Developed new marketing techniques and tools which are now used throughout the industry.

EDUCATION

      Riverside Community College, Business, 72 credits (1984-1986)

EMPLOYMENT

Modern Circulation  6/88 to Present

      Marketing and Promotion Manager, Renton, WA  9/94 to Present. For the largest circulation company in the U.S., responsible for increasing the circulation of 750 magazines within Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Supervise seven District Managers with a total volume of $40 million. Work closely with buyers from chain stores to obtain rack space for publications and to help increase the chain’s profits through magazine sales. Handle publicity and special promotions for various magazines and promote magazines through national and regional trade shows.

      Developed a marketing strategy for Rite Aid Drugs and introduced a magazine sales checkout program into 148 stores on the West Coast. Rated second in productivity a­mong fifteen Marketing Managers nationwide in 1998 and 1999.

      District Sales Manager, Portland, OR  3/92 to 9/94.  Worked directly with five magazine wholesalers and dozens of retail accounts to increase circulation of publications. Solved serious problems with one major wholesaler and enabled it to move from 14th largest on the West Coast to 6th. Increased the Modern Circulation line 30% on $6 million of annual sales.

      Sales Representative, Seattle, WA  6/88 to 3/92. Significantly in­creased magazine sales to independent retailers and was quickly promoted to District Sales Manager to work with larger accounts.

Colgate Palmolive, Seattle, WA  10/86 to 6/88

      Merchandiser.  Called on drug and grocery accounts, taking orders, creating displays, and stocking as needed. Opened up Skaggs for the first time to the full line of Colgate Palmolive products.