You are looking for commercial talent for your sales team, but what are your needs and what would you need to recruit to strengthen your team?
Different companies have different definitions for sales roles but here is a list of the various sales jobs and their titles and what skills are required for performing well on the job.
Typical job titles are:
Account Executive, the closer, a person that has created detailed business plans to reach goals and set targets. They manage the entire sales cycle from prospect to signing the deal.
Account Manager, An account manager is usually responsible for managing the company’s relationship with existing clients. They could be responsible for identifying upselling and cross-selling opportunities and ensuring customer satisfaction. Also, managing contracts and renewals.
Sales Development Representative is also executing the set sales strategy for developing (new) business. A sales representative is responsible for selling products or services to potential customers. They are usually appointed to a specific geographic area or industry and responsible for developing relationships with customers to generate sales.
Sales Engineer, this person is responsible for selling technical products or services to clients. They can provide technical expertise and help the clients to understand the benefits of the product or service the sales engineer is selling. They might also provide training and supports to clients.
Sales Specialist or Sales Executive, typical for a Sales Specialist is that they drive the implemented sales strategy to generate new business, identifying new pipelines and new leads. They are usually seen as ‘the expert’.
Customer Success Manager, is usually an Inside Salesperson who acts like a strategic and supportive partner for the clients at every stage in a buying process. They are building a long-term relationship with the client and helping with upsells and renewals (the Farmer).
Inside Sales Representative, this person is responsible for the selling of products or services usually over the phone or through e-mail. The typical Inside Sales Representative work in a call centre and may be responsible for customer acquisition, sales and lead generation.
Sales /Operations Manager, this person might be responsible for managing of the day-to-day operations in a sales department. They may be responsible for the forecasting, budgeting, sales reporting and the optimization of the processes.
Sales Manager, is usually a managerial position (The Leader), however, this title is often used for ‘managing your own sales’, so do not get misled by the title.
But in a managerial position, the Sales Manager set the strategy, targets and coaches and leads the sales team in order to reach the defined revenue. They are responsible to lead the sales team so they can meet and or exceed sales targets. The Sales Manager hires and trains the staff, sets the goals for sales and the objectives as well as sets the strategy to achieve the set business goals.
Business Development (Manager), The business development manager works closely with the sales, marketing and product development teams in order to realize and drive revenue growth. A business development manager is mostly responsible for identifying new business opportunities and for building relationships with potential clients and negotiating contracts.
Account Manager vs Key Account Manager
Typically, Key Account Managers (KAM) are responsible for the company's most important customers, while Account Managers (AM) are responsible for the remaining customers. Both account managers and key account managers are part of the sales team and often work in close collaboration with support and customer service.
There is much more information to gather on the various roles, these are just a few examples of many different job titles and responsibilities within the sales field. It may vary from company to company, depending on the level of experience, the size of a team and the industry you are operating.
What does a sales role pay?
In Sweden, salaries are typically higher than in many other countries. This is because of factors such as the high cost of living, strong labour laws and strong social welfare programs and high taxes.
Another thing to consider is also that roles that require specialized skills or expertise do often have higher salaries than more general sales positions.
So, the pay for sales roles in Sweden varies depending on various factors, including the industry, where the job is situated (location), required expertise and what type of sales.
According to statistics from the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees, the average monthly salary for a sales representative role in Sweden is SEK 35,000. The figure can round up to SEK 62,000, also depending on if the company pay a base and varying salary.
Also, sales jobs typically have a combination of a fixed and vary salary. A sales job can be compensated in various ways.
Fixed salary: This is a set amount that a salesperson earns for their work, regardless of what and how much they sell. This is usually used for a role that involves a high degree of customer service, or account management or for activities where not the sales activities can be influenced or increased directly.
Variable compensation: This is typically a part that is tied to the performance of the salesperson and the results they achieve. This could be commission-based sales, bonuses or other incentives when targets are being reached. This component is mostly used for roles that involve direct selling, prospecting and lead generation. When one can influence the sales so to say.
