Background information on "Sales in the field"

Successful sales in the field

To this day, the sales field suffers from a clichéd image. It is not uncommon for the field to be associated with the word "door-to-door selling". However, this association seems quite inappropriate as soon as one becomes familiar with the advantages of field sales.

Particularly attractive is the freedom to organize one's time. Telephone appointments, for example, can be held in the morning in the home office and seminars in the afternoon. This is followed by personal customer contact. Working with new people every day is a great challenge, but at the same time offers a lot of input and a range of new experiences and impressions.

Open-minded and communicative personalities in particular will find a job here that is more likely to fulfill them in many cases than a job where there is no personal contact with customers or only contact by phone.

Another advantage of field service is the wide range of applications and good opportunities for career changers. Field service can mean much more than selling vacuum cleaners and insurance. A civil engineer can also find a new perspective as a sales representative in the field, as can a trained nurse who specializes in the sale of medical products in hospitals or pharmacies. The field sales force thus also offers prospects to career changers who want to reorient themselves professionally.

In addition to the flexibility and mobility in the field service, the discussions with customers, insights into companies or offices are a special feature. The sales representative knows the products and knows why they are important for the customers. On the other hand, he or she knows the individual circumstances of the customers and can pass this on to the own company. A sales representative is not only a product salesman, but also an industry specialist and a judge of character.

Having intuition and valuing reciprocity are important human skills that a field sales person should also possess. A good memory helps in establishing a level of contact, in continuing conversations and regarding past business relationships. If you then also have a feel for people, you can recognize how the person you are talking to is doing, what is important at the moment and how the joint conversation will be remembered positively. This is why it makes sense for both sides to give and take in the conversation; if the sales representative becomes a welcome discussion partner, a lasting and sustainable business relationship is created.

A business deal is important for the individual income of the sales representative on the one hand, but also for the company. Therefore, not only the communication to the outside is important, but also the communication from the field to the office. The better and more extensive the exchange between office and field staff is, the less information about customers and their requirements is lost. If the field service employee is listened to within the company, it is possible to design the number of agreed appointments, the selection of customers with regard to their accessibility and the duration of the appointments in such a way that the office and field service work well together.

The Management-Institut Dr. A. Kitzmann conducts the seminar "Sales in Field Service" for people who want to develop their sales know-how.

Author: Management-Institut Dr. A. Kitzmann