  
Resume Strategies for
Sales Professionals
You're a natural at
selling products or services for your employer, so why is it so hard
to sell yourself on your resume? Don't worry, because you can turn
your drab resume into a powerful sales tool.
Start with a High-Impact
Sales Pitch 
Sales resumes need to
be results-oriented, emphasizing how you contributed to your
employer's bottom line. Start by creating a profile or career summary
that highlights your sales capabilities and value to potential
employers. Include the main reasons why an employer should call you
for an interview, and clearly show your areas of expertise and
industry knowledge. For example, if you are pursuing a pharmaceutical
sales representative position, those keywords and your supporting
knowledge should be in the profile. This section is perfect for
exhibiting the drive, energy and enthusiasm that is so important in
the sales profession.
Use Action-Packed Achievements
It is very important that your professional
experience section shows a track record of sales achievements. Under
each employer and position, develop a brief paragraph that highlights
your responsibilities (such as territory, budget, supervisory
responsibilities, etc.). Then provide a bulleted list of your top
achievements, making sure they are quantifiable and meaningful to
someone outside your company. To create powerful accomplishments, go
beyond stating your work's results -- describe how you achieved such
excellent results. Take a look at these examples of powerful
achievement statements:
- Built sales organization from ground zero,
conceptualizing and realizing strategic plan that generated $1
million in software and consulting revenue within one year.
Sustained strong revenue gains, despite a fiercely competitive and
declining market.
- Cultivated relationships with customer base in
the semiconductor industry and uncovered new customer needs.
- Achieved a 100-percent reference customer base of
nine semiconductor fabrication clients that had previously been
dissatisfied with company's customer service. Identified problems
and worked closely with operations managers to regain confidence and
develop win-win solutions.
These Questions Will Get You Thinking
About Your Achievements:
- How did the company benefit from your sales
expertise?
- How did you perform in comparison with your
peers?
- What were your specific sales figures (provide a
dollar amount if the information is not confidential or a percentage
increase)?
- How well have you met your quotas or other sales
expectations?
- Have you won any sales awards?
- Were you rewarded with a new territory because of
your performance?
- Did you land any difficult accounts? Did you
salvage any accounts that had previously been languishing?
- Were you involved in product development or a new
product launch?
- Did you surmount serious obstacles, such as
selling in poor market conditions, overcoming objections or breaking
into a new market?
- Did you establish a sales training program or
teach other sales pros to improve their performances?
- Did your dedication to customer service,
impeccable follow- through and support lead to repeat business or a
high number of referrals?
- Have you led contract negotiations resulting in a
positive business deal?
- Have you negotiated with vendors or suppliers to
secure favorable pricing?
- Have you written for any industry publications or
spoken at events or conferences?
- Did you serve on any committees or boards, or
participate in special projects?
The Confidentiality Factor
Keep in mind that many companies consider their
sales strategies and performances confidential information. The threat
of competitors finding out about company success strategies is very
real, so be sure not to include any information that would compromise
your current or past employers' confidential information. You
certainly can include information that is available to the general
public (for example, stats found in an annual report or on the company
Web site).
Keywords/Buzzwords
sales representative, sales professional, district
sales manager, regional sales manager, VP of sales, account executive,
account manager, sales executive, sales engineer, director of sales,
sales support manager, territory sales representative, territory
manager, channel sales manager, manufacturer representative, technical
sales, medical sales representative, pharmaceutical sales, e-business
sales manager, investment representative, IT sales
solution selling, relationship building,
relationship selling, relationship sales, customer service, customer
relations, client relations, territory expansion, consultative sales,
product marketing, negotiating and closing, channel sales, B2B/B2C,
lead generation, OEMs, VARs, communication skills, new business
development, sales presentations, PowerPoint, meeting and exceeding
sales quotas, outside sales, inside sales, sales expansion
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