Job Responsibilities
Currently I am not working for anyone. The last position I held
was with a Sales Rep. Contacting current customers and mostly
obtaining new "permanant" customers. This included making sure
their product we manufactured was "top notch". Also, they don't
want to hold much inventory on their premices because curragated
boxes take a lot of room to inventory if it is not used
quickly. Some customers I would watch their usage and do their
ordering for them, others would do their own ordering. I worked
through our customer service department starting with getting a
cost based on what the actual cost would be for out company to
mfg the product. From that point a percentage was added based
upon what our Sales Manager was looking for. From there a quote
was given to the customer. We would quote several different
quantities and give price breaks to higher quantities. It was a
very demanding job, not only for the Sales Reps but for the
Customer Service department. This area is a very critical area
of the company. They have to take calls and faxes from repeat
customers but make sure dimensions are given to the
manufacturing department are correct, board grade correct. The
print and die person is part of customer service, they worked
with the customer for print insructions. "Sounds easy" Not so.
It is a very high tension job all day long. Very different
every day of the week. Not boring.
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Job Requirements
I started with the company as a receptionist with a high school
education and some college. The company as a whole looks at
hiring for someone that needs to supplement their spouses income.
Sales is the highest paying job there was with the company that
a person could make a living with. Most jobs for Sales Reps
need to have a college degree. I used my experience of 13 years
as creditdentials to apply for a Sales Rep. I interviewed
througout the years for the same position many times. The last
time they decided to give me a chance. My territory was Salt
Lake City, Utah. Basically calling on current customers,
checking with them for their concerns or questions. Then it was
knocking on doors and leaving a card, getting the name of their
purchasing name and calling back. It is a very competitive
business because quality and pricing and availability are the
main concerns and there are many companies that do the same
thing. Service would be the selling point. Being able to get
product to people when they need it. Sometimes that takes
working with the Production Supervisor and changing schedules.
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Uppers
Definitly working with so many good purchasing agents. We would become business
friends and that bond would help sell boxes.
Flexibility, and selling approach was determined by myself. Many times I would
go to my sales manager and ask for help or ideas to close the deal. I really
enjoyed the job.
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Downers
Biggest....not getting product to the customer when they were
told it would be delivered. Incorrect print. Leaves a very
displeased customer. It was my job to smooth things over. That
part I did not like much.
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Lifestyle
Dress for myself, (the only women in our plant as a Sales Rep), was dresses,
suits, pant suits. Nothing intimidating, but respectable. The men were not
asked to wear suits, but shirt and ties. Work hours mostly 8 to 5. Sometimes
invitations for dinner were extended making the day a little longer. That did
not happen much. Mostly lunch dates. My travel consisted of over one hundred
miles a day.
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Compensation
Base salary. The company, not the position offered stock
options, 401K, paid Health Insurance. Bonuses were given once a
year depending on sales nationwide, this was decided by the
Sales Area Manager.
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Advice to Jobseekers
Get a bachelor degree in business or communications. The job
stability will always be there because boxes are a neccessity.
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