Our Study Into The 100 Richest Billionaires

Billionaires’ First Steps:
The Richest People’s First Jobs & Education

·       75 of the World’s richest 100 people have earned a degree. Of these 75, 22 studied a degree in engineering.

·       53 of the World’s top 100 billionaires started working in a non-family owned business. 19% of these billionaires started working in a salesperson role and 17% started working as a stock trader. 

·       17% of the World’s top 100 billionaires started their careers by setting up their own business.

What type of person is more likely to become a billionaire? New research from Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment suggests that people who start their career in a salesperson role are more likely to hit it rich.

A study into the richest 100 people in the World has investigated whether there is any trend between your first career steps and how rich you become. The research suggests that engineering and business graduates are most likely to become billionaires, and if you want to become one of the world’s richest you should start your career in a sales or stock trader role. Furthermore, you are far more likely to make the top 100 list if you are a graduate – 75% of the top 100 have earned a degree.

The research into first career steps looks at the billionaires who started working in an organisation that was not their own, or family owned. These billionaires were then grouped into type of first job, which gave the following job roles as the top 5 results:

Job Role	Count of Job Category (Total = 53)
Salesperson	10
Stock Trader	9
Software Developer	5
Engineer	5
Analyst (Varied)	4

The study also looks at the top degree subject by type, which gave the following degree categories as the top 5 results:

Degree Type	Count of Degree Studied (Total = 75)
Engineering	22
Business	16
Finance & Economics	11
Law	6
Computer Science	4

For the full results of the study, please visit: https://www.aaronwallis.co.uk/what-makes-a-billionaire.aspx

Rob Scott, Managing Director at Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment said: “Today we are seeing that nearly all of the top people in business are graduates and that a degree can be a great first-step into preparing you for your career ahead. It’s also unsurprising how many of the top 100 billionaires started working as salespeople, which can give you the communication and negotiation skills which are vital to succeed.”

About the research

The study was conducted by Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment, researching the top 100 richest people in the world based on Forbes data.
Research on the billionaires came from a range of sources, mixing Wikipedia data with reports from publications and outlets to collate the first career moves and education of the world’s richest people.

Pros and Cons of using Social Media to Recruit

Social Media - there's no denying it governs everything consumers do. It's a valuable means of communication, and brand dissemination, between businesses and their market.

Most potential candidates and applicants for sales jobs will, too, use social media, and as of such it may be increasingly tempting to use social media to recruit sales staff.

LinkedIn seems to provide the best blend of business and social media - allowing individuals to display their experience, but it to has its caveats. To help you conquer the world of social media recruitment we've compiled a quick pros and cons list of social media & LinkedIn.

For a more in-depth guide on how to properly utilize social media check out 'How to Recruit Effectively with Social Media'.

Social Media Pros

Cost

Social Media recruitment is free, it costs nothing to go onto candidate profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (presuming they're public not private) and have a root around. While this doesn't equate to reading through CV's etc. it does allow you gain further insight into a candidate's life without spending any extra pennies. Here's our FAQ on Recruitment Costs.

Insightful

As mentioned just above; using social media when recruiting can let you understand a candidate's personality, and how they behave outside of work. This can indicate if they're a party animal, if they share lots of interesting news - or even if they often say undesirable things for all to see. Do remember, however, that while someone may act one way in their personal life - it may have no impact on their professional capacities, it's about judging character in both realms. Remember, social media isn't enough to give insight into personal qualities - but the right interview questions can be.

Creative

By far the best advantage of social media is that it offers platforms for candidates to really be creative. There have been many stories of applicants using websites as innovative portfolios and CV's - but on social media people can constantly showcase their creativity. Social media permits recruiters to see if applicants are passionate about projects/interests and if they have talents which are harder to communicate in a CV or cover letter.

Social Media Cons

Discrimination Issues

It is illegal to discriminate for reasons of age, race, religion, gender, physicality, health, marital status, and more  (check out our article on discrimination law here). If a candidate has reason to suspect you've discriminated against them based on what you've found online you could be in trouble. Not only would you be liable to charges, but you could also have misinterpreted what you've seen. What is depicted online is not always the whole story, nor is it completely representational of a person's character.

Falsified Personas

Leading on from the last point, candidates can manipulate their social media output - making them appear far more desirable than, in reality, are. For example, an individual could share hosts of news articles on their Facebook - making them seem educated, without ever having read them. They could present themselves as composed and professional through their photo/media uploads - when they might not be. Take everything you see with a grain of salt.

Encourages Oversight

Using social media also overlooks relevant experience, it will never equate to a CV's capability at detailing an individual's experience and history. If you do choose to use social media in your recruitment campaign make sure you balance it by giving due diligence to applicant CV's, cover letter's, and references. Using social media is never enough on it's own - it won't give you a holistic idea of whether a candidate is suitable for your business. For more advice on analysing applicants, check out how to shortlist candidates.

In short - it doesn't ultimately change the face of recruitment. But it does add another recruitment
channel, and it is an incredibly useful tool for recruitment.

LinkedIn has two major facets which alter the recruitment game:

Personal Profiles

Personal profiles are the basic user account on LinkedIn these let users market themselves towards other users, and companies. They can act as an extended CV, detailing employment history, skills, and personal qualities and interests. Skills can even be commended by peers to add credibility to claims.

Pros of LinkedIn Profiles

LinkedIn profiles are beneficial for recruitment because they allow for recruiters to ascertain an individuals skills and interest, and employment history, at a glance. This provides insight, and also validation to their claims. For a first impression its an incredibly useful tool - and can be used to reach out for candidates who aren't applying for roles actively should you wish to headhunt. Profiles also detail an individuals connections (people they've digitally networked with) - to see if they have any useful contacts, or if their contacts are spammy - suggesting they have little credibility and try to offset it with masses of useless contacts.

Cons of LinkedIn Profiles

Contrastingly so, LinkedIn profiles can contain falsified information, or have skills reviewed by peers - boosting their image to one above their genuine capabilities. As of such recruiting from LinkedIn has to consider alternate routes of validation - using references, checking CV, and always interviewing a candidate. Should you look at a candidate they will also get a notification to say you've been on their profile - which can be troublesome if you wish to remain unknown.

Company Pages on LinkedIn

Company Pages, albeit still in their early stages, are community facing pages for brands and companies. Allowing a business to share information with it's following, and must exist for users to claim they have worked there - all decent employers should have one of these pages. If a user claims to work for a business, and it doesn't have a page it would suggest the business doesn't exist, or isn't savvy enough to use LinkedIn. But maintaining one has pros and cons for LinkedIn recruitment.

Pros of Company Pages

Having a company page on LinkedIn allows you to interact with professionals in your market - allowing for you to work on your brand, and getting it into relevant spheres. Create and share the right content on LinkedIn and you can position yourself as an expert in your field. Perhaps, more importantly for recruitment you can post job roles on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn has its own job posting system - allowing candidates to apply to you directly - however this is severely limited in function, and is typically a good way to create a longlist of candidates before slimming it down.

Cons of Company Pages

Company pages are also a burden - if poorly maintained it reflects negatively on your business, damaging your brand identity. Job postings on LinkedIn only allow for users to apply using LinkedIn's own 'quick apply' - which uses the information on a users profile to make an ad-hoc CV and allows user to type a brief cover letter. This means the information you get is rarely specialized, and provides a general overview - not helping at all to determine candidate suitability.

As of such using LinkedIn to post jobs cannot be relied on to find and recruit a proper candidate, it needs to be combined with traditional methods. Using a recruitment agency is often the best way, as they know the best circles in which to post jobs and to longlist candidates - and then shortlist them to deliver you a tailored selection of the best candidates. Recruiting alone, or purely on social media prevents you from getting the full picture, and while it can provide incredibly useful insight into an individual's creativity and talent, it's best to use it for a closer interrogation of already shortlisted candidates.

To find the perfect professionals for your business a recruiter can often provide valuable assistance, critiquing and shortlisting candidates to save you time and expense. Fortunately, Aaron Wallis do just that - better than anyone else,  see what we do here.

5 Incredible Answers to Common interview Questions

Interviewers are used to the same generic answers; a creative answer to a common question sets you apart from the masses. To help you get your creative thoughts flowing, we've got together some inspiring examples of incredible answers to common interview questions;

1 ) What is your biggest weakness?

"Being impatient is what I consider to be my main weakness. I begin by delegating to employees, but should they fail to meet my expectations I tend to take the task on myself. This becomes inefficient, but I've addressed this recently by giving detailed training for tasks so that they perform to my standards'.

This answer shows that the candidate has prepared and whilst being honest it turns a negative into a positive by showcasing how they've overcome an obstacle. The 'weakness question' is a typically frustrating question - so we've given you a guide on how to address it here.

2) Can you start by describing yourself?

"Firstly, I'd describe myself as being flexible, for example I would say I am able to effectively and efficiently complete tasks, as well as being able to fulfil the needs of customers. Here's a good example..."

This answer avoids waffle, lists off positives and then uses an example to add credibility to your description. It's a direct way of positioning yourself in a strong light, without simply listing details from your CV (which they will have read!). We've also got some handy tips on how to write a CV - an interview only gets given on the basis of an impressive CV!

3) Explain what motivates you?

"Results - whether that is closing a deal and making big profits, or simply providing a quality service to customers to obtain repeat business".

Although it might look like a typical answer, it shows the interviewer that you are motivated to meet goals, and deliver results which benefit the business. This positions yourself as someone who naturally is driven and achieves results. For some motivational tips check Olympic Athlete Kriss Akabusi's article he wrote for us on motivation!

4) Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

"Still at the company, hopefully having progressed from my role - but my main aim is to learn more and advance my skills. I view my career as a marathon not a sprint, I am in this for the long run".

It might seem like this person is sucking up to the interviewer, but it shows that they're patient, and committed - not just using the company as a stepping stone. 

5 ) Why are you looking to leave your current position?

"I'm looking to better myself, through working at a company that will allow me to gain valuable skills and experience - a company with credibility such as yours".

The final answer shows that the candidate is being realistic, they aren't looking to become CEO within 5 years - but that they recognize (or can flatter) the company's expertise and position within its industry. It's subtle flattery that works.

Good interview answers can be boiled down to a few key things: creativity, examples, and discussing the business you're interviewing for. Real-world examples evidence your statement, using the business as a talking points shows you care, and a creative flair depicts you as innovative, and intuitive - someone who can solve problems, and not be completely boring.

For more information on interviews, or to apply for sales roles please visit our website.

Why You Should Never Use A Cover Letter Template

You're applying for a job, you've written a solid CV,  so now it's time to write your cover letter. When applying to several roles it's tempting to use a standard cover letter for a type of role, where you change the company name/job title each time. This is an absolutely terrible idea - employers know when a template has been used, they lack job specific details and are almost always disregarded.

In order to be successful you need to write separate cover letters for each job, boasting your strengths for a specific role, and why their company appeals to you! not just a job. Make sure that you have planned, prepared and have researched a job role and its employer before you start to write anything.

Below is our five step guide on to how to write a noteworthy cover letter, and why templates weaken an application:

1. Write your address and contact information in the top right hand corner!

This is standard, it shows your competent enough to know that if they want to contact you they need your information. While this should also be on your CV anyway don't overlook putting it on your cover letter.

2. Make Sure it is Clear what Role you are Applying for!

Templates using generic phrases like 'I am applying for the role at your company' are red flags. Use the specific job title, and then go on to list why you want the role, and why you are a viable candidate for it. Templates don't allow you to individually discuss a roles nuances and specifics - show an employer you understand the role and are genuinely passionate about it.

3. Remember to Tailor it to the Company

Using a copy and paste template and swapping out company names doesn't work. An employer will take pride in the heritage and history of their business, use this to your advantage. Discuss the business itself, their overt operations and campaigns and show you are an expert on their industry.

4. Keep it Short and Sweet!

A cover letter is supposed to be short and punchy - do not waffle! Fluff talk suggests you are inexperienced or a poor communicator. Clarity is key, using a template means content is vague and generic - portraying yourself as less of an authority, and more as someone with a pale set of skills.

5. Finish Strong

Always express your interest in meeting the employer, include your availability and say how you are looking forward to hearing from them. The final part of your cover letter is your best chance to leave a lasting impression - be creative, and don't use copy and paste content.

So there you have it, some useful tips on writing a cover letter - it's always worth taking the extra time to tailor a cover letter to each unique role. We work with employers everyday, we see cover letters rejected on a daily basis because they are inherently generic - avoid this pitfall!

For more information please visit our guide on cover letters.

Revealed: What Premier League Transfers Will Cost In 10 Years Time

Premier league transfers have grown an outrageous amount over the last 10 years, with premier league spend tripling in the last decade.

Yesterday, Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment published a data led study into the price of football recruitment fees in the 2027/28 season.

The study suggests that the average premier league transfer will cost over £50m in 10 years time, compared to the £9.29m average transfer fee of the 16/17 season. 

We believe that the recent transfer of Romelu Lukaku for £75m would have cost Manchester United £303m if transferred in the 2027/28 season.

The research also suggests that Paul Pogba’s move to Manchester United would cost £415m if the same transfer were to happen in 10 years time.

Our model looks at the top transfers of this year, and suggests what they’d cost in 10 years time:

Player	Price 2017/18 (Million £s)	Price 2027/18 (Million £s)
Romelu Lukaku	£75.00	£303.42
Alexandre Lacazette	£45.05	£182.25
Kyle Walker	£45.00	£182.05
Bernardo Silva	£42.50	£171.94
Mohamed Salah	£35.70	£144.43

The analysis uses data around total premier league spend, number of transfers, and individual transfers to predict the transfers of the future.

For the full article, visit: https://www.aaronwallis.co.uk/transfer-fees-of-the-future.aspx

For more information about Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment, visit: https://www.aaronwallis.co.uk/

How to Motivate Sales Staff

A motivated and happy sales team works harder, and strives to win business. If you want to keep your sales staff on form, working hard and more importantly, happy in their role, read on for some of the best ways to motivate your sales staff.

When staff lose passion for their work they become less productive – and passion fades when positivity does too.

Make sure your sales staff are surrounded by positivity, so they can start each campaign with enthusiasm, proactivity and enjoyment. One of the best ways to foster productivity amongst staff is simply to surround them with positive, energetic, team members. But sales professionals often travel, and as of such social outings, and group meetings, can be a good way to get the team together.

These meetings, and meet-ups, can be used to plan objectives and visualise achieving bigger goals – giving staff a chance to discuss and get excited about pursuing targets.

All staff need training in order to do their job properly, if you’re noticing a slump in your sales team, don’t blame the individuals; look at how you can help the whole team. Regular training can help to staff continue to feel relevant, and purposed, in a dynamic, ever-changing industry.

Investing in staff training makes staff feel confident in addressing new challenges. Training also shows your team your faith and belief in them as a valuable asset to your team.

Staff who feel inadequately equipped are less enthused about work, aware of how competition may have a competitive edge due to having the latest tools available. New gadgets and tools motivate staff, both in piquing their curiosity but also in making them feel relevant and competitive; new tools also improve results.

Improving staff efficiency through using better CRM systems, mobile apps, software, computing hardware means they have more time for, and better tools to deal with customers and produce results. These advancements can be hit and miss, but ones which provide meaningful benefits to your staff will motivate them, and see greatly benefit overall business.

Create individual plans by making each employee list three things that inspire them, three things they’d like to achieve, and three reasons why they enjoy their job role.

Individually focusing on employees’ personal qualities will make them feel valued, as well as giving you insight into how better to motivate them.

Consider using a motivational speaker to come and give a talk to your sales team. Motivational speakers are notorious for leaving your team buzzing with energy, excitement and positivity, that they can’t wait to showcase at their next sale.

One of the easiest ways to motivate your sales team is to offer significant financial incentives – but needs to balance sensible finances with justified rewards. 

Capping bonuses is a flawed scheme as once an employee hits their target, they then coast until a new target comes up. By making sure your reward system is linked to the profit the company makes, then the pay only relates to the money they make for the business.

People enjoy different kinds of incentives as a way to feel good about their work.
Here’s some methods:

• Recognise and appreciate your employees efforts – thanks are rarely dished out but give a huge boost, either personally or through cards.
• Showcase top performers! Introduce them to senior management – raise their profile and demonstrate that their work has been recognised.
• In-house competitions, with creative rewards, motivating staff to outperform one another – while having a bit of fun, helping with creating a positive work environment.

There are so many ways to motivate your team and keep spirits up with non-financial rewards and if your business does have the budget, consider an unusual variety of goals and incentives to keep things fresh. Try some of these out and watch your team’s attitude and selling power improve instantly!

Key Points To Include In A Sales Employment Contract

Drafting an employment contract is key to establishing a new employee’s role within your business. They dictate each party’s (you and the employee’s) respective rights and responsibilities.

These contracts are legally binding, and ensure any disputes can be settled outside of courts.
Sales staff contracts are, by nature, varied from other roles due to the nature of their work – for example, accounting for a commission or bonus structure unique to sales roles.

Fundamentally, these contracts outline what both parties’ expectations and duties are, ensuring a harmonious working relationship. To help create a great sales employment contract, here are the key points you should consider.

1. Confidentiality

Sales staff will have access to a wealth of company knowledge and sensitive data. A strong confidentiality clause is integral in protecting your business, and you can ensure that this is enforced long after the employee contract is terminated.

Non-disclosure agreements and soliciting requirements are also necessary to include, so the employee fully understands the importance of protecting the business and where the limits are. This section must be clear and easy to follow, yet thorough; you do not want loopholes.

2.  Restrictive Covenant Schedule

Restrictive Covenant Schedules retain the rights to all customers, clients, and contracts for your business – preventing ex-employees from poaching customers, interfering with transactions and damaging staff relations.

It is crucial you include this, and that you term it in a non-conditional manner.

3. Termination

While most employees will serve a notice period, this may not be advisable for sales staff whose continued access confidential information to can damage client and staff relationships.

Garden Leave and Pay in lieu of notice (PILON) are items to be considered when devising a sales contract, to prevent tragedy.

4. Probation.

Probation periods are an excellent way to test out new recruits; this can also work in their favour by offering a get-out if the job isn’t what they expected. In the event that a new employee isn’t able to deliver to your standards, these clauses allow you to dismiss them.

It is important to remember that everyone can have a run of bad form in sales and the probation period should take into account an establishing time as well as a period of unexpected bad fortune.

Points To Include In A Commission Plan and Sales Employment Contract

Great sales people are rare, and commission plans are the lifeblood of any sales team. For your sales team to have passion and belief in your product as much as you do, a compensation plan is a priority. 

While a commission plan is likely to be highlighted in the sales employment contract, it is wise to make the agreement as a side to the contract so it can be amended without the difficulties of changing an entire employment contract.

For both the commission plan and the employment contract it is important that this is legally compliant and legally reviewed to prevent your business breaching employment legislation.

Three Key Points

1. Keep Employment Contracts Simple and Goal Oriented

Make sure your agreement covers all necessary points that motivate sales staff and sells products. Different commission plans drive different behaviour so consider the objectives that your company want to focus on such as;

• New accounts
• More business on existing accounts
• New product line
• Ensuring customer loyalty
• Grow contract length
• Deal profitability

2. Allow Change

Commission agreements should be subject to change as the business sees fit, with all agreements it is wise to put the following clause in;

“The company reserve the right at any time, in its absolute discretion, to vary the amount of commission payable and/or to vary the terms of the commission arrangements and/or to withdraw the commission arrangements in their entirety upon giving one months’ notice.”

Remember that if there is any ambiguity or you do not have this clause in your agreements, then the courts will naturally side with the employee.

3. Confirm Timings

Commission payment needs to find a balance between keeping sales members motivated, and discouraging rushed transactions with disreputable companies.
When reimbursing customers, staff can pocket the commission while companies lose out - consider an appropriate recovery policy. These protect you from cancellation and non-payment, encouraging staff to pursue stable companies with secure credit.

Clearly determine when commission is granted, such as when;

• The order is booked
• It is shipped
• It is delivered
• You have received full payment.

With a clear timeline, it shows transparency to the agreement, and it is easy to calculate for all parties.

There are many different types of commission schemes to consider when drafting up sales employment contracts, so make sure you educate yourself and choose, and adapt, the most suitable.

For more information on attracting and recruiting sales staff have a browse on this blog, or head to our website.

How To Ensure Your Chosen Candidate Doesn’t Accept A Counter Offer

Employment for those aged between 16-64 is at its highest since records began in 1971, and unemployment at its lowest since 1975*. As of such anyone looking to grow their business, and hire talent is faced with the difficulty that pools of available talent are depleting, and contest for for ideal candidates is high.

So when you find great talent and make them an offer, the last thing you want is their previous employer to play a counter offer, and you to lose that perfect team member. Counter offers often utilize competitive financial packages, personal relationships, and taking advantage of known vulnerabilities.

To avoid, what may seem like inevitable, bidding wars over rare talent we’ve compiled a few tips on how to prevent potential employees accepting counter offers – winning your candidate with an offer they can’t refuse.

1. Offer the Correct Salary
You are excited about having the candidate who offers bags of potential on board, but then you crunch the numbers and offer a salary that is similar or less than what they are receiving now. Offering a candidate a lower amount on the salary range is insulting for top talent, and it wastes everyone’s time.

While financial incentives may not drive a candidate, it’s almost guaranteed that a counter offer will be better in comparison - and likely would be the decider. If you’ve found the right person for your business, don’t skimp, or you’ll fall at the final hurdle.

2. Be Unique
However, if you know you’re unable to match a candidate’s current salary, that doesn’t mean that you can’t secure the talent. You can win over the candidate by offering a unique, and interesting set of benefits to your employee – how can you stand out from other employers?

Consider what you can offer over competitors: will the candidate experience working with exceptional businesses and fantastic clients? Do you have a social work environment, with outings? Highlight how you’re not offering a simple job but a career opportunity. Whatever you do best, sell it to your candidate and make it incomparable.

3. Let your Recruiter Help

A recruitment company can fight the counter offer battle with you. Recruiters hold the candidate’s hand throughout the whole process and are seen as impartial – positioning themselves as pursuing the candidates best interests. Recruiters are the friendly face that can help candidates after a tough resignation and will be there to listen to their offer dilemmas.

Recruiters offer invaluable aid through conducting role play, or discussing counter offers with candidates – helping them reason through their decision, and explaining why accepting counter-offers is often unwise, due to the displayed disloyalty to the original company, or highlighting the strengths of your business.

With a recruiter on your team, you have extremely beneficial insight into the candidates mind, and far more security against a counter offer.


4. Don't Be Afraid to Discuss Counter Offers

There is no point avoiding the elephant in the room. It is acceptable to discuss counter offers in the interview stage, it will help to open the mind of the candidate and will allow both you, and the candidate to prepare for the situation. Ask how their organisation handle resignations, which will mean they are ready for the scenario when it happens to them, and they know you’re aware of it too.

Another question to ask in the interview is why they want to move on, by having this knowledge you can use this to counteract if a counter offer sways them, it also helps you to create an offer that is tailored to their requirements.

5. Get Commitment on a Start Date

Having a start date imprinted in the candidate’s mind gives them time to prepare their notice, and forms a sense of commitment. Knowing when the candidate plans to hand their notice in means you can offer friendly moral support afterwards. Offering a friendly ear without pushing the candidate into a decision shows what a caring employer you are, which shines in your favour.

6. Plan Progression

The majority of candidates that come to you are looking for a future, not a job. If they’re considering moving on, they may feel like they are stagnating – take advantage of this and outline progression routes.

Offering a six-month performance review from the outset, evidence your commitment to their future. Don’t do this after a counter offer, make sure you are ahead of the game and are already forward-planning for their career.

7. Stay in Touch

Send press releases, newsletters and emails about upcoming business events, or simply call just to say hello. Make the candidate feel welcome, and like they belong.

An excellent way to get them mentally involved in your organisation is to ask their opinion about a business matter, so they feel their opinion is valuable. With this attitude, your new talent will look forward to joining your team.

8. Be Realistic

Finally, with every job offer, it is important to be realistic. Change is a difficult process for many people, and a comfortable old job with added counter offer benefits can be difficult to say no to. Don’t be defeatist, but be ready to accept that counter offers do happen – don’t pin all hopes on one person, and make sure to search for, and consider, multiple candidates. 

For more advice on recruiting the best sales professionals, or to get recruit the top candidates visit our website.

Most Common Sales Roles and the Salary you should expect to pay

According to a candidate survey from totaljobs, 66% of candidates say that salary is what attracts them to a company; this makes it very important for Employers to understand the going rate for the most common sales jobs. Below you will be able to see the most common sales roles and the salary you should expect to pay.

Internal Sales - Internal Sales roles can be a combination of sales, marketing and general administration. The role can often expose you to many different sales and marketing skills and as such an internal sales role can be a great starting point for a career in sales. Salaries are typically £16k - £22k.

Telesales - Encompassing telemarketing, appointment setting, and incoming sales to complex technical solutions sold via the telephone. Often the roles support or 'buddy' with a field sales professional.  Salaries range from £14K to £28K.  Sometimes the 'on target earnings' or OTE is double the basic so the potential to earn can be extremely high.

Field Sales Executive – This is the most common field sales role which is a client facing role and a mix of new business generation and account management.Typical basic salaries are £20K to £32K.

Account Manager Jobs - Usually a field sales or client facing role where you are tasked with maintaining accounts and increasing the account spend. Salaries range from £18K to £70K although typically are in the £24K - £34K bracket.

Business Development Manager Jobs - A more sophisticated new business orientated sales role where accounts are strategically targeted and are normally high valued. Perhaps targeting clients where some business is already being done and the objective is to leverage the account. Salaries are typically £32K - £55K basic salaries.

Channel Sales/Distributor Sales - Selling product through a distribution or wholesale chain the role is often introducing new products, product training, encouraging the distribution staff to sell your product over competitors, setting incentives, etc. Salaries range from £25K to around £45K.

Regional Sales Management/Field Sales Manager -  Managing a team of field based sales professionals this is a people management role where you will mentor, drive and develop your sales team to greater success. Normally your bonus is based upon their performance. Salaries typically range from £32K to £50K.

Sales Manager - A hands on management role ensuring that your team are trained and motivated to succeed. Usually you are remunerated on your team hitting their sales performance targets and key performance indicators (KPI's). The role normally has a heavy element of administration - sales forecasting, sales appraisals, etc. Salaries range from £35K to £80K.

Field Sales Engineer - Sales Engineer roles vary widely from component sales to hugely complicated project led solution sales roles. At the more complex end an engineering/science/mathematics qualification is often required and the sale is often won by your technical abilities rather than your sales skills. Salaries range from £22K - £45KBasic.

Pre-sales or Technical sales support - Normally in technical, engineering or IT sectors your role is to support the sales team from a technical capacity in order to 'close the deal'.The role varies enormously between companies as do the salaries as they range from £16K - £60K and sometimes the role is titled Applications Engineer.

Export Sales and International Sales - Selling outside of the UK.  Representing UK manufactured products (or more normally US or Chinese manufactured products!) overseas. From the UK this is typically into Europe or EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). Languages and knowledge of customs/cultures are normally required. Salaries range from £25K to £55K Basic.

Sales Director - As Sales Director you are ultimately responsible for all of the commercial aspects of an organisation - bids, tenders, costing, estimating, marketing, etc. Dependent on the size of the business it could be a largely 'desk job' analysing data and performance to a very hands on people management role. Salaries range from £50K to £140K dependent on the size of the business and the industry sector.

Written by Liam Oakes

Liam.oakes@aaronwallis.co.uk 

www.aaronwallis.co.uk

Twitter - https://twitter.com/aaronwallisliam  

Google+ - https://plus.google.com/+LiamOakes

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AaronWallisSalesRecruitment

LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/pub/liam-oakes/4b/536/403  

The Need to Move Quickly in a Candidate Driven Market

A lot has changed in the since the 'Great Recession' in 2008-09, especially in the 'job market' and many employers have realised the ‘hard way’ that they no longer ‘hold all of the cards’

Whilst there used to be lots of competition for jobs, with clients able to pick and be spoilt for choice, this is no longer the case. Gone are the days of slowly shifting to a candidate driven market over seven year cycles; it is here and, despite Brexit, the Scottish Referendum and other distractions, it has been here since before at least 2012. 

Candidates have a lot of power and are able to 'flex their muscles' when looking for a new role. This means bad news for sluggish hirers as the talent they seek to acquire are receiving multiple job offers in a very short space of time. In addition to that, latest research from ‘Consol Partners’ show that at least 80% of candidates accept the first job offer that they receive. 

This makes it vitally important for all employers to move quickly when recruiting and here’s some straightforward tips to help you speed up your process.

Write A Clear Job Description – This may sound simple but often employers interview candidates that meet their criteria but don’t realise it. They’ve aimed for a target that they haven’t defined and without a job spec they didn’t grasp that they’d actually met their perfect candidate! Several weeks later, after meeting several further candidates that didn’t meet that benchmark, they return to offer the original candidate. Surprise, surprise their perfect candidate has been recruited elsewhere. Save yourself time, and lost opportunity, by having the criteria to recruit against from the outset. Advice on writing job specifications can be found in our Recruitment Plan Template

Agree the Time-frame – Set out an agreed time-frame with colleagues for your recruitment process. Check out our Recruitment Checklist for advice.

Are the Decision Makers there? Be aware of the availability of colleagues involved in your recruitment process. Check their diaries and ‘pencil in’ agreed dates for all interview stages.

Make Quick Decisions Against Agreed Criteria – Don’t take days/weeks to decide if a candidate is the right fit, try to sit down straight after the interview to decide while the candidate is still fresh in your mind.

Trust Your Gut – Hiring decisions need to be a combination of both insight and instinct. Aaron Wallis can help employers add effective recruiting tools into their service which do not necessarily prolong a hiring process. Waiting for references can potentially add another week to the hiring process. We recommend making verbal offers, ‘subject to references’ to ensure that you do not miss out on your perfect candidate.

Shorten the Process – Try not to drag out the process to more than 1st and 2nd interviews, any more than this and the candidate is already likely to have received an offer elsewhere.

Communicate – Things happen in business that ‘blur’ a recruitment process, we get that. However, if you don’t inform candidates that there is a delay, with valid reasons, then they’ll simply assume that you’ve recruited elsewhere.

Moving quickly is likely to be the difference in securing the best talent and it could save you a lot of time, and lost opportunity, in the process.

Written by Liam Oakes
Liam.oakes@aaronwallis.co.uk
www.aaronwallis.co.uk


Twitter - https://twitter.com/aaronwallisliam
Google+ - https://plus.google.com/+LiamOakes
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AaronWallisSalesRecruitment
LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/pub/liam-oakes/4b/536/403

The Importance of Closing at a Sales Interview

When asked, “Do you have any questions” at the end of the interview, it is the opportune time to close.  This truly can make all the difference as to whether you get the job, or not.

A colleague recently sat alongside a client during five interviews, and only one closed at the end; I bet you can guess which one stood out and moved onto a second interview.

How to Prepare for a Close

Before your interview ensure that you prepare how you’re going to close but in a straightforward way. Prepare the closing questions that you’re going to ask and ask a friend if to roleplay them with you. You may get taken off in a different direction by the interviewer so have that in mind. By the time you get to the interview you will be confident and ready to close at the right moment.

Why You Should Close?

You would never leave a sales meeting without agreeing the next steps forward, would you? Every sales interview is a sales meeting. Sales professionals must be able to close deals so closing at an interview shows the potential employer you are confident and willing to close when you start the job. Be that individual who stands out by making sure you close.

When to Close

You will feel the meeting is heading towards a natural end; the questions are not so intense and there may be a glance at the watch, it will be instinctive, and you should start thinking about what you’re going to say in your close. In almost all interviews the interviewer will ask if you have any questions, this is the ideal time to close.

How to Close

Once you have made your points about why you are the perfect candidate for the role and mastered any objections from the interviewer, you have to overcome the final hurdle of closing the interview. The minimum you should be asking is what the next step in the process is and how long the process is likely to be. You should also be asking how many candidates are in the process, and if you feel it has gone really well, be direct and ask if you have got a second interview or even ‘have I got the role’!

You should always look to 'leave your mark' on the interviewer. Make them aware you have enjoyed the meeting and reiterate your interest in the vacancy, don’t just get up and go!

More information on closing sales interviews can be found here: http://www.aaronwallis.co.uk/how-to-close-an-interview.aspx

Written by Liam Oakes

Liam is the Sales Recruitment Manager at Aaron Wallis and has been with the company for 5 years after having a career with the RAF; Liam has helped hundreds of Sales Professionals secure a new Sales role and ensures that Aaron Wallis runs smoothly.

Liam.oakes@aaronwallis.co.uk

www.aaronwallis.co.uk

Twitter - https://twitter.com/aaronwallisliam 

Google+ - https://plus.google.com/+LiamOakes 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AaronWallisSalesRecruitment 

LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/pub/liam-oakes/4b/536/403