INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Wholesale & Manufacturing Sales positions are at a 5% growth rate, which is slower than average. With that said, there are currently 1,625,700 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 77,600 to 1,703,300 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Wholesale & Manufacturing Sales jobs was $65,420 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $31,950, and the highest 10% more than $129,200.
Our conclusion? The Wholesale & Manufacturing Sales job market is wide open for candidates.
Top sales professional sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
Writing a job-winning experience section: Sales Professional resume edition
Sales professional resume experience section: dos and don'ts
- List 4-6 bullet points per position;
- Include only relevant job experience;
- Make sure to highlight your strongest skills by focusing on the challenges you’ve faced and the results you’ve achieved;
- Don’t use buzzwords that carry no meaning;
- Don’t share confidential information about your previous employers.
If you prefer to be led by example, check out some great Sales Professional resume experience section snippets below!
- Attended entrepreneurship events at MaRS Discovery District to build relationships and learn new skills to advance Openhouse.ai startup
- Researched and pitched A.I software to home builders
- Coached and mentored coworkers in sales and presentation skills
- I am devoted to the safety of my customers' employees and committed to the bottom line of my partners.
- I am successful at proactively working with my customers to improve safety culture.
- By engaging employees and effectively training them to value safety on the job and in their personal lives, I have assisted reducing workplace accidents at multiple facilities.
- I am committed to continuous process improvement, 5S Programs, and hazard assessments that boost the overall safety and productivity.
- I am driven to achieve through problem solving.
- I utilize an ask/listen approach to challenge customers, finding their highest priority needs and offering innovative safety solutions.
- Sales Growth: 2016 Fiscal – completed the year at 186% to gross profit goal and grew an undervalued territory through new business. 2017 Fiscal – 100% percent to my sales goal, growing my territory 12% for the year.
- Building brand loyalty by utilizing strategic selling skills to assist business clients with their account needs
- Assist clients with product selections that meet their budget needs and offer servicing recommendations for customizing the product
- Facilitate placement of all orders that are submitted by business channels and business clients
- Provide the Tiffany experience and exceed client expectations, while utilizing all opportunities to maximize revenue
- Utilize strategic selling skills to assist clients with their product selections that meet their budget needs and offer servicing recommendations for customization of product
- Honor commitments as the advocate between internal departments and business processing to build endearing relationships
- Provide the Tiffany experience and exceed client expectations, whileutilizing all opportunities to maximize revenue
- Utilize strategic selling skills to assist clients with their productselections that meet their budget needs and offer servicingrecommendations for customization of product
- Honor commitments as the advocate between internal departmentsand business processing to build endearing relationships
- Closed 22 new accounts in first year which generated over $500K in sales
- Developed proprietary costing model which reduced quoting time by 30%
- Grew existing book of business by 12% in first year by conducting needs analysis with top 20% of customers
- Met and exceeded monthly sales quotas, grossing approximately $90,000 per year on average
- Created a large account base of clients and built a strong repeat and referral business.
- Attained Salesman of the Month Awards
- Participated in 80+ hours of professional sales training
- Achieved goal for new Yearbook accounts and surpassed goal by 100 percent.
- Achieved goal for new Photography accounts and surpassed goal by 43 percent.
- Helped and aided in new sales, retention, and servicing of accounts with another territory in the region.
- Retained and recovered damaged business, and relationships.
- Built a positive image of Varsity Brands and their ability to deliver services and needs of the customer, in assigned territory.
- Hit sales goal by July 2018, for the 2018 - 2019 season, before my departure season concluded in December 2018.
- Developed and implemented Marketing Strategies to ensure growth and maintenance of existing clients current spend.
- Analysed advertising results and worked with clients on improvements to current and future campaigns.
- Sourced and developed new partnerships with key clients and non subscribing agents within allocated sales territory.
- Turned around a portfolio of underperforming national accounts within a period of 6 months, lifting revenue by 32%.
- Measured individual consultant activity, conversion, revenue, and yield per consultant, and volume per customer.
- Maximized product penetration results across the business increasing listing revenue by 55%.
- Facilitated and designed sales training modules for products, value proposition, process, technology and sales strategy.
- Providing clients with the industry-best customer service, true to the Tiffany name.
- Building business through prospecting and retaining clients via COMPASS (in-house Salesforce platform) analysis.
- Nurturing long-term clientele relationships through Customer Relationship Management.
- Cultivating the company's watch business through strategic development with Directors and Watch Specialists.
- Effective lead generation through extensive research to maintain thecorporate client relationship.
- Management of different sales campaign in terms of Marketing,Financial solutions, Board Members, Digital marketing etc.
- Actively involved recruiting delegates across the corporate sectors
- Actively involved to market our extensive business solutions acrossthe region.
- Reporting Director sales for the weekly projections and feedbacks &quarterly revenue.
- Responsible for screening of new candidates and drawing upshortlists of candidates for the physical interviews.
- Closed 3 major deals for the most influential subsidiary revenue stream
- Initiate the active usage of the cloud services for 2 key enterprise customers
- Completed the OnBoarding proces with highest score on the internal Pitch Perfect sessions
- Closed several important deals including O365 for Tax Authority ($1.58M), Adris Grupa ($1,51M), driving major opportunities (example of dark account driving towards SPE E5)
- Initiate the active usage of the O365 services for EPG customers including Customs Administration, Croatian Post and Croatia Osiguranje
- Completed the OnBoarding proces with highest score on the SPE Pitch Perfect
- Closed several important deals including O365 for Tax Authority ($1.58M), Adris Grupa ($1,51M), driving major opportunities (example of dark account driving towards SPE E3 and E5 mix)
- Initiate the active usage of the O365 services for EPG customers including Customs Administration, Croatian Post and Croatia Osiguranje
- Completed the OnBoarding proces with highest score on the SPE Pitch Perfect
- Current and ongoing sales performance is within the top 10% of national sales team
- Educate prospective and current customers about the benefits of our product line
- Orientate prospective customers about product improvements, accessories, and pricing concerns
- Manage both administrative and back-office documents including; contracts, financing, warranties, and payment transactions
- Responsible for more than $3,000,000 in direct sales revenue
PRO TIP
In writing your Sales Professional resume, you will no doubt want to list your previous duties - as you should. But steer clear of just listing your duties, instead of your achievements. Make your resume stand out by communicating what you have done, and not merely what the job needed you to do.
Action verbs for your sales professional resume
Recommended reads.":
An impressive skills section for your sales professional resume
Writing a skills section that stands out:
- Check the job advert for keywords that you can use: this will help you pass ATS;
- Focus on relevant and valuable skills that will support your application;
- Make sure to include both hard and technical skills, leaving soft skills for other sections of your Sales Professional resume;
- Don’t list skills you don’t have.
Top skills for your sales professional resume
Salesforce
MS Office
CRM
Forecasting
Cold Calling
Business Development
Customer Service
Project Management
Relationship Building
Time Management
Storytelling
Research / Information Gathering.
Critical Thinking
Problem Solving.
Tech Savvy
Networking
PRO TIP
Don’t feel obliged to spend a separate section for your soft skills - you can weave them throughout your job experience or career summary. But, don’t just write empty words - back them with examples.
Recommended Reads:
Sales professional resume header: tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your sales professional resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Include a link to your portfolio in your Sales Professional resume header. Most companies will require that you include one in your resume, and even if they don’t, it’s an excellent opportunity to directly show them your proudest projects.
The sales professional resume summary: tips and tricks
Making a strong first impression.
- Keep your summary section short and easy to read; avoid long sentences;
- Highlight your total years of experience in the field;
- Mention 1-2 of your biggest achievements and strengths;
- Add a couple of keywords from the job advert.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
When writing a resume summary or objective, avoid first-person narrative.
Recommended reads:
Sales professional resume: a strong education section
What to include in your education section:
- Your highest education degree (incl. major, duration, name of institution);
- A bit more about the certifications you’ve got (if they are relevant to what you’re applying for);
- Some extracurricular activities that have helped you develop and strengthen your skills;
- If you’re an entry-level applicant: Relevant courses and projects.
Top certifications for your sales professional resume
Professional Sales Skills Training - Close More Deals Faster
A structured sales skills course. Simple and efficient techniques for B2B and B2C sales. Sell anything to anyone.
Becoming A Sales Professional
The choices other people make about you determine your health, wealth, and happiness.
Sales Skills Training: Consultative Selling Master Class
Sales Training - Professional B2B Selling Skills for Consultants, Entrepreneurs and all Who Bring in the Business!
Professional Sales Training - Compelling Conversations
Sky rocket your sales performance through persuasive sales messages and compelling sales conversations.
Sales Funnels Masterclass: Increase Sales With Sales Funnels
Learn to create highly converting sales, conduct professional email marketing & 10X your sales with sales funnel fast!
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
There are dozens of certifications that you can claim as a Sales Professional. But, some are more effective than others. That’s why you mustn’t include every certificate other applicants might have. Try instead to earn and list a few of the difficult ones.
Sales professional resume: How to choose the right format
The content of your resume is necessary for showcasing your expertise, skills, and education. Great formatting, on the other hand, is essential for highlighting your attention to detail, creativity, and ability to stand out.
There are three basic resume formats to choose from:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
Which one of these you choose depends on a couple of things, but most importantly: the industry and your level of experience.
The reverse-chronological resume format, for example, is great if you’re a Sales Professional with many years of experience and no career gaps. It doesn’t really matter if your company of choice is a multinational corporation or an early-stage startup – this resume format is considered to be a safe bet.
If you’re someone with little or no experience, however, we advise you to go for a functional skills-based resume format. It focuses on skills, competencies, and education, rather than experience. This makes it great for entry-level applicants, career changers, and graduate students.
And if you’re tired of traditional formats and want to go over the top when it comes to your application, the combination or hybrid resume format is here to help. Here, you can focus on both your experience and your skills, there’s even space for you to highlight your most spectacular personality traits. If you want to give a modern feel to your Sales Professional resume, this resume format is just what you need. Add a ‘my life philosophy’ section for additional bonus points!
Looking for ways to perfect your Sales Professional resume layout and style?
- Don’t risk it: choose standard 1-inch resume margins;
- Go for traditional resume fonts (sized 10-12p);
- Match the length of your Sales Professional resume with your years of experience – choose a one-page template if you’ve got less than 10 years of experience; otherwise, opt for a two-page resume;
- To be on the safe side, save your resume in PDF. This will help you avoid formatting issues and unauthorized editing.
Recommended Reads:
PRO TIP
If you feel that you don’t have high chances in a particular company, due to lack of relevant experience, then you can still consider using a creative layout. That might help you get noticed and invited for an interview, as most of the other applicants will have boring resume designs.
Your sales professional resume: Other sections to include
Tired of resumes that focus only on your professional side? Want to show you’re an actual human being with a real personality that goes beyond your work experience? Then add some other sections to your Sales Professional resume!
Depending on the industry, company, and position, you can go for a more creative or less creative approach. Choose 1-2 of the following:
Making your sales professional resume shine
In a pile of boring black and white resumes, a creative Sales Professional application feels like a breath of fresh air. And trust us, recruiters love this.
There are two ways to add a splash of creativity to your resume. You can either go for a creative layout (bright colors, modern fonts, etc.) or add some creative sections (e.g. ‘what my typical day looks like’).
It’s up to you! Just make sure to keep the position, company, and industry in mind. Otherwise, you risk going over the top. And that’s not always a good idea.
What makes a great sales professional resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
