Writing a sales CV

The great thing about writing a sales CV is that your major achievements are directly quantifiable. However, being a great sales person is about so much more than just numbers. Intrinsically, it is about understanding customer requirements and connecting solutions to these. That ability to see things from a customer perspective is also critical to how you write a winning sales CV.

Your 30 second elevator sales pitch

All of the research I have seen categorically shows that less than 30 seconds is spent on average reading a CV. Some say the actual time is far less than this. With this small window of opportunity, you need to get your message over powerfully and quickly. Never use more than 2 pages and make sure your sales CV has clearly labelled headings so the reader can easily navigate their way around.

Sales or sales management?

Be clear on the type of roles you are applying for. If applying for sales management roles you may want to focus on the creation and development of sale strategies. In leadership of sales teams and ensuring optimal processes and procedures to convert sales. If involved more directly in sales, then it is about building and retaining client relationships and attaining targets. Read carefully the job and person specification for your target roles to see what employers are looking for.

Professional profile for a sales CV

The profile at the beginning of the CV acts as your introduction. Position yourself in line with the type of sales roles you are applying for in the first sentence. If you can, mirror the job title for the post you are applying for to engage the reader from the outset. Then describe in your own words the personal qualities that make you a great sales professional.  Be original and steer away from recruitment clichés.

Focus on quantifiable achievements

In your career history, give specific examples of sales accomplishments. Detail is important here. Don’t just say ‘met all sales targets.’ It is much more credible and meaningful to say, ‘led and motivated a team of 3 sales professionals to generate £3m sales overachieving annual target by 30%.’  Ground your sales CV in real life examples, it is much more powerful.

Whilst it is important to explicitly demonstrate how you’ve met and beaten targets, writing a sales CV is much more than numbers. It’s also all about the personal qualities that make you successful at what you do and aligning the CV to the type of sales roles you are applying for.

This article is written by Neville Rose, Director of CV Writers. Please do connect with me via LinkedIn.

Check out our CV writing service with details of our packages that include LinkedIn profiles, cover letters and more. You can get things started with a Free CV review. I am also a qualified career counsellor and provide Career Counselling services for people looking to change career paths.