Consumer goods sales

What it involves

You’ll be looking at ways to maximise sales of consumer goods, which could be anything that you find in your local shopping centre, and much more besides. You could be involved in every stage of the sales process, from planning through to marketing, advertising, branding and point-of-sale materials. You’ll work with existing clients, as well as researching and developing new ones, to sell a range of products.

In consumer goods sales you will:

• build up an understanding of manufacturing processes
• carry out competitor analysis
• analyse sales data and market research
• track effectiveness
• plan future sales campaigns and product ranges.

What’s required

Most sales vacancies in the FMCG sector will accept graduates with any degree, although you will be at an advantage if your background is relevant to the sector you want to work in, for example IT or pharmaceuticals.

As ever with sales jobs, you’ll need to be confident and enthusiastic – many FMCG sales roles require written proposals and face-to-face presentations, so excellent written and verbal communication skills are a must. You’ll thrive on working under pressure to ambitious targets and deadlines, and not be afraid to negotiate with clients.

Further information on consumer goods sales jobs in your area can be found in your university careers service. You’ll also find related information on the retail careers advice section of TARGETjobs.