Brightwater's Sales Division

Mark Byrne, Commercial Director with Brightwater discusses Brightwater's Sales division

Brightwater’s Sales and Marketing division recruits across multiple sectors including:

You need four main things to succeed in sales

• B2B
• Financial Services
• Pharmaceutical
• Hi-Tech

We recruit for roles from entry level up to C-Suite level.

Mark personally recruits for roles from mid management up to senior level in sales and has over 20 years’ recruitment experience across various sectors and disciplines.

How do you succeed in a sales career?

You need four main things to succeed in sales

• A network of contacts
• Ability to learn
• Ability to influence
• An eye for opportunity

A network of contacts and to know how to use and develop this network to further sales is vital for success in a sales career. The ability and willingness to learn about your chosen field and service/product is also key. You need to be able to know how to influence the sales process as well as have a keen eye to be able to spot and exploit any opportunity to increase sales and profit margins.

What qualifications do you need in sales?

Qualifications in sales could include a degree in business or marketing but it does help if you have a degree or a background in the area in which you are working eg. if you’re specialising in engineering or technical sales, then a degree and a full knowledge of this area would be a massive help.

It’s also about the network of contacts that you have in this field and how you can develop this network for sales potential. The ability to push and focus on sales margins is key in this area. So it’s not just qualifications in sales or your chosen field that matters, it’s also how you’re going to use these skills that matters.

What are the professional associations for sales people?

There are a few professional associations that you can join as a sales person. The primary one in Ireland is The Executive Institute which serves as a valuable network and knowledge centre for sales professionals. However there are also other professional organisations within your own specialised areas that would be hugely beneficial for sales directors, sales managers and sales business developers to join. For example, there are professional associations within financial services, pharmaceutical, funds or hi-tech that a sales person specialising in that particular field could join. This would then provide knowledge, expertise and a valuable source of contacts.

What are the niche roles within sales?

Niche roles in sales are very much from a hunting perspective.

• New Business Development roles
• New Account Management roles

Skills needed in these areas are project management and the ability to manage and control the sales process over a long lead time.

How can you develop your career growth in sales?

The most successful sales professionals are the ones with the ability to influence sales as well as the ability to adapt to a changing market. Relationship building is key and again we go back to your network of contacts and how you can develop and expand your network to making sales and ultimately making money.

Is there a gender bias in s ales as a career?

The short answer to whether there is a gender bias in sales is “Yes and No”. There is a good balance between genders when it comes to a career in sales. There are particular sectors that are more male orientated and there are certain industries that are more female orientated but in general, there is a fairly equal gender balance.

Can sales professionals transfer sectors?

Sales absolutely lends itself to transferring sectors. Even though you may have experience in sales in a certain sector, sales professionals are not restricted to a particular area. You can transfer between multiple sectors.  It’s about understanding your service/product and your target market as well as developing your contact network. Fundamentally it’s about how you are involved in the sales process. Are you leading from the project management side or are you directly influencing the end user? The sales process itself doesn’t change and if you commit to upskilling and learning more about your target market, transferring sectors shouldn’t present any problems.