Wm Morrison, Britain’s fourth-biggest supermarket chain, promised today to open more small stores as it confirmed that its new chief executive, Dalton Philips, would take up his role on March 29.

Mr Philips, who was poached from the Canadian retailer Loblaw, succeeds Marc Bolland, who quit in November to take over from Sir Stuart Rose at Marks & Spencer.

The news came as Morrisons, which has opened 45 stores during the past year, reported a 30 per cent rise in full year pre-tax profits to £858 million as turnover rose by 6 per cent to £15.4 billion.

On an underlying basis, stripping out the impact of property disposals and a one-off credit of £91 million to the company pension scheme, pre-tax profits rose by 21 per cent to £767 million.

This was better than the consensus forecast of £757 million predicted by a range of City analysts.

Sir Ian Gibson, the non-executive chairman of Morrison, said that the company had raised its market share during the year, with both more customers visiting its stores and existing customers spending more.

He said that, on average, 10.5 million customers were visiting a Morrisons store each week.

He said: “There is now much greater awareness of our brand throughout the country and as a result we grew sales well in all regions, particularly in the South and Scotland.

“Our market research showed that we continued to attract new customers from competitors, including both the premium grocery segment and the discounters.”

Sir Ian said that the positive response from customers to new store openings had encouraged the company to look at trading from smaller stores in future.

He said that 34 of the 45 stores opened during the year were acquired from the Co-op, after the latter’s takeover of its rival, Somerfield.

He added: “Although it is early days, we are pleased with the customer response to the new stores, many of which were community stores operating with a limited range and high prices under the Somerfield fascia.

“As Morrisons, these stores now offer a full weekly shop, with a strong fresh offer, at the normal nationwide prices charged throughout our estate.

“Whilst these stores are smaller than our average, we are confident that we can operate this size of store very successfully.

“There are now 96 such stores in our estate, and we expect that smaller-store formats will form an important element of our ongoing new space acquisition strategy.”

However, Sir Ian warned that the company was braced for another tough year of trading, with customers continuing to be under financial pressure.

He added: “We expect the economic environment to remain challenging, disposable incomes to be under pressure and value to remain a high priority for consumers.”

Source : The Times

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Staff at John Lewis Partnership are to share a bonus payment of £151.3 million, after the retail group reported a 9.7 per cent rise in full year pre-tax profits to £306.6 million.

It means that “partners”, as staff at the retailer are designated, will receive payouts equivalent to 15 per cent of their annual salary, or nearly eight weeks’ pay.

Charlie Mayfield, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, said that, in all, about 70,000 partners would receive payouts.

He said: “Partners have shown tremendous commitment during changing times. I am therefore delighted that our partners will share fairly in the financial rewards of a successful year.”

Star performer at the Partnership was Waitrose, the supermarket chain, which raised operating profit — before property gains — by 26.8 per cent to £268.2 million.

At John Lewis, the UK’s biggest department store operator, operating profits before property gains were up by a more modest 15 per cent to £165.9 million.

Mr Mayfield said that Waitrose had made “enormous progress” during the year, in which it opened 25 new shops, of which 13 were acquired from the Co-op — after the latter’s takeover of Somerfield — as well as one former Woolworths store.

He said that Waitrose had opened two new stores in 2010 and planned 20 others the year ahead, creating 2,500 jobs in the process.

Mr Mayfield said that the store openings, along with the launch of essential Waitrose, the chain’s value brand, which celebrated its first anniversary on Wednesday, had made the brand more accessible to more customers in more parts of the United Kingdom.

He added: “Each week up to 400,000 more people are now choosing to shop at Waitrose.”

Mr Mayfield said that, after a difficult beginning to 2009, the John Lewis stores had “emerged powerfully” from the recession.

He said the business had been boosted by new store openings, including the specialist “John Lewis at Home” concept at Poole, Dorset, and the new shop at Cardiff, the chain’s second-largest, which opened in September and took John Lewis into Wales for the first time.

He said that another “At Home” store was planned for Croydon, Surrey, and that the new shop at the Olympic site in Stratford, East London, was set to open next year.

He added: “We remain committed to our plans for full-line department stores in Northern Ireland and Dublin, and continue to explore possibilities in key city centres in England.”

Mr Mayfield said that, during the first five weeks of the new financial year, which began on 31 January, total sales were 13.5 per cent higher than the same period last year.

He said like-for-like sales, which include only stores trading in the same format for more than a year, were up by 2.8 per cent at Waitrose and by 14.9 per cent at John Lewis.

But he warned: “We anticipate more challenging trading conditions in 2010, particularly in the second half of the year.

“The likely withdrawal of monetary stimulus, higher taxes, the possibility of increased interest rates and the implications of public spending cuts make for an uncertain outlook which is likely to impact on consumer confidence.”

Source : The Times

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For sales people, ‘To Do Lists’ are not a useful tool in today’s hectic, information-rich, competitive business environments.  Here’s an alternative:

1. Spend 10 minutes every morning planning the day!

We know it makes sense – but we rarely do it properly.  Spending just 10 minutes in the morning reviewing our main business objectives and personal goals, then physically writing out a maximum of 3 or 4 results (not tasks!) we want to absolutely achieve by the end of the day, is essential for keeping us focused.  Just as important, is the reason WHY we want to achieve the result i.e. what it will mean to us personally (£) as well as professionally – this keeps motivation high when times get challenging.

1. Learn the art of the 80/20 Principle!

According to Pareto’s famous law, most of us spend 80% of our time working on things that will only ever give us 20% of the results we’re looking for.  This includes: doing tasks others have passed to us; trying to clear a ‘To Do List’ (because it makes us feel a sense of achievement); and avoiding difficult tasks by distracting ourselve s watching news and/or unimportant emails etc.  Instead, try prioritizing during the 10 minute planning sessions, batching up similar or related tasks, and delegating or simply deleting more ‘stuff’ – remember simplicity and clarity is power.

1. Spend 10 minutes after work reviewing the day!

It’s easy to get so engrossed in our businesses that we forget to take time out to reflect.  By investing just 10 minutes at the end of the day to recap on what we’ve achieved, what we’ve learnt and any great moments we experienced, we stay more motivated. We’re also able to switch off before returning home to connect with family and friends – the basic human need that should be behind why we do what we do in the first place.

Free download: Healthy Habits Guide

For loads of resources check out: http://www.healthysalesexec.com/

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There is no set way to become a medical sales rep, and qualifications in relevant fields are not always necessary. Graduate medical sales positions can be achieved and assisted by having degrees in disciplines such as:

• Pharmacy
• Life sciences
• Medicine
• Dentistry
• Nursing

It is increasingly common today for employers to be on the look out for those with business related degrees, as the understanding of how large businesses work proves to be highly valuable in this area. A graduate medical sales representative will also benefit greatly from having some sort of sales background. As selling products is the main aim of this job, being a good salesperson is essential.

Many employers will hire trainee medical sales teams based on an amount of experience already gained in the field. Work experience or internships are often a great way to get your first job in medical sales. Having a driver’s license is also a necessity as your work will often take you around the country for meetings, sales opportunities and events.

Potential candidates must display:

• Exceptional communication skills
• An outgoing and calm temperament
• Confidence
• Motivation
• Positive attitude
• Flexibility
• Good networking and presenting skills

Employment

The financial situation in the NHS and big company mergers has meant that jobs in graduate medical sales are not as easy as once before to come by. That is not to say that there are no positions though. Scotland and the north of England tend to be more difficult to find entry level positions. Speaking to your GP or anyone you may know in a medical or pharmaceutical profession will definitely help you. Gaining some first hand experience in the form of shadow-work is extremely valuable for your CV and application.

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1. Medical Sales Job Description
2. Graduate Sales Jobs – Finding Your First Job In Sales
3. Trainee Sales Jobs – Getting on the Ladder

Regional sales management jobs will normally mean looking after a particular geographic region of the company and its sales. It could also require the management of sales of specific products or customers.

Managing recruitment, training, supervision, performance, budgets as well as staff and customer relations results in a challenging job. Due to the large responsibilities and high pressured nature of this job, salaries are usually fairly high for regional sales manager jobs.

Entry into regional sales manager jobs can vary. However, usually a strong background in sales and retail can help dramatically. Qualifications are not necessary but could be useful. A sales manager job can be reached through persistent progress through a company.

Salaries for regional sales management jobs vary according to experience and the type of company. Many will start on around £20,000 and through time could reach up to £60,000 plus benefits including a company car.

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1. Graduate Sales Jobs – Finding Your First Job In Sales
2. Medical Sales Job Description
3. Sales Director Job Description

Sales Directors Jobs Duties:

• Creating sales tactics, strategies, plans and targets for profit
• Creating and maintaining good retail relationships to help in the deliverance of sales
• Keeping track of new business opportunities in targeted markets
• Assuming an important role as one of the main representatives of the company as a whole
• Managing profits and losses
• Giving direction to your whole department.

Work hours will typically be standard office hours in sales director jobs. There will also be plenty of outside of work hours to put in too. Although you will have an office base, a great deal of your time will be spent travelling around the country and even the world. Clients, partners and company branches will need to be visited, as well as attending exhibitions and conferences. This type of work will be normal in sales director jobs.

A typical sales director job description will require the following qualities/skills:

• Exceptional sales and negotiation skills
• Good business acumen
• Good leadership and motivation of a team
• Initiative and enthusiasm
• Excellent communication
• Planning and organising skills
• Working under high pressure situations
• Computer literacy
• Driving license

Salaries for sales director jobs is very high. Depending on experience and the length of time in a company, you could earn between £130,000 and £150,000.

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1. Medical Sales Job Description
2. Graduate Sales Jobs – Finding Your First Job In Sales
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A medical sales rep will be based in one location and will more often than not specialise in certain medical areas or products. The main aim for someone in a medical sales job is to make sure that their clients know about their company’s medical products and in turn make a purchase to use them. As such, presentations are made regularly to pitch products, as well as arranging for events to take place where the goods can be showcased.

Jobs in medical sales involve a rep getting in touch with potential buyers and trying to persuade them that their medical services or products are what they need, as opposed to their competitors. The sale is usually closed with an agreement to terms and conditions, as well as giving thorough service after the sale has gone through.

Having a medical sales job requires a great number of tasks and activities that will all ultimately result in sales. These include:

• Making appointments with medical professionals such as doctors and pharmacists. This could mean a lot of ‘cold calling’ and networking.
• Presenting to medical professionals and staff at surgeries, hospitals and retail pharmacists. These can vary in nature and could be conducted in a formal daytime setting, or at an evening social event.
• Setting up conferences for medical staff and professionals
• Controlling budgets for conferences, catering and hospitality needs during the process.
• Staying in touch with all contact made along the way.
• Attendance of meetings and presentations
• Ensuring full knowledge of latest products and clinical data/statistics so that this information can be relayed to potential customers in presentations and meetings.
• Keeping up-to-date with competitors’ actions and products
• Knowing what new developments within the NHS could affect your sales and adapting to these changes

Medical Sales Rep Salary

The initial salary for a medical sales job could range between £17,000 and £24,000. this goes up considerably after a few years of experience and could reach up to £60,000.

Entry

Jobs in medical sales do not necessarily require qualifications in a scientific or medical discipline. In fact many people can work they way into this career just with regular sales experience. However, having qualifications in areas such as life sciences, pharmacy, medicine, nursing or dentistry will help your application considerably. It goes without saying that good sales and communication skills are main qualities that a medical sales rep will require.

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Car Sales Jobs Skills

• Politeness and courtesy. These two skills cannot be overstated when it comes to jobs in car sales. Nobody is going to buy a car from a salesperson that they think is rude. Make sure that you always greet the buyer in the correct way and remain polite throughout, regardless of which way the meeting goes. This included being polite to anybody who is with the buyer, being patronising to them will no doubt cost you a sale as these people may also have a say in the purchase of a car.

• Confidence. A confident salesperson will be more successful, make sure however that you are not overconfident as it may put off any potential customers. Make sure that you give customers plenty of space to look at the cars and reach a decision.

• Forethought & Knowledge. Make sure you know everything you can about not only the cars but any other services and policies that the showroom operates and can explain these to the customer. This will help with your confidence in car sales jobs and increase your chances of making a sale.

• Drive & Motivation. Having the motivation to meet your targets and make yourself a better salesperson is one of the most important aspects of a job in car sales. Constantly evaluate your performance and those of other salespersons and change it accordingly.

• Customer Service Skills. Good customer service skills will increase and strengthen the relationship between the client and the showroom. Those with car sales jobs will need to help with all of the after sale work, and going the extra mile can make a difference. Help the customer with any paperwork and follow up to make sure they are satisfied with their purchase.

• Appearance. You don’t need to a model but it is important to always look smart and well turned out. This will help the customer to take you seriously and trust what you are telling them.

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Jobs in Telesales

• Telesales jobs are nearly always based in a call centre and it is the task of the telesales operative to sell products or services to potential customers over the phone. Operators often read from a script and the phone calls require the operative to quickly and concisely explain the benefits of the product, persuade customers to accept a trial period or arrange a visit from a sales rep, gather information about the customer and enter it into a computer and finally, to take orders, process payment and organise delivery.

• Jobs in telesales require individuals to have a good telephone manner and tone, to be polite and confident, to be persistent and resilient and to be able to work effectively under pressure. Telesales exist in a target based environment and telephone operatives are expected to make a certain number of calls an hour and to meet their daily sales targets.

• Although no formal qualifications are necessary for jobs in telesales, basic communication, written and numeracy skills are required. Those who are confident in using computers and can type relatively quickly may have an advantage within telesales jobs. Candidates are expected to be just as effective when working in an inbound call centre as an outbound one.

• Jobs in telesales often pay anywhere between £6 and £8 per hour but many call centres provide incentives and bonuses for above target sales. The average salary for jobs in telesales is between £13,000 and £16,500 per year although with bonuses, some people with telesales have been able to earn up to £22,000 per year.

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Call centres have had bad press over the years for being bad places to work, a lot of which is untrue. Acquiring a call centre job however is one of the only things that may have got easier in the current economic climate. Companies are not willing to outsource their call centre’s overseas anymore and the customer service industry is booming. This guide outlines what is required for call centres jobs and how to find either full time or part time call centre jobs.

Finding a Call Centre Job

• Call centres jobs often fall under the banner of customer service although they can also be considered sales (telesales). People who have a call centre job are expected to either make or receive calls and log the details on a computer database.

• The nature of a call centre job can vary dramatically depending on what they call centre operative is being tasked to do. Those who are selling a product or a service will be given a daily target of sales and be expected to meet that. Those who have taken up a call centre job that specialises in market research will be expected to complete their target number of surveys.

• Call centres jobs that focus on customer service are slightly different in that the call centre operative receives calls from members of the public and deals with their complaint or request accordingly

• The average wage for somebody with a call centre job is £6-£8ph but sales jobs often offer incentives and bonuses for meeting and exceeding targets. The nature of call centres jobs means that the hours can be quite varied but staff are generally required to work 35-40 hours per week.

• One of the main advantages of call centres jobs is that the hours can be somewhat flexible and there are lots of part time call centre jobs available that allow people to fit work in around other commitments.

• People who are successful in call centres jobs are confident, friendly, resilient and motivated. Having a good telephone voice is essential as is being calm under pressure. Good spelling and computer/typing skills are also an advantage.

• When searching for call centres jobs, make sure that you look on as many websites and in as many publications as you can, most cities often have several call centres and so choose one that appeals to you. Some specialise in telesales whilst other specialise in customer service or market research.

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