Job Profile for Commercial Sales Assistant

Job Details

Job title: Commercial Sales Assistant

Salary/Grade: Grade 2

Service: Operations

Reports to: Contracts & Projects Manager

Job purpose

• Establish and retain business growth opportunities within the Council’s Commercial Waste service by obtaining new clients and fostering business relationships that increase revenue from sales.
• Promote the Council’s Commercial Waste and Recycling Services and encourage businesses to think more sustainably about the disposal of their waste and opportunity to maximise recycling.
• To improve the customer experience and generate additional income and value of the portfolio using a pro-active sales approach to meet targets.

Principal Accountabilities

• Develop and nurture effective working relationships with new and existing commercial waste customers in person, via telephone and email communication.
• Gain a clear understanding of a customer’s business waste requirements and present options to secure a new sale.
• Ensure customers receive accurate and prompt quotations in order for them to make an informed decision to accept the service being offered by the Council.
• Work closely with the waste management team to ensure that customers needs are continually met and they are receiving the service they have paid for.
• Source new customers and promote the Council’s waste and recycling services in order to achieve a new sale.
• Negotiate the terms for a customer’s agreement including opening and closing sales.
• Liaise with third party suppliers as required.
• Identify opportunities to upsell to enhance income opportunities.
• Daily proactive contact of existing customer base and potential customers, maintaining records on Collective to ensure effective customer relationship management. 
• Work to specific income targets as set by line manager to meet the needs of the customer and business.
• Provide administrative support to the Contracts & Projects Manager.  Specific tasks to be allocated on a daily basis to meet customer needs and demands.
• To take the lead in contact management to provide regular and effective solutions for customer, whilst opportunity spotting to generate income/make recommendations across services.  This is face to face or cold calling.
• Maintaining accuracy and ensuring that deadlines are met.
• Organise meetings, prepare agenda and take minutes for meetings as directed by the Contracts & Projects Manager.
• Develop and maintain various departmental information systems, e.g. databases, spread sheets, ensuring that up-to-date information is recorded.
• Raise orders using eProcurement and process invoices.
• Take a lead role in the delivery of specific activities (to be determined by the Contracts & Projects Manager).
• Provide information, as required to enable annual and statutory returns to be completed.
• Assist in relief duties in the absence of colleagues within the Business Support Team.
• General Administration duties as directed by line manager.

Corporate Accountabilities

• To take responsibility for maintaining own health and attendance. 
• To support, contribute and comply with quality and governance procedures as directed by management.
• To apply and actively promote the principles of the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policy in all areas of employment and service delivery.
• Any other associated duties detailed by Head of Service or his representative.
• To advise Line manager if, at any time, the above duties and responsibilities cannot be performed.
• Any other duties as required to support the business, including maintaining business continuity and during civil emergencies.
• To apply and actively promote the principles of the Council’s Safeguarding Procedure in all areas of employment and service delivery.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

(Tested at application and interview stage)

Experience and Qualifications

• Experience of working in busy office environment.
• Proven organisational skills.
• Experience of working in a sales environment.

Skills and Knowledge

• Full clean driving licence and access to own vehicle.
• Good sales negotiation skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills especially telephone and face to face sales interviews.
• Good IT skills – Word, Excel, Outlook and databases.
• Excellent customer service skills and ability to work as part of a team.
• Good organisational skills.
• Effective communicator – both verbally and in writing.
• Self-motivated and responsive to changes.

Competencies

We test this at interview stage

Communicating Effectively 

Demonstrate the effective use of the range of communication methods available: written, spoken, electronic, and use these methods in appropriate ways suitable to the context and situation

• Present spoken communication in a polite, friendly and respectful manner seeking to ensure mutual understanding.
• Listen well and seek clarification and understanding, avoiding jumping to conclusions or making assumptions.
• Present information and ideas in a clear and understandable way which avoids jargon.
• Seek to understand the communication needs of colleagues and customers, being mindful of equality issues and the diverse needs of the range of people we work with.

Performing efficiently and effectively 

Promote good performance, developing clear, structured and efficient ways of managing workload and delivering results.  Staff should challenge themselves and others to perform well, and to adhere to the Council’s performance management systems

• Ensure that all work carried out by you are in line with business and service plans and support the overall aims and ambition of the Council.
• Plan your workload effectively, reporting achievements and problems to appropriate managers and project leaders.
• See tasks and objectives through to completion.
• Strive for continuous improvement in your work and manage your learning and development to enable you to perform to the best of your ability.

Using and managing resources efficiently and effectively 

Demonstrate the effective and efficient use of the full range of resources used in and by the Council including time, finances, staffing, equipment, information, materials, buildings, etc.

• Take responsibility for managing your time, seeking efficient ways to carry out your work, maximising your output and minimising wastage.
• Seek out ways to improve the use of resources

Engaging with the customer

Understand the needs and requirements of their customers, to provide excellent customer service, and to involve customers in the improvement of services

• Provide a helpful, professional, smart and friendly service to customers both internally and externally.
• Take responsibility for following up on enquiries and solving customer issues.
• Ensure that you have a full understanding of the needs and requirements of the customer.
• To apply and actively promote the principles of the Council’s Safeguarding Procedure in all areas of employment and service delivery.

Working well together

Actively foster good working relationships with colleagues and customers in order to collectively achieve the Council’s direction and ambition

• Co-operate and work well with colleagues at all levels of the organisation seeking collective responsibility for the achievement of goals.
• Demonstrate consideration, and respect for other’s feelings and opinions and avoid judging and making assumptions.
• Maintain positive working relationships with external contacts in order to maintain the reputation of the Council.
• Seek to actively solve problems and avoid passing the issue on to others or leaving the problem unresolved.
• Demonstrate self awareness of your style of working and develop flexibility and adaptability in order to work well with others.

Other conditions

• This post doesn't require a DBS check 
• This post is entitled to casual car allowance
• This post is not politically restrict
• This post is not entitled to lease a car

Job profile update March 2024

Values and Behaviours

We have corporate values and behaviours that set the standard for the organisation and all our staff. These are integrated in all we do including recruitment, induction, performance review, apprenticeships and all our learning and development programmes.

• P - Perform well and get things done
• R - Respect and value customers and staff
• I - Improve and learn
• D - Deliver that bit extra
• E - Efficient and effective

Following a number of workshops, which were attended by more than 100 members of staff from across all levels of the organisation, we have now developed a series of behaviours to support our PRIDE values.

Moving forward these will be implemented across the Council and will be used as part of performance reviews, induction procedures, the apprenticeship programme, and all training interventions.

P, Perform well and get things done

R, Respect and value customers and staff

I, Improve and learn

D, Deliver that bit extra

E, Efficient and effective

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