Professional Guide
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
This guide serves as a general roadmap, suggesting a successful career strategy for roles such as:
- Business Development & Sales
- Key Account Management
- Customer Success/Customer Services
Professional Guide
This guide serves as your roadmap to a successful career, providing the resources and knowledge needed to take proactive steps toward your future.
This guide serves as a general roadmap, suggesting a successful career strategy for roles such as:
In different companies, the Sales & Business Development roles can have various titles. Please find out the main titles:
SALES DEPARTMENT
The sales department drives the company’s growth by creating and managing the relationship with customers.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Business development professionals work to develop a company by evaluating their performance and looking for areas to improve. Improvement may come in the form of building and maintaining relationships with allies and partners, or it may involve identifying opportunities for growth in other channels. Working in business development offers growth potential and the option to have a fulfilling career.
Business development is the identification of long-term methods to increase value through the development of relationships, markets, and customers. The core responsibility of a business developer is to grow a business. Depending on the industry, the day-to-day tasks and strategies to achieve this goal will vary, but the overall mission remains the same.
Sales focuses on identifying leads, researching and developing them, and moving them along the sales cycle toward a closing.
Here find the article on the Differences between Sales and Business Development.
Business development & Sales departments are expected to work closely with Customer Services/ Customer Success teams.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Customer service is more in-the-moment and reactive. It’s about zeroing in on specific issues and complaints, such as a technical malfunction or customer confusion surrounding a certain process or application, and figuring out the most effective way to solve them—all while providing customers with the best possible experience. Ideally, customers will walk away with their problems solved—and an increasingly positive perception of their relationship with your organization.
CUSTOMER SUCCESS
Customer success, meanwhile, is about the big picture. It involves taking customer data insights and turning them into strategic actions that will help your customers achieve their business goals (which, in turn, will help you achieve your own). The idea is to accomplish this while providing customers with a great experience. The focus is on optimizing the value your customers derive from their investment in your products or services.
Here find the article on Customer Success vs. Customer Service: How they work together.
Tech companies are hiring worldwide for Business Development & Sales roles, especially junior profiles (internships and graduate programs).
Check out the Careers webpages of the main Top Tech companies where you can find opportunities in the area of Sales & Business Development.
Recommendation: use the search engine tool filtering by job type, area, region/country, and using keywords, like business development, sales, graduate, etc.
Top Tech Companies
*Click on each company to check out its Careers webpage
Unicorns and ScaleUps
Startups
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In Financial Sales roles, your job is to sell a financial services company’s products and services or to help clients select financial products or services. This often includes insurance, banking services, investments, and similar products. Clients can be private individuals or corporate clients.
This is a highly-skilled role and one that carries with it a great amount of responsibility, as the market and its products are in constant change.
If you work in financial sales, your job will likely consist of connecting customers with suitable or customized financial products. Financial products often include insurance and investment products.
Some subsectors in Finance to consider if interested in Sales & Business Development roles:
GLOBAL MARKETS (SALES & TRADING)
When people think of investment banking, they tend to imagine the trading floor. Although sales & trading is just one part of a bank’s work, it is where a lot of its commercial activity takes place.
In simple terms, traders buy and sell products like equity (stocks) and debt (bonds) and commodities (like oil and natural gas) and execute foreign exchange deals that make an incremental profit.
PRIVATE WEALTH MANAGEMENT (PRIVATE BANKING)
Private wealth management refers to investment management and financial planning for individual investors. The private wealth sector has grown considerably as global wealth has increased and as individuals have taken on more of the responsibility for managing their own financial resources. Private wealth managers can help individual investors seek the benefits as well as navigate the complexities of financial markets.
FINTECH
It’s also worth mentioning that fintech is one of the growing trends in the financial sector, with numerous opportunities in Business Development and Sales.
For detailed info on opportunities in the finance sector, check out our Finance Professionals Online Guide.
Main Industry Sectors where sales and business development profiles are in demand:
CONSTRUCTION SECTOR
In this sector sales and business development profiles with a technical background are generally in demand due to the type of products they sell, as well as the type of interlocutor (Purchasing, Site Managers, Installation Managers, etc.).
*Many of the industrial companies that manufacture building products also have an industry-focused division.
CHEMICAL SECTOR
Generally, sales are technical and can range from the sale of chemical specialties and commodities, as well as finished products for Industry (abrasives, industrial adhesives, protection equipment, instrumentation, tools, machinery, etc.).
Generally, these are sales with a technical component, and the interlocutors the salespeople focus on are usually from the purchasing and technical departments.
MANUFACTURING SECTOR
This sector encompasses a number of sub-sectors such as petroleum, plastics, electronics, computers, metal fabrication, wood, leather and paper, etc.
The main characteristic is that companies have a production process, usually several industrial plants and the optimal management of the supply chain and production process is essential to optimize the profitability of sales.
Generally, sales and business development profiles in this sector negotiate with technical and purchasing departments.
Main roles in this sector: Sales Executive, Inside Sales, BDM, KAM, Product Manager, etc.
Examples of companies: Siemens, Honeywell, Caterpillar, Drager, Emerson, ABB, Johnson Controls, etc.
AUTOMOTIVE SECTOR
Tiered supply chains are common in industries such as automotive manufacturing, where the final product is made up of many complex components and sub-assemblies that must meet stringent quality, manufacturing, and business standards.
Within the automotive sector, we must differentiate between two main blocks:
Manufacturers: Ford, Nissan, Daimler, Porsche, Ferrari, SEAT, BMW etc.
Auxiliary Sector (TIER 1 / TIER 2):
Generally, sales and business development profiles are more in demand in TIER 1 and TIER 2, and the interlocutors are usually the purchasing and technical departments.
Main roles in demand: Sales Engineers, Sales Executive, Inside Sales, KAM, Product Manager, AfterSales, etc.
ENERGY SECTOR
In this sector, the renewable energy subsector is the most in demand.
We are mainly divided into two blocks:
The most demanded profiles in this sector are Commercial Engineers, KAM, BDM, Sales Executives, Technical Sales, etc.
Examples of companies: EDP, X Elio, GRI, Vestas, Ampere, Powen, Capital Energy, Perfecta Energía, Solaria, GE, Siemens Gamesa, etc.
In the industrial world, the sales and business development jobs are usually related to B2B, that is, the selling of services or products manufactured by the company you are working for, to another company.
Energy Brokers:
Energy brokers are the liaisons between energy producers and consumers of energy products. They work with residential or commercial energy companies. They negotiate the prices of energy products and contracts to help lower energy costs for daily operations for businesses and monthly energy bills for homeowners. Energy brokers also forecast the supply and demand of energy and monitor the flow of energy as consumer demand changes. Approximately 2,200 energy brokers are employed in the energy industry.
Top Employers with Sales Positions
Linkedin Job Search: Sales
Business Development
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What a professional in the FMCG sales & BD role will be expected to do:
Business Development and Sales are a main part role in the FMCG, as ultimately the business depends on sales. As all companies within that sector are B2C and not B2B and focus on short term sales, it goes without saying that Sales and BD roles have a huge impact on the overall performance of the company. The FMCG is a very competitive and mature market that employs both on trade and off trade (traditional channel like carrefour). As the most important channel is retail in FMCG, Sales & BD roles are directly linked to the success of the company.
Graduate programs are good entry point for candidates looking to enter the BD & sales spectrum but another effective way to enter the FMCG world is from an internal sales position. Coming from an internal sales position successfully prepares you for a client-facing, account-management role. Having sales experience in FMCG leads to successful growth as you get to learn about brands, consumers, market and competition in the most direct and effective way. Usually, one enters a field sales position and can progress onto key account manager and eventually can become a sales director or head of sales. Career growth in FMCG is quite steady and linear as you are rewarded for the performance you give.
The main companies in the FMCG sector with important B&D and Sales opportunities: the most important companies in the FMCG sector revolve around household and personal hygiene, healthcare, food and beverages, and fashion.
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Now that you have learned more about the job role of Business Development & Sales, make a list of the Top 10 companies you would like to work at. This is the minimum number of companies you should have under your radar, as getting a job is a job itself and you need to really work on it to get the best opportunity!
To do so:
For all the companies on your list, identify the following:
Once you have the target list, expand your research. You can download this spreadsheet and fill it out! This will help you get started on your internship/job search and start preparing for the application process, by tracking all the opportunities you are going to apply for.
In most cases, you'll need experience in sales, marketing, or business management. Certain skills are also vital to your success in this field, including those in sales, communication, negotiation, marketing, data analysis, and project management. By building these skills, you can increase your chances of success in the field of business development and sales.
Working in sales requires self-confidence and persistence.
Sales workers need to have good interpersonal skills and get along with many types of people. They also must be able to listen to the customer's needs and preferences, both before and after a sale. Success often depends on building a relationship with the client.
Main skills for Business Development & Sales background
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This is the moment to apply the knowledge acquired in the previous sections and boost your applications!
Make sure to check all Talent & Careers communications in order to see more options how to gain experience.
Participate in Events, Webinars, Seminars
The main recruitment event at IEU is the TALENT FORUM we usually host in Fall and Spring, where the different companies come to recruit the IEU students.
IE University Labs
Labs are IE University’s alternative to traditional work placements which provide hands-on, internship-like experience on campus to first and second-year students who wish to start gaining professional practice.
For example: Tech Lab, Innovation Lab, Startup Lab, Marketing Lab, etc. For further information, visit the web: ieulabs.ie.edu or send an e-mail to: labs.university@ie.edu
Virtual Work Experience Programs
Example: Forage - this virtual platform gives students the chance to experience what it’s like to work in a range of world-leading companies remotely and gain practical skills to add to their CV.
For example, the programs at Forage, like Business Development or Sales Virtual Experience programs in different companies, such as Red Bull On-Premises Sales Virtual Experience Program
Join relevant IE Professional Clubs
For example: Technology & Innovation Club, Marketing Club. For further information, visit the website or send an e-mail to: campus.life@ie.edu
Join LinkedIn groups
Join the LinkedIn groups and follow the companies of your interest.
WHAT ABOUT INTERNSHIPS IN SALES AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT?
Carrying out an internship in order to gain more experience in this area will be a plus. It can be an internship in sales, customer services, public relations, business development, or other related areas.
You can start applying to internships as soon as your first year of studies (but remember to check the calendar of Internship Periods with your Academic department first).
Take into account that companies usually offer long-term internships internships to penultimate or last-year students.
That is why it is important to gain more experience through extracurricular activities, virtual internships (like those mentioned above) or look for summer or part-time internships in smaller companies or startups during your first years of studies.
Here you have your To-Do List of actions to strengthen your professional profile:
Application is usually done online, on the company’s website (check first with your Career Advisor if you can have a referral before you apply)
CV
You should customize your CV to the specific internship/job position you found on their webpage (at least 80% fit the requirements).
Prepare your CV using the IE CV template and sign up on Vmock using your IEU student e-mail address. Work on the automatic feedback provided by the platform until you reach a 75% score approx.
Once ready, contact your Career Advisor for further feedback. Maximum one page long!
Online Aptitude Tests (Numeracy, Logical, Verbal)
Most of the time companies will send you some psychometric (cognitive or aptitude) tests to complete online. They usually measure different skills (numerical, reasoning, language, etc.). Make sure you practice before taking the official test through JobTestPrep.
Pre Screen Interview
Video interviews becoming a common part of the recruitment process. Some companies choose to analyze the videos using Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI analyzes and scores verbal and non-verbal content – i.e. what you say and how you say it. It uses speech and facial recognition technology to track and assess your choice of words- i.e. use of powerful and desirable key words along with your eye and facial movements, your body language, your tone and your intonation. It is checking for inconsistencies. You can find more tips in Video Interview AI algorithms: how to get a YES from the robot (Hilt).
Interviews
You can be asked to meet with HR (in person or via phone), and/or then with a member of the business area that you'd be joining. Practice both fit/motivation and behavioral/competency questions. Remember to practice and structure your answers with a STAR method (Situation+Task+Action+Result). You can find Interview Preparation Guidance.
Mock Interview with a professional working in the field (once you have passed the initial stages). Ask your Career Advisor for more tips.
Use the list of the companies which have been mentioned above for each sector.
Create a “target list” of the companies you're interested in, check the requirements, and if applicable apply directly through their career websites or through referral.
Referral programs: Some Tech companies, like Google, Amazon, Salesforce, etc. have a referral program, which is a deliberate recruitment strategy rewarding staff for referring suitable and qualified candidates from their pool of contacts. T&C can help you find the right career referral, but only when you haven't applied through the official webpage yet.
It might not apply to other sectors, where you need to apply directly through the careers webpage.
Reach out to IE Alumni: who are currently working in the companies of your interest. Try to secure informal informative meetings for insights and advice. You can use the IE Alumni Directory and LinkedIn.
Internships and Entry-level Jobs WORLDWIDE
Internships and Entry-level Jobs in SPAIN
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
A fast-tracked 1-2 or even 3-year career pathway for a specific organization or industry. Usually, you are offered industry-specific training, professional development, and networking opportunities.
Many graduate programs also offer the opportunity to perform multiple roles in an organization on a rotating basis, giving you more exposure to a range of different jobs within your chosen field. These programs usually start in September, and the application process can be started up to one year beforehand. For example, Graduate Jobs & Schemes.
Remember about Resources from Talent & Careers:
