Reflection Business and Academic Skills for Sales Manager Position - Scholarship Essay Example

? Business and Academic Skills Contents Contents 2 Section Employability Skills 3 Different Jobs and their Applicability 3 Curriculum Vitae for the Role of Sales Manager 16 Cover Letter for Curriculum Vitae 18 Section 2: Academic Skills 18 Section 3: Reflective Statement 22 Reflection on Section 1 and 2 22 Reflection on Section 2 22 References 24 Section 1: Employability Skills Different Jobs and their Applicability The different type of jobs that can be undertaken by me in regards to the degree and qualifications that I am pursuing and possess so far are that of a Business Analyst, Sales Manager and also that of a Customer Relationship Manager profile. The job and the applicability parameters for such can be evaluated in the form of a tabular framework as follows. Business Analyst Sales Manager Customer Relationship Manager Application of Numeracy To become a Business Analyst a person needs to possess adequate numeric skills to help working on large amount of numeric databases and conducting statistical operations on such to draw useful inferences. The person working as the Sales Manager in a company is required to have knowledge and skill in application of numerical sets for it helps the manager to forecast the future sales conditions depending on the existing sales situation. The sales manager in turn is required to broadly quantify the different anticipations for the sales in relation to different categories. The customer relationship manager is required to keep large databases of different types of consumers relating to different regions and sectors. Thus effective database management in regards to the purchase behaviour of the consumers along with the different offers set from time to time constitutes an important activity of the customer relationship manager. Team working Similarly the person is also required to work in a collaborative fashion with other people pertaining to departments like planning, marketing and financing to help enhance productivity of the concern based on the analysis made of future business conditions. Team work is considered an integral element of the Sales Managers job. The Sales Manager through effective teamwork helps in holding the sales team pertaining to different regions to help generate adequate amount of sales pertaining to different categories. Teamwork also helps the sales manager in gaining effective feedback through which sales strategies can be modified. The customer relationship manager is required to work effectively in a team consisting of the marketing manager and also of the operations manager. Teamwork taught in the business management course helps in maintaining effective coordination between the different departments to achieve the business objective. Self-management The Business Analyst working in an analytical environment needs to manage his own skills by rightly updating them to help find potential business solutions. The skill sets can be better enhanced through enhancing one’s knowledge parameters based on different software that has been developed relating to statistical and mathematical model formulation. Self-management is highly required for a sales manager in regards to encouraging and providing enthusiasm to the workers and sales officers to perform well in a particular territory. Self discipline of the sales manager can only help in streamlining and synchronizing the sales operations of the officers working in the different territories. The customer relationship manager is required to manage own set of responsibilities to help satisfy and sustain the different consumer groups for the concern. Thus self-management on our part in meeting established responsibilities is highly required for being a customer relationship manager. Business & Customer Awareness In regards to the parameter for business and customer awareness the person working in a Business Analyst profile is required to understand the analytical requirements from both the market and business perspective and thereby render adequate analysis. Moreover the Business Analyst profile also requires the person to be well versed with different types of computer applications like Microsoft Excel, SAP, ERP Applications, SAAS and the like. The Sales Manager of the company is required to put enhanced focus on the external business and marketing environment of the region. Any change in the demand and supply scenario along with changes in consumer behaviour must be taken due care off by the Sales Manager so as to effectively design and set sales strategies aimed at gaining a larger market share. The management course taught to us helps in rendering a practical understanding of the business and consumer position in a particular business sector. Customer Relationship Manager should be thus aware of the changing business scenario and as well as of the change in consumer psychology pertaining to the different categories of products and services. Application of IT To effectively perform in a Business Analyst profile a person needs to work in an integrated Information Technology environment that would help the person effectively compute the right result from a large volume of numerical databases. In regards to Information Technology applications the Sales Manager is required to have the basic knowledge of programs pertaining to Microsoft Office to help him make effective sales targets on monthly and weekly basis. Similarly the Sales Manager is also required to make presentations on PowerPoint about the different sales events formulated from time to time. Gaining knowledge on topics like Microsoft Office helps an individual in rightly satisfying the requirements for the customer relationship management role. It is because the customer relationship manager is required to manage large databases of consumer records in excel and also to render presentations on PowerPoint. Problem Solving The Business Analyst is however required to have high amount of problem solving skills through which one can draw significant and potential inferences to the business problems. Such skills would enable the business gain a competitive advantage in regards to different competing companies operating in the same sector. The Sales Manager is also required to possess effective problem solving skills. Such skills would help the sales manager in effectively rendering solutions to areas that require choosing the right kind of market survey that helps to evaluate the change in consumer psychology and thereby a change in the demand. The Customer Relationship Manager is required to possess effective problem solving skills to help in solving the queries of the different consumers. Solving queries of consumers and gaining effective feedback helps the manager in finding out probable solutions to emerging problems. The business management course that is being pursued helps us to enhance on the skills of problem solving in relation to a particular business situation. Communication and Literacy In regards to communication and literacy paradigm the Business Analyst is required to act as effective communicator to help communicate the inferences drawn to the different business levels and departments. Further the Business Analyst is also required to have a formidable management degree like Masters in Business Administration. Such degree would help the person in delivering the right inference for the business problem hinted. A person is required to gain the minimum qualification of being a Masters in Business Administration to gain the role of Sales Manager in a business company. The degree prescribed would enable the person to gain the right leadership quality required for decision making activities and also in organizing a potential team. The customer relationship manager is required to effectively communicate the feedbacks gained to different units like sales and marketing and other strategic planning teams. Again the business management course taught to us incorporates business communication as an integrative aspect of management studies that in turn enhances the skill sets pertaining to business communication. Experience While working in Alkheliwi Company in Saudi Arabia as a Sales Manager I gained the knowledge of using analytical tools for forecasting of sale events. Working in Alkheliwi Company helped me gain practical knowledge of marketing and sales activities regarding formulation of targets, management of sales teams, deciding on marketing and promotion events and the like. In terms of experience the business management course taught to us sets different tasks where we are required to act in different business roles. Moreover working as a sales manager in Alkheliwi Company also helped in gaining understanding of consumer psychology. Strengths and Weakness The business management course that I am pursuing is helping me to gain the right analytical power needed for effective decision making. However still I got to gain enough knowledge relating to numerical ability in a computerized environment to gain the right potential for the Business Analyst profile. The business management course in marketing and sales is making me equipped with different types of strategic and marketing tools that a business manager is required to incorporate to rightly evaluate the required business strategy. Effective business communication incorporated in the business management course helps us in getting a solid foundation and knowledge of the business communication activities required to be conducted with the external and internal stakeholders. However our skills can be better enhanced if we are given better exposure through internship programs that would help better our practical understanding of business requirements. Curriculum Vitae for the Role of Sales Manager Name Address Career Objective: An enthusiastic & hard working individual who believes in learning, growing & get going while taking up challenges as part & parcel of everyday livelihood. Professional Qualification I worked as an Assistant Manager in Sales and Marketing Division of Alkheliwi Company during Summer for the period of 2008-2009. Responsibilities: Formulation of Targets based on Resources Available and Business Environment Conditions. Managing a team of thirty people comprising of sales force and their team leads. Monitoring Team performance based on standards set. Reporting to Senior Manager in regards to team performance and also generating effective feedback obtained from the market. I helped in Organizing High Network Client Meets to help in Business Expansion activities. I focused on conducting meetings with other managers of departments like Finance and Operations to help render solutions to emerging business problems. Educational Qualification Pursuing Master’s in Business Administration from London College of Management with Specialization in Marketing (Major) & Finance (Minor) currently. I have completed Graduation from Riyadh Najed School in Saudi Arabia during 2007. Additional Qualification Familiar with computer programs like Microsoft Office and PowerPoint. Completed Microsoft Office Course during 2007-2008 Gained award in Leadership Programs held in the College for reflecting adequate leadership personality. Personal Information Hobby : Playing Football and Reading Books Place: Date: Signature Cover Letter for Curriculum Vitae DEAR SIR/MADAM, I DESIRE TO APPLY FOR THE POST OF SALES MANAGER IN YOUR ELITE COMPANY. CURRENTLY I AM PURSUING A BUSINESS MANAGEMENT COURSE WITH SPECIALIZATION IN MARKETING AND FINANCE. I HAVE RELEVANT ANALYTICAL AND BUSINESS SKILLS AND ALSO POSSESS LEADERSHIP TRAITS REQUIRED FOR A BUSINESS MANAGER MANAGING A TEAM OF PEOPLE. I AM ATTACHING MY CURRICULUM VITAE FOR YOUR KIND PERUSAL. SIR/MADAM I WOULD BE GLAD ENOUGH IF YOUR KIND PERUSAL TO MY APPLICATION ALLOWS ME THE PLACE APPLIED FOR IN YOUR CONCERN. REGARDS, Section 2: Academic Skills The use of social media in business can be said to improve the potential profitability of a business Business corporations round the world are found to gain the use of social media as an effective tool for the promotion of their business to large number of people living in separate geographies. Microsoft Corporation during a business summit held during 2008 reflected that by the end of 2013 around 50 percent new business ventures would crop up from social networking activities. One of the leading examples of organizations to have gained considerably through the social media is Dell which had confronted with poor financial results during the time when it did not use the social media but eventually made tremendous improvements after using the same. “Dell’s blog is as much a conversation as yelling at a brisk wall” (Nguyen, 2011, p.9). This was a remark made by Jeff Jarvis to which Dell had replied with the statement that “Thanks for the feedback guys. We’ll keep working to get it right” (Nguyen, 2011, p.9). According to the views of authors Powell, Groves & Dimos, “social media is changing the way businesses can, and must engage with their customers” (Powell, Groves & Dimos, 2011, p.). Turner and Shah (2010) have reflected on major advantage of the social media saying that “when you take the time to measure it, you might discover that it is a significant source of profit. Significant profits can make you rich and we all agree that money is the only important thing in life” (Turner & Shah, 2010, p.17). However the activity of social media used by business corporations has some severe pitfalls from being taken as a viable business promotion tool. Firstly the social media gains more usage to the company in only increasing sales but fails to expand on market opportunities. Secondly the business corporations fail to track the potential sales and revenues that the company is earning from social media activities (Press and Meyerson, 2010, p.120-121; Boone and Kurtz, 2010, p.210). In an interview with Steven Rubel, the Senior Vice President of Edelman Digital and Director of Insights, he had raised the question of glaring difficulty that marketers were about to face in near future, saying that “already there is a crisis of attention that marketers must face. With all that a customer has the ability to access online- in an increasingly mobile format- the ability to get their attention to a particular brand in only going to get harder and harder” (Powell, Groves & Dimos, 2011, “crisis of attention”). Moreover, the Nielson Global Online Consumer Survey revealed that “while 78% of consumers trust business recommendations, only 14% trust advertisements. A mere 18% of traditional campaigns generate a positive ROI” (Meyerson, 2010, p.122). The importance of online reviews cannot be ignored in this context. A research project was commissioned by Power Reviews produced a quantified result of online marketing. “The study found that 65% of online shoppers said they always read online reviews before making a decision” (Wilson, n.d., “Product Reviews – Courting the Social Researchers”). There always remain marketing challenges of providing the right stuff and content which attracts the viewers and also impacts and influences the behaviour of customers. Therefore it has been criticized on engaging on such activities which are neither transparent nor effective in producing measurable results. Thus Wilson has commented that “Without a clear link between resource expenditures and economic return, the marketing value of social media will always remain uncertain” (Wilson, n.d., “Social Media Marketing”). A current survey made during the 2011 period shows that around 43 percent of different businesses are using the social media activity to help gain new consumers. This fact gains stand for mostly business-to-consumer companies for only 8 percent of business-to-business companies gain on social media activities. The Microsoft Small Business Summit 2008 presented with the finding that “It is estimated that over 5o percent of new business will come from social media and internet marketing efforts over the next five years. That number cold triple by 2020” (Meyerson, 2010, p.120). Social networking thus is now considered as a tool not an end means to achieve business profitability (Paul, 2011; Wankel, Marovich, Stanaityte, 2010, p.180). The following graphs would further elucidate the situation. “By mid-2011, Facebook claimed more than 800 million active users, more than half of which log on to Facebook on any given day” (Zimmerman, 2011, p.303). Figure 1 (Paul, 2011) Figure 2 (Paul, 2011) The social media usage can be taken more as a tool for enhancing community networks among different consumer groups and thereby in popularizing the image of the company. It must not be thus taken only as a profit enhancing tool where rendering too much focus leads to the failure of its usage objectives (Chen, 2010, p.203; Safko, 2010, p.15). The Hubspot Survey 2011 which surveyed the number of companies gaining from the social media channels declared that “marketing is only part of your company, but all of your company is marketing. Social media is a ripe environment for this hypothesis, where every part of the company, from human resources to tech support and from engineering to sales can be involved” (Zimmerman, 2011, p.307). Section 3: Reflective Statement Reflection on Section 1 and 2 Section 1 helps an individual to evaluate one’s strength and weaknesses in measuring the achievements and potentials based on a set of seven parameters that are again evaluated based on three chosen profiles. Section 2 helps an individual to assess one’s literary potential in addressing a situation presented. This fact helps in enhancing the presentation style. Reflection on Section 2 The essay chosen from Section 2 helps the individual in presenting facts based on statistical figures and diagrams that enhance one’s association with the different tools. References Boone, L., and Kurtz, D. (2010). Contemporary Business. John Wiley and Sons. Chen, T. (2010). Implementing New Business Models in For-Profit and Non-Profit Organizations: Technologies and Applications. Idea Group Inc (IGI). Meyerson, M. (2010). Success Secrets of Social Media Marketing Superstars. Entrepreneur Press. Nguyen, L. (2011). Providing Customer Service by Use of Social Media Channels (best Practices). GRIN Verlag. Paul, J. (2011). Is Social Media Helping or Hurting the Economy? [Online]. Available At: http://www.socialmediaclubdc.org/2011/11/is-social-media-helping-or-hurting-the-economy/. [Accessed on February 02, 2012]. Powell, G., Groves, S. & Dimos, J. (2011). ROI of Social Media: How to Improve the Return on Your Social Marketing Investment. John Wiley and Sons. Press, E., and Meyerson, M. (2010). Success Secrets of Social Media Marketing Superstars. Entrepreneur Press. Safko, L. (2010). The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success. John Wiley and Sons. Turner, J. & Shah, R. (2010). How to Make Money with Social Media: An Insider's Guide on Using New and Emerging Media to Grow Your Business. FT Press. Wankel, C., Marovich, M., and Stanaityte, J. (2010). Cutting-edge social media approaches to business education: teaching with LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Second life, and blogs. IAP. Wilson, S. (No Date). Social Media and Small Business Marketing. Sell Photos on IStockphoto. Zimmerman, J. (2011). Web Marketing For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. Read More