FMCG from a sales perspective

Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) are products that are sold quickly, and often at a low price. This can range from foods to electricals, alongside other consumer products. Sales is an important role for any product-led organisation. Understandably, these businesses are fuelled by their turnover, so having the best salespeople working for you is a great start to ensuring you are doing the best by your customers, and your company.

The sales environment in an FMCG organisation

Typically, an FMCG organisation is led by its products, therefore, the sales cycles are shorter. In terms of talent within your organisation, your hires will have a variety of different skills in relation to sales. Sales professionals that sell branded products usually have a different skill set to those that are selling own-label products. For example, the professionals employed as National Account Managers (NAM) should be trained in New Product Development (NPD), whereas branded NAMs will be trained on promotional budgets. 

The skills you should be looking for

Success in a sales role is often linked to suitability to the role. Finding a person who is passionate about sales is a good start. But, what personality traits and essential skills should you be looking for to ensure your candidate will excel in your environment? 
This differs depending on the customer base of your organisation. For example, a salesperson selling to a supermarket chain will need strong analytical skills as there is a lot of retail-specific data to analyse continually, to work out what products are excelling and what the shoppers are interested in purchasing. This, amongst other things such as profit and loss statements to balance, and promotional budgets to manage, are some of the top skills a sales professional requires for this type of role.
Strong relationship building skills are required in all sales roles, especially in the cash and carry, and wholesale sectors as the movement of buyers is not as fluid as that of retail. So, retaining clients and keeping your products moving can be done through great communication between sales professionals and clients.

Why is it hard to source top talent?

Often, if a business loses one of their top sales professionals, they will aim to replace them with someone who is similar to their predecessor, this is a challenge for any company as it reduces the talent pool they can search within. 
It is important to consider hiring professionals outside your typical scope. We can introduce you to some of the rising stars in the sales industry, who have great transferable skills and have the capacity to grow and develop with the company that they join. Offering a candidate a good benefits package, an inclusive company culture, and competitive remuneration, can secure top talent faster. Talented salespeople are revenue drivers for businesses - it is important to invest in the best.

Why are candidates reluctant to move to new roles?

For sales professionals looking to move to a new FMCG organisation, the uncertainty in the current market is a significant factor when making a decision, especially if the candidate is working in export or the retail channel. 
Interestingly, it has been made clear that candidates looking to move aren’t doing so to retain a higher salary, it is usually because they are looking for career progression or a more innovative and forward-thinking organisation. Many sales professionals that are looking to move businesses will be seeking a business with an excellent reputation in customer service, a great company culture, and a clear progression plan. Furthermore, job security is a huge factor for professionals. With household brands being taking off the high street, candidates want to make sure that they work for an organisation that is low risk when it comes to a customer base. 
At Michael Page, we have specialists dedicated to FMCG and consumer sales, we are constantly networking with candidates that would help your business in this area. Our network of offices across the UK means that we are able to recommend candidates to businesses on a nationwide level, which can help to broaden your recruitment search. Not to mention our fantastic online marketing campaign dedicated purely to the FMCG market. 
If you are interested in developing the talent in your sales team why not get in touch with one of our specialist recruitment consultants today? They can advise you on exploring your options and help streamline your recruitment process. Alternatively, submit a job spec and one of our consultants will call to discuss your hiring needs. 
Louise Shepherd
Director, Michael Page Sales
T: 0116 282 1564