When you read sales adverts in Ghana you will see many job titles: sales representative, sales executive, telesales consultant, field sales officer, business development representative, graduate trainee in sales. They sound different, but they all sit somewhere on the same path from a stranger to a paying customer. Knowing that path helps you understand any sales job you are offered.
Selling to people and selling to businesses
B2C means business to consumer: selling to individuals. A data bundle, a solar lantern, a motor insurance policy or a phone on credit are usually B2C. Decisions are often quick, made by one person or a family, and the amounts are smaller.
B2B means business to business: selling to companies, schools, clinics, NGOs or shops. Internet for an office, fertiliser for an agro dealer or accounting software for a pharmacy are B2B. Decisions take longer, several people may be involved, and each sale is usually bigger. You may need a written quote, a meeting and approval from an owner or manager.
Common roles
- Telesales. Selling by phone and WhatsApp from an office or from home, often calling lists of leads.
- Field sales. Visiting shops, farms and offices in person, often with a phone app to record visits and orders.
- Business development representative. Finding and qualifying new business customers, then booking meetings for a more senior colleague.