Sales promotion executive Job Information | National Careers Service

The work

To attract consumers to the product or service you are promoting, you might use tactics such as free gifts, competitions, token collect offers or money-off vouchers. You could reach people in various ways, including in-store displays, special events, direct mailings and advertising.

Your day-to-day tasks would typically include:

• meeting clients and suppliers to find out about their product or service
• researching clients and markets
• developing ideas for marketing strategies and campaigns
• presenting your ideas to the client
• briefing other staff in the marketing and promotions agency
• writing promotional marketing material
• costing projects and making sure that everything stays on budget
• making sure that each part of a campaign runs smoothly
• reporting on the campaign’s progress and judging its effectiveness.

In some jobs you may be known as an account or brand executive.

Hours

You would typically work standard office hours, Monday to Friday, with overtime when necessary to meet campaign deadlines or attend promotional events outside office hours.

At the start of your career you would be mainly office-based, although you could sometimes visit suppliers and attend events. With experience, you would spend more of your time on the road visiting clients.

Income

Typical starting salaries are between £18,000 and £22,000 a year. With experience, this can rise to between £25,000 and £35,000. Account directors can earn up to £50,000 a year or more.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements

You could come to sales promotion from a range of backgrounds, although it would be most useful to have previous experience of sales, marketing, advertising or customer service. Employers will be mainly interested in your skills, enthusiasm and business sense.

However, this is a competitive industry to join, and some employers may prefer you to be a graduate. All subjects are acceptable, but a degree or BTEC HND in advertising, marketing, business or psychology may give you an advantage.

If you have a degree, you may be able to join the industry through a graduate training scheme, such as the scheme that the Marketing Communications Consultants Association (MCCA) runs for its member agencies. See the MCCA’s website for details.

It's a good idea to try to find work experience in a marketing promotions agency before looking for your first job. Contact agencies directly to ask about work placements.

Training and development

You would usually start as a junior sales promotion executive and develop your skills on the job. Some larger agencies run structured graduate training schemes.

Your training may include the chance to gain qualifications from the Institute of Sales Promotion (ISP), including:

• ISP Certificate in Promotional and Interactive Marketing – an introductory course that many agencies use as part of their training for new staff
• ISP Diploma in Promotional and Interactive Marketing – a part-time course of around 18 weeks, which is the main qualification in the sales promotion industry.

The ISP also offers a range of short courses and seminars in various aspects of sales promotion. See the ISP’s website for more details about their qualifications and training.

If you deal with direct marketing in your job, you could also take short courses and qualifications from the Institute of Direct Marketing (IDM) – see their website for information.

Skills and knowledge

To be a sales promotion executive you should have:

• good spoken and written communication skills
• creativity and problem-solving skills
• good organisational skills and attention to detail
• the ability to work well as part of a team
• drive, motivation and enthusiasm
• the ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure
• confidence and persuasiveness, for 'selling' your ideas
• budget awareness and good business sense.

More information

Institute of Promotional Marketing
70 Margaret Street
London
W1W 8SS
Tel: 020 7291 7730
www.theipm.org.uk

Marketing Agencies Association
www.marketingagencies.org.uk

Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing (IDM)
1 Park Road
Teddington
Middlesex
TW11 0AR
Tel: 020 8614 0277
www.urthebrand.co.uk
www.theidm.com

Opportunities

You could work for a sales promotion agency, or for a marketing communications agency that offers clients a range of services including sales promotion. Most agencies are based in major cities.

With experience, you could work on larger accounts and be promoted to senior account executive, account manager and account director.

Jobs may be advertised in the local and national press, industry magazines, and by specialist recruitment agencies.

You may find the following useful for job vacancies and further reading (links open in new window):

• Brand Republic
• Marketing Week
• Marketing
• simplymarketingjobs