5 Facts about the Sales Specialist with Federal Diploma of Higher Education

Their day-to-day work involves advising customers, acquiring new customers, managing existing customer relationships and planning and implementing sales activities. Sales specialists often work at the interface between customers, marketing and the company.

Sales specialists with a Federal Diploma of Higher Education (FPE) are qualified specialists who manage the entire sales process. They combine strategic market development, professional customer advice and targeted customer care in order to secure long-term business relationships and measurably increase the company's success.

The most important skills as a sales specialist with a Federal Diploma of Higher Education at a glance:

• Core competencies
  
  • Strategic consulting:Analysis of customer needs, development of customized market services and preparation of target group-specific offers.
  • Active sales:Skillful conversation, handling objections and successful and confident negotiation.
  • Customer care & retention:Measures for customer loyalty, relationship intensification and active complaint management.
• Typical day-to-day activities as a Sales Specialist with Federal Diploma of Higher Education
  
  • Market development:Creating sales concepts and carrying out market and competitor analyses.
  • Acquisition & support:Acquisition of new customers and comprehensive support for key customers (key account management).
  • Administration:Follow-up of customer appointments, preparation of quotations and maintenance of the CRM system.

Only those who can already demonstrate professional experience in sales or related areas are admitted to the Federal Professional Examination. The continuing education, sales specialist is therefore aimed specifically at professionals with practical experience in customer contact and sales.

Admission to the Federal Professional Examination for Sales Specialist with Federal Diploma of Higher Education requires a commercial or sales-specific basic education and at least two years of relevant sales experience. The exact requirements vary depending on your previous training.

The detailed admission requirements (including proof of practical experience) for the examinations are as follows:

• With Federal Diploma of Vocational Education and Training:At least 3 years of vocational education and training (VET) + at least2 years of relevant professional experience.
• With a high school diploma, commercial diploma or Specialized School Certificate:Degree from a state-recognized school + at least2 years of relevant professional experience.
• With Federal Certificate of Vocational Education and Training:At least 2 years of vocational education and training (VET) + at least3 years of relevant professional experience.
• Career changers without Federal VET Diploma:As a rule, an individual clarification is possible (Sur-dossier application to the examination board). Often then5 years of professional experience, including at least 3 years in sales,provided.

Note: The required professional experience must have been acquired in full by the time the examination begins and must be documented by means of work references.

Sales specialists must be able to recognize customer needs, communicate convincingly and conduct negotiations professionally. This is why many courses include conversation techniques, presentation techniques and sales psychology as important topics.

Communication and negotiation are indeed the be-all and end-all for every successful sales specialist with a Federal Diploma of Higher Education.

The federal curriculum focuses on these skills in order to build sustainable customer relationships and secure sales targets in a dynamic market environment.

Here are the central core competencies that are important in this area:

• Communication as a Sales Specialist with Federal Diploma of Higher Education
  
  • Active listening:Filter out the true needs and pain points of customers by listening carefully and asking specific questions (e.g. open W questions).
  • Benefit orientation:Not just a list of product features. They translate technical data into concrete, individual customer benefits.
  • Body language & rhetoric:Conscious use of voice, facial expressions and gestures to appear authentic, likeable and convincing.
  • Presentation techniques:The confident presentation of concepts, offers and products to individuals or to the entire decision-making body (buying center).
• Negotiation as a Sales Specialist with Federal Diploma of Higher Education
  
  • WIN-WIN principle:Conduct negotiations in such a way that both sides feel they have received added value in order to secure long-term partnerships.
  • Objection handling:Dealing confidently with criticism, pretexts and price discussions. Instead of going on the defensive, objections are used as selling points.
  • Closing security:The ability to actively manage the negotiation process, interpret the buy signal correctly and close the deal.
  • Conflict management:Calm and de-escalating behavior in tense situations, e.g. in the event of delivery bottlenecks or complaints.

Sales specialists work in industrial, commercial or service companies as well as in the office or in the field. Sales and consulting skills are required in almost all sectors.

The Sales Specialist with Federal Diploma of Higher Education qualification qualifies you as a cross-industry expert. Thanks to its high practical relevance, this federally recognized title qualifies you for demanding tasks in sales and marketing in a wide range of industries.

Cross-industry areas of application as a Sales Specialist with Federal Diploma of Higher Education
With your specialist certificate, you are not limited to a specific industry. You can use your expertise flexibly in a wide variety of areas:

• Consumer and capital goods industry:Support for regional or international markets.
• service sector:Sales of financial products, insurance or software solutions.
• Retail & Wholesale:Optimization of distribution processes and key account management.

Typical fields of activity as a sales specialist with Federal Diploma of Higher Education
You will be responsible for all processes from planning to the operational implementation of sales activities:

• Sales concept & planning:Development of strategic and operational sales concepts (incl. definition of targets and measures).
• Customer management:Acquiring new customers, maintaining existing customer relationships and conducting sales negotiations.
• Administration & Management:Support for sales management, budget responsibility and often also the management of smaller sales teams.

The Federal Diploma of Higher Education in Sales is often used as preparation for further qualifications - for example in sales management, marketing or at diploma level.

The Sales Specialist with Federal Diploma of Higher Education is one of the most practice-oriented and respected continuing education, higher education programs in Swiss sales.The Federal Diploma of Higher Education focuses on operational implementation and team leadership. This makes the following positions possible:

• Key Account Manager
• Sales consultant

As the ideal preparation for demanding management tasks, the Sales Specialist with Federal Diploma of Higher Education qualification forms the perfect basis for targeted career steps such as:

• Qualified sales manager (with federal diploma):The next logical step for strategic responsibility. Possible positions are: Sales Manager, Sales Manager
• Marketing manager (with federal diploma):The switch to more comprehensive marketing management.
• MAS or EMBA:University of Applied Sciences and university degrees (Master of Advanced Studies / Executive Master of Business Administration) are often open to you without a first degree thanks to the specialist certificate.