GUEST COMMENT: What it takes to get into a sales role in an investment bank

When I speak to students interested in investment banking careers, I usually find that they're drawn to roles they understand best, and which they can visualize themselves doing. Comparatively few people want to work in sales because sales in an investment bank can be a difficult career to pinpoint. As someone working in a sales role at a top tier institution, therefore, here's some guidance on what I do and what you'll need if you want to do it too.

The role of a sales person is to disseminate information about products offered by the bank (eg. Equities or corporate bonds) to investors (eg. Fund managers or hedge funds). On a daily basis, you'll be speaking to portfolio managers, execution traders and your own firm's analysts and traders.

When I look at the other sales people on my floor, their shared characteristics are blatantly obvious. They're what your interviewers will be looking for, and what you'll need to display if you're interested in a career of sales.

They include:

An appetite for extremely hard work

The real superstars on the floor know that business won't just come to you - you have to work at it and go for it. They are often in before their colleagues and don't shy away from staying late if there's work to be done. They are constantly on the phone making calls and talking to people whether it be clients, research or others in the industry. They want to be informed. They attend company presentations, read every report they can get their hands on and really understand their product in its entirety.

Passion and enthusiasm

The more passionate you are about your internship, grad programme and career. the more chance you will succeed - the logic here is not rocket science but simply when you love doing something you tend to make more effort doing it and dedicate yourself appropriately. This inevitably is seen by those who work around you and those who manage you.

Clients sense this when you call to discuss your ideas or the house view on conviction stock buys or sells. If you do not sound enthusiastic, why should they be enthusiastic about what you're selling?

If you aren't genuinely excited about selling your particular product, it's not the right one for you.

The buzz on a trading floor is simply contagious and in my opinion, it's what makes the long, stressful days with more highs and lows than an Alton Towers roller coaster manageable.

Organisation and goal focus

Sales people have to manage relationships with a number of clients. The role is diverse and varied and it requires diligence and organisation to make sure things don't get missed. Aside from the goals set by the firm, sales people tend to set daily goals to manage the workload and prioritise accordingly.

Whether it's being on top of the research before making morning calls to clients, client visits, understanding and pitching new ideas or products, attending company presentations/sales teach-ins or socialising (which is a big part of the role too) sales people aim to complete all of these to the best of their ability and be better than the external competition.

Thoughtfulness and understanding -

KNOW YOUR CLIENT. Good sales people know that while it's important to demonstrate your capabilities you need to listen, understand, and digest what your client is telling you. They ask thoughtful, targeted questions and allow the client to speak freely. They then tailor their approach top what they believe the client needs.

In addition to this:

-You need to be able to read, disseminate and then explain research to your clients quickly and at the drop of a hat.

-You need to be personable, get on well with people and not be shy. A big part of this role is networking and relationship building

- A candidate should be more pro-active than reactive - you want to service your clients smoothly without them having to ask

My boss once told me a quote: "If you are not taking care of your customer, your competitor will."

Great sales people stay in front of their clients all the time. They know that constant contact helps keep clients so they use a variety of approaches to achieve this. They are constantly thinking outside the box and thinking of new ways to service their clients. The finance world now is more competitive than ever before, and those who have survived are those who have kept their relationships strong and put the client first.