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The fact is that the role of selling in FMCG has evolved. It is very different today to 15-20 years ago. Often missing in everyday language, is the term ‘selling’. New job titles are being created underlining the fact that selling is perhaps no longer the primary task of the role or in the salesperson’s job description. The idea of selling is replaced with language like ‘full P&L responsibility, building, negotiating and implementing JBPs’. Key requirements of the job are emphasised as ‘developing strong working relationships with key buyers, maintaining strong internal relationships with other functions’. It is evident that the majority of role profiles these days miss out an actual accountability for ‘selling more, to more customers’.
Further evidence of the changes in selling is the time in front of customers, which both parties seem to avoid at all cost; face-to-face meetings are considered supplementary/secondary to a host of other office and desk-based demands. Undoubtedly the buyer’s role, and the demands they place on salespeople, has materially changed too. The fact is that the buyer/seller exchanges are highly transactional and mostly short-term focused.
Financial reward
Salaries and inflation are at odds with one another. Inflation since the turn of the millennium is around 59%, yet for the most part the middle and junior roles have not kept up anywhere near this figure. Could this be the reason that we don’t appear to attract young talent to our industry anymore; are we failing to keep up? Whilst seemingly not paying attractive salaries, we are not enticing talent with career development programmes either. The once admired arena of FMCG sales and marketing as a place to train and forge one’s career is no longer viewed as such.
If we are interested in keeping the role of sales in our industry, then we must reignite the excitement that the job brings, this starts by raising its value and contribution. Without appeal we will continue to undermine its attractiveness and people will seek more lucrative careers elsewhere.
By comparison with other industries there is a genuine war of attrition within FMCG for the ever-decreasing pool of talent. In this war, it is the big companies that will come out on top given their financial muscle. The small companies simply cannot compete.
Gender
Gender diversity and the pay gap is a subject of much controversy in the world. We are yet to see an official portrait of this matter in the world of FMCG. With new legislation due in 2018 we have chosen to ask the question during our data collection process. The results would be very surprising if considered without reference to the fact that the role of sales has historically been more heavily