Charles Preston
Charles Preston (28) graduated from Manchester Metropolitan
University in 2003 with a degree in Business Studies with IT.
Current Employer and salary
"I work for software vendor AppSense as Head of Contracts based
at the head office in Daresbury, Warrington. I manage a team of
five Contract Managers and together we are responsible for handling
accounts around the World including HSBC, Barclays and Deutsche
Bank."
Why did you choose sales as a
career?
"While at university I had a part time job with E-sure in the
telesales department. I really loved the buzz of the sales
environment and got a proper taste for the industry so decided that
this was the career I wanted to pursue."
When did you start your career?
"Pareto Law was recommended to me by my brother, who was
successfully placed by them in 2000. They specialise in finding
sales positions for graduates so I decided to give them a call. I
had an initial telephone interview and was then invited to an
assessment day. A week later they secured me an interview with
AppSense who offered me a position as a Contract Manager for the
USA, Holland and Scandinavia. The whole process was very
straightforward and I was quickly on board and settling into my new
role."
What was the biggest challenge in the
sales environment?
"In my current role the biggest challenge is maintaining my
levels of achievement. All my targets are set annually so it is
important that I keep my performance consistent and work hard
throughout the year to ensure that all of my targets are
successfully met."
What have you found to be the best part
of your role?
"The most enjoyable part for me is motivating my team. It is
vital that I help them achieve their targets and maintain their
levels of commitment, which I do through a variety of incentives
such as nights outs, financial rewards and trips abroad. In the
past year we have travelled to Barcelona, Dublin and Milan. It is
important to find the right balance between hard work and rewards
and this, together with the people management skills required, is
certainly one of the best aspects of my role."
How has your career progressed?
"I joined AppSense in 2003 as a Contract Manager, which saw me
working in an account management role across a range of clients
around the World. In 2008 I was promoted to Head of Contracts where
I now lead a team of five Contract Managers. The new role also
involves management of larger clients and tests my people and
leadership skills."
How do you see your future
developing?
"Before progressing to a more senior level within AppSense I
would like to stay in my current role for at least another 12
months to enable further development of my skill set. My job brings
different challenges to my previous role with the company and I aim
to build upon my current abilities, learning new skills and
experiencing different situations along the way. After this, I
would like to progress to either a senior management or senior
sales position"
Is there any advice you’d offer to
others considering a career in sales?
"Sales is hard work, but the rewards and job satisfaction make
it all worthwhile. My advice would be to first decide that you are
100% sure that sales is the right career for you, and then give it
your all. You get out of the role what you put in and there is
constant room for growth and development, meaning you can very
quickly build a highly successful career for yourself."