Sales Agents, Financial Services - 41-3031.02

Sell financial services, such as loan, tax, and securities counseling to customers of financial institutions and business establishments.

Sample of reported job titles: Client Manager, Financial Consultant, Financial Services Representative, Financial Specialist, Investment Officer, Personal Banker, Registered Representative, Relationship Banker, Relationship Manager, Select Banker

Tasks

• Determine customers' financial services needs and prepare proposals to sell services that address these needs.
• Prepare forms or agreements to complete sales.
• Sell services or equipment, such as trusts, investments, or check processing services.
• Contact prospective customers to present information and explain available services.
• Develop prospects from current commercial customers, referral leads, or sales or trade meetings.
• Evaluate costs and revenue of agreements to determine continued profitability.
• Review business trends to advise customers regarding expected fluctuations.
• Make presentations on financial services to groups to attract new clients.

Technology Skills

• Accounting software - Fund accounting software ; Sage 50 Accounting
• Business intelligence and data analysis software - IBM Cognos Impromptu
• Calendar and scheduling software - Scheduling software
• Customer relationship management CRM software - Salesforce software
• Data base user interface and query software - Data entry software ; FileMaker Pro; Microsoft Access ; Web-based information systems (see all 5 examples)
• Electronic mail software - Email software; IBM Notes ; Microsoft Outlook
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software - Microsoft Dynamics GP ; Oracle Hyperion ; Oracle PeopleSoft ; Oracle PeopleSoft Financials
• Financial analysis software - Bloomberg Professional; Oracle E-Business Suite Financials ; Realm Business Solutions INSIGHT for ARGUS; Sales analysis software (see all 5 examples)
• Internet browser software - Web browser software
• Office suite software - Microsoft Office
• Presentation software - Microsoft PowerPoint
• Project management software - Microsoft SharePoint
• Spreadsheet software - Microsoft Excel
• Web page creation and editing software - LinkedIn
• Word processing software - Microsoft Word

Tools Used

• Desktop calculator - 10-key calculators
• Desktop computers
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers

Knowledge

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Skills

• Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
• Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities

• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
• Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
• Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.

Interests

• Interest code: EC
  • Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
  • Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Work Context

• Telephone - 94% responded “Every day.”
• Contact With Others - 89% responded “Constant contact with others.”
• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - 83% responded “Extremely important.”
• Electronic Mail - 83% responded “Every day.”
• Face-to-Face Discussions
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - 91% responded “Every day.”
• Deal With External Customers - 57% responded “Extremely important.”
• Structured versus Unstructured Work
• Freedom to Make Decisions - 62% responded “A lot of freedom.”
• Frequency of Decision Making - 70% responded “Every day.”
• Level of Competition - 48% responded “Extremely competitive.”
• Spend Time Sitting - 62% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
• Work With Work Group or Team - 39% responded “Very important.”
• Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - 52% responded “Very important results.”
• Time Pressure - 51% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
• Coordinate or Lead Others - 54% responded “Very important.”
• Letters and Memos - 36% responded “Every day.”
• Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - 44% responded “Very important.”
• Duration of Typical Work Week - 45% responded “More than 40 hours.”
• Consequence of Error - 28% responded “Extremely serious.”
• Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People - 36% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”

Education

Percentage of Respondents	Education Level Required
62%	High school diploma or equivalent
22%	Bachelor's degree
8%	Some college, no degree

Work Styles

• Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
• Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
• Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
• Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
• Self Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
• Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
• Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
• Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
• Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
• Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
• Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
• Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
• Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
• Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
• Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
• Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.

Work Values

• Working Conditions - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
• Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
• Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.

Wages & Trends

• Median wages (2017)
  • $30.66 hourly, $63,780 annual
• Employment (2016)
  • 376,000 employees
• Projected growth (2016-2026)
  • Average (5% to 9%)
• Projected job openings (2016-2026)
  • 38,000