Sales Professional - Outside Sales

Service Corporation International•Ames, IA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Pre-Planning Advisor (PPA) is a self-starter responsible for achieving sales targets by selling pre-need arrangements and services. This role involves working from home or presenting to client families in the field, serving families in a professional, caring, and timely manner. A key aspect of success is follow-up and generation of referrals from client families to establish strong service relationships. The PPA is also expected to develop relationships within the community. Responsibilities include consistent networking, prospecting a minimum of 4 hours daily through various methods like face-to-face events, door knocking, or group seminars, and obtaining referrals from families served. The advisor explains and presents Dignity Memorial® Personal Planning Guide presentations, tracks activity levels, and maintains a flexible schedule, often working nights and weekends. Building strong business relationships with families involves connecting, relating, resolving concerns, and committing to follow-through, as well as responding to inquiries respectfully and supporting families in grief. The PPA develops an understanding of unique family needs, offers valuable solutions, and provides service beyond expectations to foster long-term relationships and earn referrals. Teamwork is crucial, requiring cooperative work with Funeral Directors and other staff to provide seamless, high-quality service, acting as a continuous link from at-need services through aftercare to future family protection, and sharing family concerns with the SCI team.

Requirements

High school education or equivalent
Current state/province issued driver’s license with an acceptable driving record
In states/provinces where required, must hold a Funeral Directors License to perform this role
Sales experience or one to two years industry experience or equivalent education
Basic computer and technology skills within a sales environment
Ability to work well in a team, as well as independently
Ability to work beyond “standard” hours as the need arises
Good driving record
Good work ethic
High-level of integrity
Creative, outgoing and energetic
Comfortable presenting in front of others
Desire to help others

Nice To Haves

1-2 years of college or equivalent experience
Previous experience with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems
Bilingual, knowledge of another language

Responsibilities

Achieve quota (pacesetter) target by selling pre-need arrangements and services.
Serve families in a professional, caring and timely manner.
Follow-up and generation of referrals from client families are integral to success and to establish a strong service relationship with families.
Develop relationships with the community.
Consistently networks and builds relationships to generate recommendations for gaining referrals for both at-need cemetery arrangements and pre-need arrangements using company tools, processes and standards.
Holds self accountable for prospecting a minimum of 4 hours every day (if working 8 hours) such as approaching families face-to-face during events, door knocking or group seminars.
Obtains referrals from families served by the location by following up through visits with families after the service.
Networks and builds community and civic relationships.
Explains and presents Dignity Memorial® Personal Planning Guide presentations to families served and referred families.
Maintains and tracks activity levels to ensure productivity.
Remains flexible with schedule to achieve results; often works nights and weekends.
Establishes and maintains strong business relationships with families by connecting with the family, relating to them, resolving their concerns and needs, and committing to follow through.
Responds to client inquiries in a timely, respectful, sensitive and professional manner.
Supports families in time of grief with acts of kindness.
Connects with families through listening, honest communication and genuine concern.
Develops an understanding of each family’s unique needs and offers solutions that provide value to them.
Stays in touch with families to ensure satisfaction.
Prepares for all appointments and performs all procedures with professionalism and attention to detail.
Provides service beyond expectations to ensure satisfaction and to form the foundation for future sales based on long-term relationships.
Builds trust-based relationships to earn the right to ask for referrals.
Earns the right to gain referrals to offer protection to protect family members, and the family’s relatives and friends, by educating them on the benefits of pre-planning.
Consistently builds relationships and works cooperatively with the Funeral Director and other funeral home and/or cemetery staff.
Collaborates and teams with funeral directors, location managers, and other members of funeral home and or cemetery staff, to provide seamless, high quality service.
Represents a continuous link from services provided at need, through aftercare, to providing services to protect families in future.
Thoroughly and completely reviews previous services and contacts with families to prepare to support current needs and or sales.
Acts as one team, setting arrangement continuation visits within two to three days after the service.
Shares family concerns with rest of the SCI team.