In modern society, there are many different types of professions, ranging from well-known ones such as finance, drivers, and programmers, to niche ones like sleep testers and dog walkers. Almost every profession has its own distinct characteristics, which in turn puts forward different requirements for those who work in it, thus creating a diverse array of roles in the workplace.

NOVAH is launching a series of content on observing office behavior based on different job roles, showcasing the unique features of these professions and their personalized needs for office space.

In this first installment, we will focus on the sales position. Sales staff are the ‘face’ of the company and the ‘active elements’ within the office… So, how should office space be designed to cater to their unique office behavior characteristics?

01．Role

What we refer to as sales here is quite broad, and under this name there are many subdivisions, such as car sales, real estate sales, insurance sales, technical service sales, and so on.

They exist in different industries and enterprises, and are an important force for business expansion and revenue generation for the enterprise.

02. Active 

Overall, there are many commonalities among sales staff. In terms of job content, the main work activities of sales positions can be summarized as follows:

Obtain information

Build and maintain relationships with others

Update and use relevant knowledge

Communicate with people outside the organization

Sell or influence others

Resolve conflicts and negotiate with others......

Let’s take real estate agents, a sales position in the real estate industry, as an example to analyze their behavioral preferences at work.

In terms of behavioral preferences, employees in this position focus on using their personal abilities to solve complex problems at work; they have initiative when facing problems and strong resistance to pressure, able to calmly and effectively handle high-pressure situations; at the same time, they pay attention to integrity and details in their work.

Based on the above analysis combined with daily observations, we have summarized the personalized office needs of sales staff, hoping to bring inspiration to companies in creating an ideal office space for sales staff.

03. Mapping

Face-to-face communication

New ideas flash in your mind and you can't wait to have a real-time discussion with your colleagues, but the office space is always crowded, how can you solve this problem?

In the workstation area, create multiple informal and friendly open discussion areas to give sales staff a place to communicate problems and exchange solutions. Customers’ difficult problems can be solved in collaboration. The FourSure® Family family of chairs makes communication more flexible and helps employees find the best solutions.

Phone communication

Salesmen frequently call customers to discuss business, but there is always too much noise near the workstation, how to solve this problem?

The tranquility of small rooms in open office spaces allows sales staff to communicate with customers on the phone without being disturbed by surrounding noise, so their thoughts will not be interrupted when answering customer questions. The Nobius product series creates exclusive space for sales staff’s frequent telephone communication, improving communication efficiency and better promoting project execution.

Social

Salesman need to invite and visit customers frequently and have private conversations with them, but there are not enough meeting rooms to solve this problem.

In the office space, set up some small private communication spaces to facilitate sales staff and customers to deepen their understanding of needs, explain product details, etc.

The Yoko seat has adjustable seat depth, which can meet the comfortable sitting posture requirements of people with different body types, relieve discomfort caused by long sitting for customers, communicate problems more patiently, and lay the foundation for ultimately reaching cooperation.

Training

Sales people with the need for continuous learning to adapt to the rapid changes in the market, the company often organizes learning and training activities, but the training room space is not enough, how to solve this problem?

In the office space, set up a special training area to share the latest industry information, communication and negotiation skills on a regular basis.

Action training chair meets the needs of use in training and learning, it is a harbor for sales staff to recharge their energy.

04. Conclusion

As the position with the most frequent and closest contact with external customers within the enterprise, sales staff can be regarded as ‘business cards’ of the enterprise to some extent; their performance is directly related to the survival and development of the enterprise.

All these characteristics determine that sales staff have special needs for office space, including undisturbed telephone rooms, ample learning spaces, private communication spaces, etc. When building an office space, enterprises can lay out around the office area of the sales department in a targeted manner to better support employees’ business development and improve performance, thus gathering into engines for enterprise development.