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A day in the life of a New Home Sales Advisor

If asked to name some of the different careers open to us within the housebuilding sector, many of us will automatically think of manual work such as bricklaying, carpentry, or any other site-based jobs. However, there are a whole host of other jobs available which don’t automatically spring to mind, many of which are office-based.

One role that many of us will misinterpret is that of the sales advisor. If you think a sales advisor just sits in the sales office at a housing development, waiting for customers to just walk in and buy a new home, then you couldn’t be more wrong.

Michelle Petherbridge from Gowerton, works as a sales advisor for Persimmon Homes in Wales. Having worked full time for Persimmon for 13 years, Michelle moved to a part time role in 2005 so she has more time to be with her husband and three children. Currently, Michelle is based at the company’s Clayton Court development in Pontardulais, Swansea.

“Contrary to what many people may think, we don’t sit here drinking tea all day and show the odd customer round,” Michelle explains. “There is so much more to life as a sales advisor.”

As a part time advisor, Michelle’s day officially starts at 10.30am, but she often starts much earlier to open the show home and ensure everything is presentable. There’s a whole range of different tasks that need completing before the sales office closes at 5.30pm. This includes even the most trivial of things, from replacing light bulbs and air fresheners, to attending to the shrubs and flowers in the garden and changing flags on the forecourt. Essentially, being a sales advisor means being responsible for running the site on a day-to-day basis.

Sales advisors are also responsible for coming up with creative ways to attract visitors to developments and encouraging people to come and view the show homes, whether this is achieved through organising leaflet drops or running events.

Michelle originally started her sales career in newspaper advertising, which demonstrates that previous experience in selling homes is not necessarily required for this role. And, whilst there are no formal qualifications that a sales advisor needs, one of the essential qualities required is good interpersonal skills.

Michelle continues: “What I really love about my job is the fact that you get to deal with so many different people from day to day. As expected, we speak to financial advisors, estate agents and solicitors throughout the day, in addition to handling enquiries and following up sales leads from prospective buyers that visit in person or phone.”

For Michelle, the feeling of finalising a reservation is unbeatable, but the buzz and enjoyment doesn’t end there. She adds: “No two days are the same - we get to meet so many different people and there’s never a dull moment. We’ve even had customers bring their dogs with them to see if they like the property too!

“You can also get to know customers really well and some even open up and tell you about their circumstances or reasons for moving, which can be quite touching. In fact, sometimes it’s like being an agony aunt!”