"Is a 'Brand Ambassador' Just a Glorified Sales Rep?" - 09/10/19 Edition
Stephen Says Column
Dear Stephen:
I am a hiring manager at a furniture company. These days whenever I go on LinkedIn, I keep seeing more and more people I know who would traditionally be considered sales reps getting this new job called brand ambassador. It’s such a peculiar title to me, because the word ambassador makes me think of a diplomat, not sales. Where does this new title come from and what does it mean?
I remember a time when people in outside sales were simply called sales reps. I’ve also seen that title morph into territory manager, district manager and sometimes market manager. What happened to calling the job what is really is? I think that if you’re selling something, you should be called a sales representative. That’s just me.
Do they think a brand ambassador is going to get you to a design firm or customer faster? When I see the term on a resume, I think of my 26-year-old son applying to be a brand ambassador for HelloFresh. Yet, as I have interviewed some of these ambassadors I find most of them do have a sales component as part of their job. Is this new title a way for a strong brand to send someone out to represent them without heavy selling so they can pay them less? Or is this really working and something I need to rethink, because some of the brand ambassadors I’ve met are excellent sales reps. What’s the story Ambassador Guru?
Signed,
Office Chair Ambassador
Dear Ambassador:
The brand ambassador title has been around for a while in other industries, but you are right in that more and more manufacturers in the interiors industry are adopting it.
I see it a few ways. Here’s one: Residential brands entering the newly created resimercial genre will use the brand ambassador title because they usually only hire one outside sales rep in a very broad territory to call on commercial designers. Their job is to create brand awareness of the product and spread goodwill. Therefore, the title can work. I say can meaning I am not a big fan of it, and I think if you ask most customers, they’ll also tell you it is a silly title (my column, my opinion).
Here’s my second issue with this, which has more to do with the candidate and their own career. The individual who takes a job with the brand ambassador title may not realize it might put them at a disadvantage for future jobs, as, in my eyes, it devalues them as true salespeople. The best example of this is the point you made in your question, when you said the title reminds you of your millennial son applying for a job at HelloFresh.
And a final concern I have about this job title: Many people come to recruiters and ask for hunters (another expression I dislike), and the word hunter and brand ambassador don’t seem to go together in the same sentence, let alone a resume, putting the candidate at a distinct disadvantage.
The bottom line is this — titles for sales jobs constantly change, and it’s OK for them to stay fluid because it helps companies keep salespeople excited about accepting these positions without always calling them salespeople. Chances are, someone who’s called a brand ambassador will spread goodwill on behalf of your brand, and I have no doubt that goodwill eventually turns into sales. So, if you’re a hiring manager, don’t overthink the title you’re assigning to a particular position, but if you’re a candidate seeking a job, think twice about the title you’re accepting and how it will reflect on your future career growth. As for this new-ish brand ambassador title, what comes to mind is an old cliché — “you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.”
Stephen
You can send your workplace questions to Stephen at: StephenSays@bellow.press
Questions selected to be answered, will appear in this column. Please use the Subject: Stephen Says for all emails. Stephen Viscusi is a bestselling author, television personality, and CEO of The Viscusi Group, global executive recruiters located in New York. Follow Stephen on Twitter @stephenviscusi. Like Stephen on Facebook and follow him on LinkedIn.
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