Physicists tend to concentrate on one problem at a time and get deeply involved in it, sometimes for months or even years, resenting interruptions to their train of thought. A physicist is, therefore, a specialist and might, in the UK at least, command a salary of anything from £16,000 to £45,000.

Someone in business, on the other hand, will work on many things simultaneously and, as a good people manager, will be open to interruptions from his or her staff. A good general manager, realizing the importance of those special staff whose job it is to obtain business, will work with his or her door open to the sales department. A businessperson is, therefore, a generalist. The managing director of a small company with a turnover of, say, £5m, will typically command a salary of £70,000 plus a car and other benefits.

The benefits of working for a company are the salary package, an understanding of people and technology internationally, self respect and possibly even the opportunity of finding a marriage partner. Working for a small company gives the employee a relatively high degree of independence and freedom. In a large company, in contrast, jobs are normally more constrained, but there is usually greater opportunity for structured training. And while publishing your research results may seem like an end in itself for academic physicists, it is important to remember that for those in business it is worthless unless it produces sales.

Skills to succeed

To work in a physics-based business, you obviously need an understanding of physics – normally accompanied by a degree in physics or a related subject. A driving licence and a passport are also essential. The physics business is international and many UK firms rely on exports, with up to 95% of their sales going overseas. The ability to speak at least one foreign language is therefore extremely helpful, as is previous relevant work experience.

For small companies and start-up businesses, success and survival are often one and the same thing. The quality of the staff is a major factor in determining whether or not a company succeeds. Tenacity, determination, self-confidence, attention to detail and a desire to make money are the important personal qualities that equip an individual for success in the physics business.

Communications are key to business success and the use of telephones, answering machines, faxes, e-mail and the Web are all de rigueur. In fact all channels of communication should be open all the time.

In working with customers and agents, the importance of “relationships” cannot be overemphasized. There is a need to build trust, keep promises, explain problems, be assertive, be imaginative and make friends. And remember – one enemy is equivalent to minus ten good friends!

Sales are the key

If you want to get to the top in a company, then the usual route is through sales or accountancy. Physicists working in research or product development might expect to be able to reach positions as departmental heads. But a move to sales, possibly via marketing, is probably necessary for further progression. It is certainly a good idea to collect a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree en route.

In sales, the management of overseas agents is extremely important and the sales department might control more than 50 agents worldwide. Each requires a contract that defines the legal relationship between the agent and the company, along with the commissions the agent can expect for goods or services sold.

Product lines for scientific equipment broadly divide into three categories: components, which typically sell for about £5000; instruments (about £20,000); and systems (£200,000 and above). The way each is sold differs accordingly. Components can be marketed well using Web sites and hard-copy catalogues, which means that selling by telephone may be sufficient. Instruments, however, generally require individual product-information sheets or brochures and, quite possibly, the salesperson will need to visit the customer to close the sale. A much greater effort is normally required for a system sale, and certainly a strong relationship between company and customer will be formed before success is achieved.

In order to expand a company, you need to develop new products, penetrate new geographical territories and buy other companies (acquisitions). Companies have to keep ahead of their competitors and, when their rate of innovation reaches a plateau, this is the time that they employ techniques such as Total Quality Management (TQM) and Quality Circles. TQM is there to improve the quality of the product and the associated production process, thereby, hopefully, giving a competitive edge. With Quality Circles, members of different departments meet regularly to freely discuss these objectives with as few constraints as possible.

Inside knowledge

In order to keep going during a recession, a company has to take business away from its competitors and thereby increase its share of the market. The company may sell directly to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) that may be rival businesses and, as a last resort, the company will reduce overheads to ensure continued profitability.

Graduate or postgraduate physicists seeking work will wish to consider whether they would be more successful working for a large company or a small company. Which they choose will in part depend on their need for structure or freedom. While muddling through can be an effective means of ensuring profitability, the larger a company becomes, the more structure it will need to avoid chaos.

All limited companies have a board of directors that must consist of at least a managing director and a company secretary. A board of directors is a team of people with different skills and personalities who make different contributions to one another, thereby ensuring the profitable management of the company.

Matrix management is not uncommon in medium-sized companies. It means that, for example, product managers in each manufacturing unit have global responsibility for one product line while, at the same time, territory managers, in the UK and overseas, have responsibility for all product lines within their individual territories. Factory-based regional sales managers will sell the products of several product managers via the territory managers.

The product manager is an expert and might expect to spend up to three months per year away from home, visiting territory managers, customers and other experts, so that he or she can explore new ideas and technologies. The three largest sales regions are the US, Europe and the Far East, and each is usually controlled by a regional sales manager who would normally spend three months overseas on business. An international sales manager with global or semi-global responsibility, in contrast, might expect to spend six or more months away from home. An applications scientist is, however, unlikely to be away from home for more than one month in any particular year.

Working in industry gives you the chance to live abroad, in, say, America, Germany, Japan or Hong Kong, although generous expatriate salary packages are becoming less common except in the Middle East. But if you want to live overseas, then there are plenty of opportunities, particularly with medium and large employers seeking to expand their companies. Overseas offices are usually run by expatriates, often on three- or five-year contracts.

Larger, more highly structured, companies will have job descriptions, which are there to ensure that each employee fulfils every function of his or her job. They also provide a basis for an annual appraisal that is used to determine the next year’s salary.

Top tips in business

Not everyone you come across in the business world is honest, and it is important to recognize when someone is lying to you or disguising the truth. People who answer “yes” to every question are generally hiding something. Some people will avoid communicating at all, relying instead on image or a busy phone line to avoid addressing the important issues. There is a need to pin these types of people down and I would encourage new employees to ask “what” and “why” questions. Look out for effusion and evasion when you do eventually get an answer.

Graduates should get some work experience during their degree courses, preferably related to the work they want to do after graduation. An open reference, written “to whom it may concern”, should always be obtained after each period of employment. As people move or die and firms can close it is not always possible to obtain references at a later date.

It is also a good idea to insure against redundancy when you buy a home or take a loan, and one might normally expect two to three periods of redundancy before the age of 40. Try to build up a network of friends and contacts, because this is most likely to provide continued support throughout one’s career and may also lead to employment.

When negotiating a salary you can generally expect to get the “going rate” or an individually tailored package if you are judged to be of special worth to a company. However, it is a good idea to find out the maximum salary on offer and – if you think you can get it – insist upon it. Obviously, salaries and costs of living vary from region to region, both globally and in the UK. If you live in, say, the north of England and earn £24,000 you will need £29,500 to maintain the same standard of living in the south.

The job market is often volatile and it is a good idea to cultivate contacts at a number of firms of recruitment consultants. There are over 10,000 such firms in the UK. It is a good idea to keep in touch with a few individual recruiters as they move around among the various recruitment consultancies.

There are three kinds of recruiters: head hunters for jobs that command salaries of over £40,000; permanent staffers for salaried permanent positions below £40,000; and short-term contract staffers. It is therefore important to make sure you’re talking to the right people!

Obviously, physicists can easily fit into a multitude of low-profile technical roles, but to adopt a business role they need to be sure that they project an appropriate image of themselves, and the company, which in some cases requires a significant change of outlook.

Going for the jugular

So do physicists make good business people? Well, if they possess the kind of killer instinct that drives great people to success, then they certainly can. Physicists have the ability to generate original ideas, and it is this originality, together with their intellect, that gives them an advantage. However, they must also be sure that they – or a responsible colleague – is well endowed with common sense, if they are not to be exploited in a commercially driven world.