Resource: Sales Jobs

Do you have a friendly, extroverted personality? Is your personal demeanour polished and professional? Are you ambitious, hard-working, and money-motivated? If you answered "yes" to all of these questions, then you should consider pursuing a career in sales!

There are a wide variety of sales jobs available. As a salesperson, you might work on the floor in a large retail chain. Or, you might travel the greater part of the year, representing a big company or brand. You could spend the majority of your time making presentations and selling products; you could focus your skills on negotiating contracts; or you could fill your hours networking and expanding your client list. If you have professional experience in another field, such as healthcare, construction, or finances, you can put this background to good use in your new sales career.

Salaries and compensation packages vary widely, with jobs in retail sales or telesales at the lower end, and jobs in IT, healthcare, construction, or financial sales at the high end.


Sales Jobs: Past & Future

While the goods and service represented by salespeople may change, a good salesperson will always be worth his or her weight in gold! In fact, it could be argued that "salesman" is one of the oldest professions around… beginning with the earliest barterers who came out on top of every deal…to the wealthy merchants of the middle ages… and so on!

Today, salespeople are a crucial part of many industries. Retail sales couldn't operate without helpful, dedicated people on the sales floor; commercial salespeople keep our businesses running smoothly, by providing them with the best technology, equipment, and supplies for their needs; and financial sales agents navigate the complicated world of investing, to help individuals in every walk of life provide for their futures. To some extent, salespeople make the world go round.

Sales experience is also a highly transferable asset. Once you have a proven track record in sales, you'll be a valuable commodity in many positions and industries. And even if you decide to pursue a different career altogether, your skill in selling yourself will help you achieve a much more competitive position.


Sales Jobs: Do you have what it takes?

The specific knowledge, academic background, and experience levels required for sales jobs vary highly from position to position, and industry to industry. However, there are a few things that all successful salespeople have in common:

• They are highly motivated, ambitious, and hard-working. They must be prepared to put in long hours. During the time they're interacting with potential clients or customers, they're always "on" – always focused on closing the deal.
• They should be prepared to deal with rejection. No matter what they sell, salespeople will face some disappointments: big deals will fall through, secretaries will screen their calls, and annoyed prospects will curtly hang up.
• They must be friendly and polite, and enjoy working with people. Sales agents deal with all different personalities, and must eliminate personal friction and establish trust.
• They present themselves well, whether this means a neat, attractive appearance, or a polished, professional phone manner.


A Career in Sales: The Payoff

The range of attainable salaries for careers in sales is quite wide. At the lower end are careers in telesales or retail sales. At the high end are careers in IT, healthcare, commercial, or financial sales – jobs that typically require some professional background in the field.

One thing that almost all sales jobs have in common is a commission structure, providing motivation and the potential for greater earnings based on high performance. High performers in professional sales jobs can expect to make very generous salaries, with bonuses and commission.

For individuals who are money-motivated self-starters, a sales career provides a stimulating and rewarding environment, with uncapped earnings potential and unlimited opportunities for advancement.