Sales careers have once again seized the attention of the sales people as businesses have begun to treat customer services as an investment instead of an unnecessary expense.

Jobs in sales cover almost all industries IT, Technology, manufacturers, retail and more.

Sales people no longer comprises only of knocking on doors and selling shoes. Today, the process of sales has gone hi-tech; most of the sales  are conducted online and without the sales people and the customer coming face-to-face. Online marketing has replaced sale at the counter of shops with shelves decorated with wares. The current scenario is that of well planned on-line sales campaigns, such as SEO, PPC, article marketing etc. The present day customers are well informed and cannot be lured into purchasing what they do not want. Sales careers have adjusted to the evolving circumstances and have learnt to tackle customers in suitable ways. Anticipating the needs of customers by using the latest technologies for communication and being able to ask probing questions is the first step towards a successful career in sales.

Sales People Salary versus industry

A sales people may start with $38,600 and go further up to $56,500, but aspirants of sales careers must understand that the pay scales fluctuate greatly depending on their ability to achieve, their sales skills, on the industry, location, sales training background, ingenuity, ability to communicate effectively, convincing power, and presence of mind.

Text books may teach the basics of marketing and selling, but the learner will imbibe more while on his/her feet than while in the classroom. Sales careers have been modified around the latest trends and principles of sales and marketing.

According to Roy Bartell, a business owner, who helps others succeed, “Most people think “selling” is the same as “talking”. But the most effective salespeople know that listening is the most important part of their job.”

Careers in Sales

Usually sales careers start with job titles such as a business developer or accounts manager. The salesperson is expected to maintain and develop a relationship with certain clients and prospect for new ones. The easiest way to get promoted is by meeting and exceeding the sales goals, exhibiting passion for taking on additional responsibilities, and succeeding at them. Selling enough products or harnessing new clients can lead to promotion to management in the next 1 to 3 years. Besides commissions, the salary increase may be about $3,000 annually. Now the stakes get higher, and responsibilities swell. Leading a team or managing a territory is the next step. The role of market development comes next with the charge of looking for high-profile clients and outdoing business competitors. Soon, the salesperson will be running a whole sales center or a large region. Job titles change to production manager, field application engineer or even director of sales.