There is a lot of confusion of what would be the right sales job for me. Well, I can tell you that there is not really a right or wrong to this. However there is something like a preference. In today’s world we have multiple choices of different sales careers.
Here is a list of some of them:
Sales Account Manager
Field Sales Representative (B2B or B2C)
Business Development Rep/ Manager
Lead Development Rep/ Manager
Telesales (inbound/ outbound)
Retail sales (assistants, managers, clerks etc.)
This is just a handful but it represents most of the current sales jobs available on the market. Here is what you need to know about those jobs:
Sales Account Manager – This role is usually a more passive sales role. You mainly deal with current customers/ clients also known as install base customers. You usually get assigned a territory and a list of accounts and it’s up to you to keep those customers happy and informed. In most cases they already purchased from the company and you need to provide maintenance renewals, contract renewals, additional product information etc. Why passive? Well, you do have to call or visit them (depending on the preference of the company you want to work for) usually at least once a quarter to build a relationship and to keep those customers happy and buying from you but normally you don’t have to develop leads. This is a great role for people who are strategic in thinking and are capable of implementing up-selling/ cross-selling techniques. Closing a deal might still be part of your job but the main focus is to make sure these customers will remain customers to the business. Usually paid a higher base salary and commission (60/40 split is quite common).
In rare cases you might need to develop new accounts as well but again, this is depending on the company and their route to market.
Field Sales Representatives – This is a more active role in selling. You are responsible to sell directly to either business clients or consumers. It involves booking meetings with potential new customers, create small campaigns to drive sales such as email campaigns or events. This is an outgoing role and usually not suitable for people who have a fear of cold calling or door to door sales. If it makes you uneasy this role might not be for you. However if you like being out of the office most of the time, travel a lot (either inside the country or even outside) and have unregulated working hours than this is a great job to be in. The rewards? Usually high commissions but a very low base salary. Some companies offer additional benefits such as a company car/ petrol card/ laptop and mobile phone.
Business development representative or manager – This is also a very active role. It might not require you to travel as some companies offer this role as a inside or internal role. But it does require you to make new connections on a daily basis. You are usually free to network and implement new ideas in order to drive customers to the business. However it needs to be pointed out that this role has it’s rewards of medium commission and a higher base salary. The 60/40 split is also very common in this type of role.
Lead Development Representative/ Manager – This role is usually done in larger companies such as medium to large size multinationals. It requires people to be constantly on the phone and generate new business through certain lead generation tools. This could be that leads are coming in through a website that need to be followed up and qualified, re-qualify old leads or even some cold calling or follow up on email and other marketing campaigns. Again, this is more an active and outgoing role that requires the rep to deal with new potential customers every day through phone conversations. The lead development rep is usually not in charge of driving campaigns and is merely there to initiate contact with potential new customers. However it needs to be pointed out that this is a very low paid and ungrateful role to have. As a lead development rep you are usually not required to close deals but just to generate interest. You will have a low to medium base salary and low commission or a bonus. In many cases leads get handed over to sales reps or sales account managers. Relationship building is usually not part of the role and you will talk every day to new potential clients. Many companies even have a min calling rate that you would need to achieve (such as 40 or 50 calls per day).
Telesales (inbound/ outbound) – This role could be pro-active or in-active depending on the organization. If you are applying for a job as an inbound Telesales rep then all you have to do is take calls and close the deals over the phone. Providing information is key and asking for the sale is a must in this role. You will also have up-selling and cross-selling opportunities to increase your sales revenue. As an outbound rep you might have to do some lead development on your own but usually you receive a list of clients that might be interested in the products or services offered by the company. Your job is to just call and see if there is a real interest and then close the deal. In many cases outbound telesales reps need to do a lot of cold calling. In both cases the salary is a medium base and medium to high commission. One of the main aspects to look out for is the commission structure. Most companies offer capped commission. This is on 100% of the target and some might offer an additional bonus if you achieve more than 100%. However capped commission also means that you may not be able to earn more. If it’s uncapped commission the one thing I would urge you to do is to look at the teams performance. How likely is it to achieve target and what is the highest that people can earn? Many companies claim that their commission structure is uncapped however the target is rarely achievable. So, do your homework and look out for these things.
Retail sales – Retail is one of the purest forms of selling. For most people (unless you are the business owner) it doesn’t require much prospecting work. Customers are coming into the premises and (hopefully) leaving with some new products that you are selling. The downside to this? If you are a trainee, clerk or shop assistant you might only get a base salary. Commission is rarely offered in retail (which I have to say is a real shame). But it still provides a decent enough income and lets you deal with potential new customers as well as “regulars” on a daily basis. Product knowledge is asked and many retailers establish themselves in a retail niche market. Such as electronics, computers, toys, men’s or lady’s wear etc. you can nearly find anything in retail. However a lot of retailers are suffering from not knowing their products well. This is the downside to retail. Too many products and competitors out there. In order to make a difference to your shop it is important to keep you and your team well trained and informed on new products. Knowledge is key in retail as well as driving a great service and friendly staff. As a business owner it is vital to get customers into the premises. This can be achieved by looking at your shop and make sure it attracts the right customer (gender/ age). However prospecting doesn’t stop there. Your staff is also required to prospect however this again is a different type of prospecting. It requires your staff to be outgoing and actually talk to the customers. Over 80% of customers leaving retail premises because of low or no attendance from the shop assistants/ owners.
This is only a handful of potential sales roles out there in the market. However one thing is for sure: No matter what type of sales role you currently have or are looking for, make sure it is the one for you. Nothing is worse than being in a sales job that you hate or don’t like because of the nature of the role.
Prospecting (making connections every single day) is a big part of sales no matter what type of role you’re looking for. Just because you are looking to become an account manager doesn’t mean that you don’t have to prospect. Prospecting in this case is just done in a different way and you still need to be outgoing enough to make this job work.
I hope this is helpful in finding the right sales job for you. If you need more information or require help in finding the right job for you, you should consider taking our Selling Style Profile Analysis.
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Carsten Schnier
Carsten Schnier is the founder of SalesClinic & Coach Clinic and professional sales consultant based in Cork, Ireland
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