Sales Training and Careers

Sales - Career Information

Sales Career Overview

Sales people may go by many different titles, including account representative, account executive, sales representative, inside sales representative, and many more. Collectively, these titles refer to an individual who sells the products of services of a company, manufacturer, or wholesaler. Sales representatives typically sell to other businesses (business-to-business) and are considered to be professionals separate and distinct from consumer oriented sales positions such a retail sales clerks.

Sales representatives can be divided into two broad categories:

1. Inside Sales Representatives - Inside sales representatives spend most of their time interacting with prospects and customers over the phone or via e-mail.
2. Outside or "Field" Sales Representatives - Outside sales representatives spend much of their time traveling to customers and prospects and a great deal of time in face-to-face meetings at customer locations.

Travel and time away from home can be very common, especially for field sales representatives. Long hours in excess of 40 hours a week may also be common.

It is very common for commissions, or other forms of variable compensation, to make up a large part of a sales representatives pay.

Sales Education

While a college education is not an absolute requirement to become a sales representative, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly two thirds (63%) of sales representatives have some college experience, and over half (53%) have at least an associate's degree or better.

There is no specific course of study in colleges and universities for sales representatives. Many future sales representatives take business-oriented courses while in college. Coursework in marketing, finance, accounting, and communications skills can all be a good foundation for a future sales representative. It is, however, not at all unusual for individuals with liberal arts backgrounds to go into sales. Proficiency with a computer is increasingly a requirement for any sales person.

Individuals who want to go into technical or scientific sales positions may wish to take technical and/or scientific courses that provide them the necessary background to be "conversant" in a particular field.

Most companies also provide some level of new-hire sales training, which typically focuses most on that company's products or services and sales systems (forecasting and reporting systems). Company training may also include some general sales skills training such as presentation skills. Many sales representatives also attend conferences, seminars, or distance-education courses to stay abreast of the subject matter in their field.

While not a requirement for most positions, certifications are available for sales professionals. Many companies also have their own internal certification programs for sales and sales support staff.

Sales is, however, one of the few professional positions where experience and a proven track record may hold more weight than formal education.

Schools for Sales are listed in the column to the left.

Careers and Salary Data

This table shows summary data on occupations in the US. Clicking on any occupation name brings you to a page showing job prospects and salaries for that occupation in hundreds of metro areas across the country, with data updated through 2008.(Where data is denoted by an asterisk (*), summary info was not available.

The green bars in the table below indicate the relative salary levels and growth rates of each occupation, compared to the others. The levels are determined by sorting the occupations (by salary or growth rate, separately) and then dividing them into ten groups corresponding to the the ten possible green bar levels. So a single bar means the occupation is in the bottom 10% for that characteristic compared to others on this page.

Click each Occupation title for more details.

 

Sales

Occupation	Jobs	Median Pay	% Growth 2006-2016	Video
Insurance Sales Agents	327,780	$45,430	12.9%
Models	1,660	$27,410	9.8%
Product Sales Representatives	1,493,760	$51,330	8.4%
Real Estate Appraisers	66,260	$47,370	16.9%
Real Estate Brokers	51,390	$57,500	11.1%
Real Estate Sales Agents	164,080	$40,150	10.6%
Retail Salespersons	4,426,280	$20,510	12.4%
Sales Engineers	78,030	$83,100	8.5%
Sales Managers	333,910	$97,260	10.2%
Securities and Financial Services Sales Agents	271,900	$68,680	24.8%
Technical Products Sales Representatives	415,120	$70,200	12.4%

Schools for Sales (including online schools)

Sales Schools by State

We have some additional detailed pages at the state level for Sales.

Numbers in parentheses are counts of relevant campus-based schools in the state; online schools may also be available.

• Alabama (4)
• Alaska (1)
• Arizona (12)
• Arkansas (2)
• California (16)
• Colorado (9)
• Connecticut (2)
• Delaware (2)
• District Of Columbia (3)
• Florida (21)
• Georgia (10)
• Hawaii (3)
• Idaho (4)
• Illinois (11)
• Indiana (8)
• Iowa (3)
• Kansas (4)
• Kentucky (8)
• Louisiana (1)
• Maine (1)
• Maryland (5)
• Massachusetts (3)
• Michigan (4)
• Minnesota (11)
• Missouri (10)
• Nebraska (2)
• Nevada (6)
• New Hampshire (1)
• New Jersey (6)
• New Mexico (5)
• New York (6)
• North Carolina (5)
• North Dakota (1)
• Ohio (13)
• Oklahoma (4)
• Oregon (8)
• Pennsylvania (12)
• Rhode Island (1)
• South Carolina (5)
• South Dakota (2)
• Tennessee (9)
• Texas (12)
• Utah (8)
• Virginia (13)
• Washington (7)
• West Virginia (2)
• Wisconsin (6)
• Wyoming (2)

Data Sources and Career Resources

• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• O*NET OnLine Occupation and Career Analysis