By
Havley X A f
VVhe
hen you think
of the word sales, do you picture a loud,
aggressive person who does not have the word i
“NO!!!” in their vocabulaiy? Do the words
pushy and persistent seem like pre-requisites ;
for this career? Perhaps the sales industry is i
not a career you have considered. 1 know what I
you are thinking and I too had the same mis- :
conceptions. After uncovering the truth about <
sales, 1 seriously suggest taking a second 1
look! The industry is rocking and the sky is i
truly the limit for motivated people. The sales i
industry currently employs approximately 35
million Americans and its light speed growth
means that the industry is always in need of
new talent. Set aside those stereotypes and
open your mind to the endless possibilities
and tremendous excitement a sales career can
offer you! And to you. the engineering and
computer science majors, keep reading.
There are even opportunities in sales for you!
The latest trends
in the industry
First things first, sales is not what it used to
be due to four trends that have had a seri
ous impact on the industry.
In the past, closing the deal has been the
priority with salespeople. While finalizing
the deal today is definitely a key component,
selling is changing from being a deal-ori
ented business to becoming more service
oriented. Salespeople give off a sense that
they like to help people and their pleasing
personalities make it easier for their clients
to talk to them, says Michael Reagan. CEO
of the National Association of Sales
Professionals (NASP). It turns out that the
best sales people are in fact the best
listeners. Selling today
is based on
industries that never
had them before. For example, four
developing relation
ships and building trust with clients.
Another trend has been the demand for a
rapidly growing sectors that are in need of
more salespeople are the cultural, informa
tion technology, financial, and pharmaceu
tical industries. The recent explosion of
higher level of education and for certified sales
people. Sales candidates typically now have uni
/ersity degrees or college diplomas, says
Reagan. "Companies want students with spe
:ific training,” says Victoria Panzer, a sales pro
fessor at the University of South Florida. To
iccommodate this trend, many post-secondary
nstitutions have incorporated the industry’s
imdamental knowledge and skills into courses
;uch as "Introduction to Sales”. These kinds of
:ourses can be very beneficial to students who
tave already chosen this career path. "Sales
:areers take a lot more business knowledge than
n the past,” says sales consultant. Bob Ayrer
rom REA Performance Consultants Inc.
The third noticeable trend has been the
k'ast number of sales-related jobs that have
Internet and dot-com companies has creat
ed an abundance of appealing sales-related
jobs. “Our economy is sales and marketing
driven today and sales is the best way to
learn the many facets of the way business
works.” says Reagan.
The final trend in the sales industry has
been the increase in professionalism. With
highly qualified applicants and better training
methods, sales careers are far more valued and
recognized by society. Evidence of this is the
not-for-profit NASP organization whose pur
pose is to "upgrade the career status of indi
viduals working in the sales profession”.
NASP has even created certification programs
whereby members must pass a sales compe
tency examination to become a certified pro
fessional Salesperson™. The Sales Network is
another way for college and university stu