...www.jobposf/ngs.net
dents to get a sales education and become
"Certified Sales Students”. This program oper
ates on a point basis where school courses and
outside experience are equally regarded. For
more details on this program, check out the
jobpostings Mini-Guide to the sales industry.
Sales careers are far more challenging
than 1 thought! You are probably asking
yourself...
what does this mean for me?
Are there really cool sales jobs out there?
Yes. and get excited because there is defi
nitely no shortage of opportunities. There
will always be a need for good sales people
as almost every job has some component that
involves making deals, negotiating, and sell
ing goods and services to consumers. The
sales jobs have always been there and there
drive to succeed.
Ego Drive- Salespeople must be self
starters who enjoy competition and taking
the lead. People with an entrepreneurial
flare tend to do well in sales.
Aside from these characteristics, you
MUST be a good listener. “Good salespeople
should be good communicators and that starts
with good listening skills,” says Ayrer. The job
is 70% listening and 30% talking. One key qual
ity is being able to take rejection. "You need
the attitude of not accepting no as a personal
insult and be able to control your emotions.”
says Reagan. A sales candidate must also enjoy
meeting and communicating with new people
on a daily basis to form new business relation
ships. An effective sales person must also have
an innate desire to succeed and possess good
time management skills. You need the com
are positions tor students Iron
all academic backgrounds.
For example, someone with
an Engineering background
who is good with data and
dealing with people could
most definitely apply those
skills to this career path and
even sell HiTech equipment.
It is not just Liberal Arts
degrees who are in sales.
Business and Computer
Science backgrounds can
apply more than you think to
the industry. It is a hot markt
1
p
sales skills are
transferable to any
Industry that you
choose because "a
sales person is like a
conductor of an
orchestra because they
have to play a number
of different
Instruments/' says
Reagan.
t
c
ititive attitude that wants to win.
which is more important than
the money, notes Ayrer. Sales
careers are challenging, with
many rewards and benefits
when the job is done well.
Let's get to the
good stuff nou!
Where do 1 begin?!? The ben
efits and perks of sales careers
alone are enough to make you
join that Introductory Sales
lass right now! On top of every
right now if you have the right aptitudes. "Good
salespeople never arrive, they are always in the
process of becoming." says Ayrer.
oo i have the necessary skills7
Sales skills are transferable to any industry
that you choose because "a sales person is
like a conductor of an orchestra because
they have to play a number of different
instruments,” says Reagan.
Here is a list of the 5 key characteristics
a good sales person must possess. They are:
Empathy- A salesperson must have a gen
uine understanding for the customer’s con
cerns and a desire to help them find solu
tions to their problems.
Focus- Salespeople must be attentive and
goal-oriented.
Responsibility- One must exhibit a profes
sional conduct of behaviour and take charge
in tough situations.
Optimism- Salespeople know how to deal
with rejection and remain motivated in their
thing, how does complete freedom sound to
you? Sales people tend to create their own
schedules and work the hours they choose.
"The flexibility, the freedom and the self-use
of your time can be very rewarding,” says
Ayrer. You will never have the same day twice
and you are not chained to a desk all day.
Sales people are constantly out meeting
clients and giving presentations, which
allows them to stay active and upbeat.
Ok, ok. so the biggest bonus to a sales career
is the salary. That is definitely not a secret to
anyone in the industry! NASP has identified
the average salary for a junior sales represen
tative to be between $24,000 to $30,000 plus
benefits and commission. The best pail is that
there is no income cap! Sales people have the
power to determine their own paycheck! It is
not uncommon to receive a smal 1 car allowance
adds Panzer. "Commercial salespeople have
the potential to make $7().(XX)- $ 125,(XX) down
the road and up to $2(X),(XX) for specialty com
panies,” notes Ayrer. There is enormous poten
tial for good salespeople to rapidly advance
their careers and income. Is a sales career start
ing to sound appealing to you yet? Salaries
may vary by industry but generally, sales is a
well-paid profession.
flny advi.ce or tips
you can offer me?
From my research. I would most definitely
suggest joining an association and getting cer
tified to become a sales professional. NASP
offers excellent certification programs that
have strict standards of conduct, which help
to maintain the high standards of the profes
sion. Get certified and get the recognition you
deserve! I would also advise that you confer
with the jobpostings mini-guide to the Sales
Industry, as there are many great resources
that can provide you with even more infor
mation. Remember not to disregard any indus
tries. because you may be closing potential
career paths for yourself. Face it. sales careers
are where it's at.. .who would have known!
Tips from sales pros....
(trust them...they know!)
“Learn how to be an exemplary employee
and learn the skills to getting and keeping
a good job"
- Michael Reagan. NASP. CEO
“Become a student of the process of selling
as opposed to going with a company that
teaches you strategies and techniques to sell
their product. If you understand the process
of selling, you can move into any sales arena"
- Bob Ayrer. REA Performance
Consultants, President
“ Read everything you possibly can and do
not stop learning just because you have
graduated and have your degree”
- Victoria Panzer, University of
South Florida, sales professor
Huxley Myles is a Staff Writer for jobpostings
Magazine. She can be reac lied at hay ley @pas
siongroup.net We invite you to e-mail us with
your career questions and we will publish them
in our “Ask Us ” column next month.
Sneak Peek: Look out for next month's
issue when Rina uncovers the truth about
the exciting world of HiTech. This is a do
not-miss industry report!