The number of graduates considering a career in sales is on the rise. With appealing challenges and often uncapped rewards and benefits, it is hardly surprising that so many graduates are attracted to join the industry.
Many sales opportunities now offer graduates a competitive starting salary, commission, a company car, mobile phone and laptop. This usually goes along with getting to dress in a sharp suit and being able to develop valuable skills and business savviness.
If you are considering a career in sales and trying to figure out if it is the right kind of role for you, then consider this list of everything that you need to know about working in the industry:
The pros of a career in sales
1. You will be challenged every day
If you like to challenge yourself and have targets to be striving for then sales could be for you. As a salesperson, you will need to get clients or customers to choose you over your competitors. You will also have to make great sales pitches to win new businesses and profitable orders. Sales is all about getting results which involves constantly challenging yourself and competing with others.
With a changing environment and new challenges every day, you are unlikely to get bored working in sales. The majority of sales professionals really enjoy the challenge that it offers them and the rewards that come with success.
2. You will develop a great skill-set
A career in sales requires excellent communication and people skills, great time management skills, self-motivation and business knowledge. If you enter into the sales industry then you will develop these skills over time and become a very well-rounded professional.
3. You will have freedom and flexibility
If you move into an external sales role then you will not be stuck behind a desk all week. Instead, you will be out on the road. External sales professionals are usually responsible for scheduling their days and managing their workload which gives them a lot of freedom and flexibility.
What to be wary of
1. No training and development opportunities
There are a lot of great sales opportunities that offer fantastic platforms from which to launch a successful career. However, there are also a fair amount of poor sales jobs that will not offer you the training or development opportunities that you need to start your career in the right way.
When considering sales jobs, do as much research as you can about the company and opportunity so that you can properly assess whether they can offer you the training and development that you need. This is key to kick-starting a prosperous sales career.
2. Commission-only roles
A lot of salespeople enjoy being able to top up their salaries with performance-related bonuses and commission. It is usually better, however, to steer clear of commission-only roles as you want a company to invest in you.
When you find an appealing sales role, find out as much as you can about the bonus structure, commission and target expectations so that you can judge whether they are realistic. If you can speak to someone already in the role, they will be able to give you a clearer idea of what you can expect.
3. Bad Experiences
If you have a bad experience with a sales role then try not to let it put you off the whole industry. You know what sales can offer you as a career, it may just have been the company that was not for you. There are a lot of really great sales opportunities out there, sometimes it is just a case of finding what works best for you.
A career in sales is a great option for ambitious, competitive and money-motivated graduates who want to be able to drive their careers forward. If it suits your strengths, then there is no reason why you shouldn’t go for it!
