Taking Charge of Your Own Success as a Sales Representative?

Answer 1

Why do people decide to pursue a career in sales? Well, a career as a sales representative affords individuals the opportunity to become an active participant in business growth. In fact, an argument can easily be made that without good sales professionals a company won’t grow or increase market share. Even the best product in the world can be made to fail, but only a great sales representative can mean the difference between business won and lost. Perhaps it’s the ability to work with people and convince them their decision to purchase is the right one. For some it’s being able to win orders and convince customers to purchase. Still others enjoy the chase and the fact that a career in sales allows them to determine their own salary potential. When looking towards a career in sales, what can one expect?

Starting salary and potential salary

While it’s somewhat difficult to nail down a starting salary as a sales representative, it’s quite a different story when discussing potential salary. Most sales jobs provide a base salary and a commission based incentive structure. Some go a step further and include monthly or quarterly bonuses based on the ability to attain sales forecasts. Typically the best paying sales positions are found in business to business sales. In this case, given the right circumstances and the right position, there shouldn’t be any ceiling on a sales person’s income. An expected starting salary for a first year sales representative in business to business sales could include a base of $50,000.00 as well as commission and bonuses. In some cases the vice president of sales in a given company is the highest paid employee.

What’s required to succeed as a sales representative?

Typically a university degree in business, marketing or economics is highly preferred. However, the most important aspect of sales success is the ability to be willing to put up with rejection and continue the pursuit. Sales success is less about what the sales person knows and more about what the customer wants. The best sales professionals spent less time talking and more time listening. Their ability to close orders and grow business comes from their innate ability to exude confidence and capitalize on key customer concerns. Successful sales representatives will identify a customer concern and sell based on resolving that concern. They concentrate on the relationship first and then move forward.

A career in sales is not only challenging, it’s also incredibly rewarding. Strong sales professionals are counted on to win business in both good and bad times. Because they play such a pivotal role in winning business, they are often the best paid employees in a company.