What is a sales job? Sales jobs are at the heart of many organizations, generate revenue, and prioritize customer needs. Whether you want to change your career or better understand different types of sales jobs, this article offers a detailed overview of seven different types of sales jobs, along with their key responsibilities.
From entry-level positions up to management, a sales job is crucial if a business wants to succeed.
1. Inside sales rep
Inside sellers are the office-based foot soldiers of the sales job world. They use phone calls, emails, and video calls to connect with potential customers and close deals. The job has grown more important than ever with the rise of digital communication tools, making it an increasingly vital part of many sales strategies.
Key responsibilities
- Qualify leads and identify high-potential opportunities.
- Deliver compelling sales presentations tailored to each prospect’s needs.
- Negotiate terms and close deals.
- Maintain detailed records of customer interactions in the company’s CRM system.
- Collaborate with marketing and product teams to refine sales strategies.
- Provide product demonstrations and address customer queries.
- Consistently meet or exceed sales quotas.
- Deliver outreach to potential customers through various channels, often via dedicated phone numbers.
Skills required
To succeed as an inside sales rep, you’ll need more than a custom phone number. The right combination of soft and technical skills are critical. You’ll need the following to nail down this particular sales job.
- Excellent communication and active listening abilities.
- Persistent and resilient despite regular rejection.
- Strong time management and organizational skills.
- Proficient with customer relationship management (CRM) software and digital communication tools.
- Able to learn and clearly explain complex product information.
- Able to accommodate changing sales techniques and technologies.
- Can analyze data to track performance and identify trends.
Top inside sales reps often move into outside sales positions or specialize in niche industry segments or product lines.
2. Outside sales rep
Outside sales reps (also known as field sales reps) take the sales job beyond the office walls. They travel to meet prospects and current customers, building relationships and closing deals in person.
It can be a long sales cycle for companies selling products or services that need detailed demonstrations or to nurture incremental interpersonal relationships. Effective field sales reps are crucial to the success of such products or services.
Key responsibilities
- Schedule and conduct in-person meetings with potential and existing clients.
- Travel to client locations, industry events, and trade shows.
- Develop and maintain a pipeline of qualified leads.
- Perform product demonstrations and presentations tailored to client needs.
- Negotiate contracts and close high-value deals.
- Collaborate with inside sales teams to ensure smooth client handoffs.
- Provide market intelligence to inform product development and marketing strategies.
- Manage expenses and maintain accurate records of client interactions.
Skills required
Outside sales rep is a sales job that demands a unique skill set.
- Strong interpersonal and networking abilities.
- Excellent presentation and public speaking skills.
- Can adapt to different client personalities and environments.
- Self-motivated and can work independently.
- Good at timekeeping and managing territories.
- Industry expert with in-depth product knowledge.
- Innate problem-solving skills to quickly address client concerns.
- Able to handle travel demands and maintain work-life balance.
Successful outside sales reps often move into senior sales rep or sales management roles.
3. Sales development rep (SDR)
Sales development reps focus on the early stages of the sales process – qualifying leads and creating a pipeline for account executives to close. This sales job sits somewhere between marketing and sales, and ensures that sales teams follow up on the best opportunities.
Key responsibilities
- Contact potential clients through calls, emails, and social media.
- Qualify leads based on established criteria and company goals.
- Schedule appointments for prospects with account executives.
- Research potential clients and industries to personalize relationships.
- Use the CRM system to manage and update lead information.
- Collaborate with the marketing team to refine lead generation strategies.
- Provide feedback on lead quality and market trends to improve targeting.
Skills required
To excel as an SDR, you’ll need the following.
- Excellent communication skills, especially on the phone and in writing.
- Able to quickly understand and explain product value propositions.
- Persistent and resilient to handle routine rejections.
- Strong research skills to gather relevant prospect information.
- Proficient with CRM systems and sales engagement tools.
- Good at managing time to juggle multiple campaigns.
- Curious and eager to learn about various industries and business challenges.
SDRs often progress to account executive roles or specialize in specific market segments.
4. Account executive
As the closers of the sales process, account executives (AEs) are given qualified leads – customers ready to sign a contract – by SDRs. From there, they manage relationships with these prospects through the final stages of the sales cycle. AEs primarily understand a prospect’s needs and lay out and present products or services that will fulfill these needs.
Key responsibilities
- Develop and deliver strategic sales plans to meet or exceed targets.
- Conduct in-depth discovery calls to understand client requirements.
- Create and deliver tailored presentations and proposals.
- Negotiate contracts and handle objections to close deals.
- Manage a pipeline of opportunities and forecast accurate sales.
- Collaborate with customer success teams to facilitate smooth client onboarding.
- Stay updated on industry trends and competitor offerings.
Skills required
- Strong, persuasive negotiator.
- Able to build and maintain long-term client relationships.
- Knowledgeable about products and understands the competitive landscape.
- Strategic thinker to match solutions with client business goals.
- Excellent presenter and public speaker.
- Proficient with sales methodologies and CRM systems.
- Able to interpret data and adjust strategies accordingly.
- Emotionally intelligent to navigate complex client dynamics.
AEs who successfully hit or exceed quotas are promoted to senior AE roles or into sales management.
5. Sales manager
Sales managers manage and guide sales teams to achieve their sales targets. The sales manager is the link between upper management and sales reps, and helps to translate business goals into sales strategy. This role requires a combination of sales and leadership skills, as well as good strategic skills.
Key responsibilities
- Develop and deliver sales strategies in line with company goals.
- Set realistic, challenging targets for individual reps and the team.
- Coach, mentor, and train the team to improve performance.
- Analyze sales data and market trends to inform decision-making.
- Collaborate with marketing, product, and customer success teams.
- Manage the sales pipeline and accurately forecast revenue.
- Resolve escalated customer issues and participate in high-stakes deals.
- Recruit, hire, and onboard new sales talent through efficiency tools such as applicant tracking systems.
- Make sure the team consistently follows the right sales processes and best practices.
Skills required
Effective sales managers typically possess the following skills.
- Strong leader and team motivator.
- Excellent communicator who can engage with both team members and executives.
- Data analyzer and interpreter to help track performance.
- Strategic thinker who can develop and adapt sales plans.
- Good time manager and prioritizer.
- Can resolve conflicts and solve problems.
- Understands the sales process and industry dynamics.
- Proficient with CRM systems and sales performance tools.
- Can effectively manage budgets and resources.
Top-performing sales managers might become directors, or move into broader business leadership.
6. Sales operations specialist
Sales operations specialists optimize the sales process to ensure team efficiency. They’re the silent driving force behind the business sales department, organizing the systems, data, and processes to maximize sales rep productivity.
Key responsibilities
- Manage and optimize CRM systems and sales tools.
- Analyze sales data to identify trends and areas for improvement.
- Create and maintain sales reports and dashboards.
- Develop and refine sales processes and workflows.
- Coordinate sales training and onboarding programs.
- Support forecasting and territory planning efforts.
- Collaborate with marketing to align lead generation strategies.
Skills required
Successful sales operations specialists typically possess the following skills.
- Data analyzer and interpreter.
- Proficient with CRM systems and sales analytics tools.
- Project manager.
- Good attention to detail and a process-oriented mindset.
- Excellent problem-solver.
- Able to clearly communicate complex data insights.
- Understands sales methodologies and best practices.
- Basic coding or SQL knowledge (often beneficial).
7. Sales engineer
Sales engineers serve as a link between technical product experts and sales staff, enhancing the selling efforts of sales representatives by simplifying the complex, technical bits in the sales process to move the sale ahead.
Key responsibilities
- Can carry out technical demonstrations and presentations for potential clients.
- Collaborate with sales reps to develop tailored solutions for clients.
- Provide detailed product information and address technical queries.
- Help to build projects and create technical proposals.
- Support product implementation and customer onboarding.
- Gather market intelligence and provide feedback to product teams.
- Stay updated on industry trends and competitive offerings.
Skills required
Effective sales engineers typically possess the following skills.
- Technical expert regarding the product or industry.
- Excellent communicator who can simplify complex concepts.
- Able to translate technical features into business benefits.
- Problem-solver who can address client technical challenges.
- Presenter and public speaker.
- Collaborate effectively with sales and product teams.
- Can quickly learn new technologies.
- Customer-focused to deliver solutions for clients.
Career progression in sales
Sales careers offer many diverse opportunities for growth, so the question ‘What is a sales job?’ has numerous answers. Reps can move up the ladder, become senior reps or specialize in one area. They can become managers, move into sales operations, or get into training. Some will eventually use their sales skills to become consultants or entrepreneurs. Ultimately, the secret to sales job success is to learn, embrace new technologies, and network with professionals.
Frequently asked questions
1. What’s the difference between an inside and outside sales rep?
Inside sales reps spend most of their day in an office, using their phone and other electronic communication tools to interact with suppliers and customers. Whereas, outside sales reps travel beyond the office walls to visit clients in person.
2. How important is industry experience for sales roles?
Most sales skills are transferable. The prospective employers who interview you might be just as interested in your ability to adapt to their firm as they would be in someone who has experience in precisely the same field.
3. What education do I need for a career in sales?
You don’t necessarily need a degree for a sales job, but business and marketing degrees can be helpful. Similarly, subjects specific to the product or service being sold can offer an advantage – for example, an arts degree will certainly be useful for someone working in art sales.
4. How has technology changed sales roles?
Nowadays, sales involves a lot of lead tracking, recording sales-related data, and carrying out meetings with clients and coworkers. To be able to cope with such tremendous workload, sales reps must embrace digital tools.
Originally published Sep 04, 2024
