Sales is the practice of selling and buying goods and service in exchange for money or some other form of compensation. While this practice began in the form of simple barter system amongst human beings in stone age , it took a commercial form over a period of time and became a full fledge industry by itself during the middle ages.
Modern sales work is prevalent in a wide number of industries and the jobs in this field range from the basic door to door salesman to a top level sales director in a multi-national company.
The party who is involved in selling the product or service is known as a seller or salesperson. They may be owners of the product or hired by the organization who produces it. Customers or buyers are the ones who buy these goods in exchange for monetary compensation. Upon completion of the sale, the ownership of the product is transferred to the customer. Sales and marketing teams in an organization are interdependent on each other for their success and work in close coordination owing to the similar nature of their job. Sales remains an integral part of most industries and its success determines the overall profit and growth of the company.
Functions
Similar to any other line of work, various aspects of sales work are carried out by professionals who are trained in specific sub-fields of sales. Entry level jobs include sales representative, sales assistant and sales associate profiles, while supervisory and managerial roles are carried out by sales managers, sales supervisors and sales executives. A sales director is generally the one who holds the highest position in this line of work.
Skills
Any professional working in this field should have excellent interpersonal, communication and convincing skills owing to the nature of this work. They should possess good skills in software programs such as MS Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint in order to create reports, presentations, sales charts and send emails to other individuals in the organization. Those working in supervisory roles should have good leadership and organizational skills along with possessing good problem solving capabilities.
Work Conditions
Entry level sales work includes a lot of traveling in order to meet potential clients and pitch products to them. Those working in telemarketing sales have to speak on the phone for long hours and this can be a tiring task. Higher level sales professionals generally have an office based job, which is carried out in comfortable work conditions. However, they have to constantly work under pressure to meet deadlines. Most professionals in this field work for 40 hours in a week with occasional overtime whenever needed by the organization.
Salary and Benefits
The average salary of a sales representative or agent is between $45,000 and $65,000. They also receive additional bonus payment for exceptional performance and exceeding their sales targets. Sales executives earn around $90,000 on an average while sales managers earn between $85,000 and $125,000 depending upon a number of factors such as type of industry and experience in the company. Sales directors may earn above $150,000 owing to the high profile nature of their job.
Thus, sales work has unlimited potential in terms of growth and career advancement opportunities. It is a lucrative option for those who are interested in pursuing their careers in this field.