Career snapshot: salesperson

Are you a fast talker with a thick skin?
Maybe you should consider a job in sales!
There are many reasons you should consider a job in sales including:

- Sales experience is applicable in many fields of work
- Sales jobs have the potential to be quite high paying
- Sales can lead into several different careers
- You don’t necessarily need any qualifications to get started as a salesperson.
What jobs are available in sales?
With so many products available, there is quite a large range of sales jobs including:
- Real estate
- Automobiles
- Clothing
- Furniture
- Electronics.
And there are lots of positions available from entry level to management including:
- Sales representatives/consultants
- Sales coordinators
- Sales account and relationship management
- Sales managers.
What do sales people do?
It might appear obvious what sales people do, they sell things! But they also do a number of other duties including:
- Making and keeping appointments
- Staying organised and focused
- Being well presented at all times; you are what you sell.
How do I get started?
A sales job is great for those who have just left school or thinking of making a career change. There are several ways you can get into the industry including a temporary position, casual shifts or going it on your own.
Important to remember:
Some sales jobs may be commission only. That is, you only make money once you sell something. If you’re looking for a stable income, look for sales jobs that have a salary + commission. If that’s not an option, you shouldn’t fear - commission based jobs can make you more money than an average salary.
What does the sales industry look like in Australia?
The sales sector is a broad industry, here are some quick facts about some of the roles available within the sales industry from Job Outlook.
The number of job openings for sales representatives, sales associates, sales consultants and store managers is expected to stay stable with around 10,001 and 25,000 job openings over the next 3 years to 2020.
Employment for the sales industry is meant to remain stable until 2020.
Who are the leading employers?
A few leading sales employers include: