LOOKING for a new start? Then don’t sell yourself short.
Sales jobs are among the best-paying in the UK, with a basic starting salary of between £20,000 and £30,000, with the chance to earn much more by hitting targets.
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Around one in 13 staff work in sales but despite being essential to the economy, the sector still suffers from a negative and outdated image.
However, the industry is changing fast and offers one of the most diverse and meritocratic paths to make it to the top.
Here are Sun Jobs’ top reasons why you should be sold on sales.
1. Want to run your own company?
Sales is the top training ground for budding entrepreneurs.
Apprentice host Alan Sugar began his career selling car radios while Starbucks founder Howard Shultz started out selling home appliances.
2. Top transferable skills
Sales will teach you a whole host of essential business savvy skills. You’ll learn how to network, present in public, broker a deal and how to self-motivate.
3. Accessible entry
Very few universities offer sales degrees so the main ways in are apprenticeships, entry-level jobs or movement within a company.
You can start a sales role with only basic maths and English GCESs and plenty of firms will be willing to give you a trial and assess if you have a flair for the job.
4. And a diverse workforce
All products and services have to be sold – from a local firm unblocking drains and loos to a luxury firm offering diamonds or superyachts and private jets.
Many of the skills required are the same, plus gender, religion or race is no barrier.
You just have to have the knack and be prepared to put in the hours.
5. Flex it
Lots of sales jobs offer flexible hours which you can fit around your lifestyle.
Assess what a job requires – it is phone sales, face-to-face locally, internationally, or on the road driving to meet distant clients?
6. It offers a career, not a stopgap
Going from sales exec, to sales director to CEO is a well-trodden business path.
Salaries can top six figures with the best earning in excess of this.
Find out more at prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/sales/sales-training-courses.
Time to close on your new sales job? Here are our top picks for this week
Pre-Sales Engineer – Front Office Public Markets, S&P Global, London
The Role: Pre-Sales Engineers are responsible for providing business and technical expertise to support sales and client management teams.
What You’ll Do: You will focus on supporting front office public markets’ business in portfolio management, trading, compliance and data management.
What You’ll Need: Strong knowledge of public markets asset classes, demonstrable knowledge of public market front office software and processes and four years’ in public markets pre-sales or at a front office asset management role are essential.
Apply Now: View more details about this role here.
Business Development/Sales Manager – Technology, eClerx, London
The Role: As Business Development/Sales Manager, you will drive business development of eClerx’s technology product portfolio in the EMEA region.
What You’ll Do: You will leverage and build a regional and industry network to identify new client and sales opportunities, and develop and maintain an understanding of the territory, marketplace, competitive offerings, and other business issues relevant to the position.
What You’ll Need: Rich experience in new business development or sales experience, plus a proven ability to be able to generate revenue of £1 million per year, and experience selling technology or consulting services/solutions is required.
Apply Now: Get more details about this opportunity here.
Vice President Sales – CRM, Zeta Global, London
The Role: The Vice President Sales is responsible for engaging marketing decisions makers to create, develop and close new business.
What You’ll Do: This role involves engaging executives in targeted prospect accounts, generating business opportunities through professional, dedicated prospecting and cold-calling and orchestrating discussions with senior executives around their business needs.
What You’ll Need: You will have a background in digital platform sales, with a deep understanding of data and measurement, as well as experience leveraging strategic relationships with external partners.
Apply Now: See the full job description here.
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