Enjoying Rewards in Sales

Any company that has a marketing division recognises the importance of employing experienced sales staff. As a result of the current move towards “smart selling” – as opposed to the forceful “hard sell” approach of the past – sales and marketing staff are expected to be as sharp and knowledgeable as they are dynamic, especially if they hope to be promoted to middleweight and senior positions.

For new graduates, the implications of this shift are considerable: Now, along with your qualification (and relevant industry experience, which is sometimes even more important than theoretical know-how), you could be expected to be skilled in market analysis and planning. Furthermore, your sale approach needs to be comprehensive and direct without being overbearing, which means that industry professionals would be wise to hone their customer services skills and consultative methods of selling.

To this end, it is advisable to attain an Advanced Certificate in sales and marketing or strategic sales, for example. These types of courses can be completed once you have attained your undergraduate qualification, or they can be taken up as soon as you finish your secondary schooling. A theoretical and practical understanding of e-commerce and Web technology is also particularly advantageous to graduates seeking employment in the marketing sector.

Enjoy a rewarding career in sales and marketing

With the right qualifications and sufficient expertise, jobs in the sales and marketing sector can be highly rewarding. Promotion could come fairly quickly for skilled and motivated individuals, and you could find yourself moving from junior positions into roles such as account manager, account director and middle-weight or senior sales executive. Sought-after positions in Key Account Management, for example, are awarded to highly skilled candidates, many of whom may have started out in junior roles but gained extensive hands-on experience through their work in the industry.

Therefore, along with your formal qualifications, you will need to gain practical sales and marketing experience in order to move up the ranks into middleweight and senior roles. Constantly honing your skills and improving your theoretical knowledge is the best way to achieve this, and will ensure a swift and fulfilling progression up the career ladder.