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Jobs >> Jobs Articles >> Career Feature >> How to Take Your Sales Career to the Next Level

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Career Feature

How to Take Your Sales Career to the Next Level

 Dated: 09-24-2010

Are you great at sales and in fact have decided that a sales career is definitely the path you’ve decided to take? Being in sales is a great profession and if you have the people skills and a persuasive way about you, then you can go far. Sales has been a profession for many people for decades, and has greatly changed over the years with the growing world around it.

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In the 1950's and 1960's there were quite a few door to door sales representatives that sold everything from encyclopedias to vacuum cleaners and everything else in between. One example of the way that sales has changed is the fact that there are very few door to door sales people because people are not as trusting as they once were and violence is more widespread.

In the 1970's through the 1980's telemarketing sales was quite popular. Companies would set up shop in a storefront with rows of tables and phones for the telemarketers. They would rip out sections of the phone book and hand them to the team as their leads. This was a very lucrative sales career for many years, but times changed and today, telemarketing has dwindled because of the Do Not Cal Lists. In the 1990's to the present day the Internet has taken hold and this is the way that many people products to people.




The Internet now has a very large number of businesses that sell their products exclusively online; they have no brick and mortar storefronts. This has been a way for salespeople that did not like the face-to-face type of selling a chance to make a huge impact via the written word.

In addition, there are plenty of sales in high-end retail stores that work on a draw against commission or they receive a salary along with a commission for what they sell. Many people take on sales jobs because it is something they are passionate about while others take the job because they need a job.

If a career in sales interests you and you want to move your career to the next level, you can take several strategies. First, you should know that the sales industry is a fast growing field where there are many opportunities for you to succeed and advance into a full time sales career. The sales industry also has one of the fastest turnover occupations with a whopping 30 percent, which shows you that working in sales is certainly not for everyone.

Employers look for passionate, enthusiastic candidates with a solid sales record of accomplishment. This means it is crucial that you have a sales background that you can put on your resume that shows your achievements and percentages of sales that you personally have accomplished. Typically, you will hire a professional resume writer that is skilled in sales writing because if your resume does not make the cut, you will never be called in for an interview.

Many people do begin in retail sales because it is a great way to get exposure to many different customers that have varying needs. It is an excellent way to boost your sales self-esteem, and there are many retail jobs in sales open at any given time. If you work in a high-end department store, you will actually dress in suit or business attire when you are on the job, which is great training for higher end jobs in sales.

Obviously, sales work is not for everyone, otherwise there would not be such a high turnover rate. Sales must suit your personality and if it does, there is a great amount of money that can be made and many advancement opportunities. Wherever you get your initial sales work experience, use it as a training ground to advance your career, because in the end, that is exactly what you are doing. The more hands-on sales experience that is combined with formal education, the better your chances of moving into high-dollar sales work.

Are you ready to take your sales career to the next level? If so, the best place to get started is at Hound.com, which is where you will find thousands of sales openings for you to apply! You never have to worry about applying to old listings, because these jobs are screened just for you! Moreover, you can get a FREE trial offer today to help you find your next dream job!



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