Sales Career

The profession of sales manager arose relatively recently. Previously, it was believed that anyone can sell and only those who have achieved nothing in other areas of activity go to sales managers. But over time, it became clear that this opinion was erroneous: a successful "sales person" should be a highly qualified specialist. And in this profession, both professional and career growth are possible. Development Director of a consulting company, career consultant Yekaterina Pasechnik told how a career is being built in sales. And if you wanna build career in sales you should make really awesome resume, use Best Sales Resume Writing Services and you will accomplish with this task.

Career growth of a sales manager can move in two directions: vertically and horizontally.

For a vertical career, the most promising business function is sales. Employees who are responsible for significant indicators for the company are always in sight. Therefore, if there is an ambition to manage not only sales, but in the long run the whole company, it is better to start a career in this area.

I also chose a vertical form of career development. Started with an administrative position in sales, then moved to active sales. I didn’t like my part of the job as a manager for preparing “closing” documents: acts, invoices and so on. I wanted to sell more and easier using marketing tools. Therefore, I began to take additional marketing tasks, build a sales system. As an example, I used a strategy called “functional selection”. It is very effective for those who want vertical career growth. Now I am a manager and solve the problems of company development, I am engaged in sales, marketing and change management.

Vertical career "salesman" may look like this:

team leader;
Head of direction (this position combines marketing activities);
Development Director (providing “expensive” services with a long sales cycle);
Head of Sales Department;
Director of Sales;
account director.
A horizontal career option might look like this:

marketer;
product manager / product specialist;
project manager;
account
loyalty manager
CRM manager;
business analyst;
a development manager;
affiliate program manager.
You can also open your own business or do consulting in the field of sales.

Benefits of the profession
If you dream about moving to another area, or you are sure that you want changes in work, once again pay attention to the opportunities that work gives in sales. This direction has many advantages that will allow you to love your job and build a successful career:

This is the most sought after profession. There are a lot of vacancies in the market, and even if the company is not looking for new employees, it is always ready to consider a good sales manager;
fastest horizontal career growth. Compare: according to my observations, it takes 8 years to become a chief accountant or financial director. You can grow up to the head of a sales department or a sales director in a year or three;
the ability to rely on results, since this area is very transparent: as a rule, the manager’s work always includes figures that show the result — conversions, volumes, and percentage of the plan. Now all company data is easy to check on the Internet, or get recommendations from colleagues, managers, partners or clients through social networks. But if there are no results, this can be a minus.
lack of attachment to age. Employers are ready to take candidates from 40 years and older. If a candidate knows how to sell or manage sales, then age is an additional advantage for some areas, such as consulting. Plus, an experienced and mature person has more established business relationships.
the ability to work remotely and work with a flexible schedule. This is convenient for women, as work can be combined with maternity and parenting.
And most importantly, a good sales manager makes great money! And that means that he always has the opportunity to influence his income level.