Are you unsure about the different jobs in sales out there and want to find out what job would suit you? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Keep on reading to find out the different positions on the market right now. The job titles listed below are not exhaustive, as a lot of companies use different terms for the same functions, so please read the job descriptions carefully when in doubt. Keep in mind that all these positions can be either B2B or B2C depending on your target audience. If you target consumers directly it is B2B, if you target other companies it is B2B. For more information on marketing and digital jobs, make sure to check our articles on them too!
1. Sales Director
As a Sales Director, you manage the entire sales department of your company, including the people working in it. You define the entire sales strategy and most likely report to the CEO of your company.
Key Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, communications or a related field
- Sufficient relevant experience (preferable above 10 years)
Relevant Competences
- Business Acumen
- Drive For Results
- Delegation & Group Leadership
- Individual Leadership / Coaching
- Vision / Strategic Agility
- Stress Tolerance
- Negotiation Skills & Customer Orientation
- Planning & Organizing
- Communication / Impact
2. Sales Manager
You report to the Sales Director and are responsible for the sales of 1 business unit in your company. You also manage the people working in that particular business unit. In some companies the position of Sales Director doesn’t exist and consequently ‘Sales Manager’ is the highest position there.
Key Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, communications or a related field
- Previous experience in this position or as a Field Sales Manager is a big plus
Relevant Competences
- Business Acumen
- Drive For Results
- Delegation & Group Leadership
- Individual Leadership / Coaching
- Negotiation Skills & Customer Orientation
- Planning & Organizing
- Communication / Impact
- Tenacity / Perseverance
3. Field Sales Manager
Your biggest responsibility is people management, as you will manage a team of Sales Representatives. You define their objectives / targets and follow up on their performance regularly. You are also in charge of the biggest clients within your company.
Key Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications or a related field
- Previous experience in this position or as a Key Account Manager is a big plus
Relevant Competences
- Planning & Organizing
- Analytical
- Communication / Impact
- Drive For Results
-
Stress Tolerance
-
Entrepreneurship
- Negotiation Skills & Customer Orientation
- Tenacity / Perseverance
- Action Oriented / Initiative Taking
4. Key Account Manager
In this highly strategic position, you lead the annual negotiations with the biggest clients of your company at central level. You are also the one defining the volume per client of your sold products, sold promotions… Depending on the company, you could be responsible for managing 1 or 2 people as well.
Key Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications or a related field
- Previous experience in this position or as a Category Manager is a big plus
Relevant Competences
- Business Acumen
- Vision / Strategic Agility
- Drive For Results
- Political Sensitivity
- Stress Tolerance
- Analytical
- Negotiation Skills & Customer Orientation
- Tenacity / Perseverance
- Action Oriented / Initiative Taking
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5. Category Manager
As a Category Manager, you define the sales strategy of a category of products. This entails analyzing the sales, the promotions, the pricing strategy, the position of the products on the market… You report and give insights to the Key Account Manager and sometimes accompany him at client negotiations. As this is a highly analytical position, you work a lot with companies like Nielsen and GFK as well.
Key Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications or a related field
- Previous experience in this position or as an Account Manager is a big plus
Relevant Competences
- Business Acumen
- Drive For Results
- Vision / Strategic Agility
- Analytical
- Customer Orientation
- Planning & Organizing
- Communication / Impact
- Tenacity / Perseverance
- Action Oriented / Initiative Taking
6. Account Manager
You manage a portfolio of different clients and visit them on a regular basis to sell the different products of your company. Your time is divided between working on your own in your office and visiting clients at theirs. You might report to the Key Account Manager, depending on the company.
Key Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications or a related field
- Previous experience in this position or as a Sales Representative is a big plus
Relevant Competences
- Business Acumen
- Drive For Results
- Analytical
- Negotiation Skills & Customer Orientation
- Tenacity / Perseverance
- Action Oriented / Initiative Taking
- Planning & Organizing
- Communication / Impact
- Stress Tolerance
7. Sales Representative
You visit clients on a day-to-day basis to sell products. Therefore, you spend most of your time in the field and work max 1 or 2 days at your own office. You are constantly striving to develop your portfolio of clients further and you report to the Field Sales Manager.
Key Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications or a related field
- Previous experience in this position, in Internal Sales or as a Sales Assistant is a big plus
Relevant Competences
- Business Acumen
- Drive For Results
- Stress Tolerance
- Analytical
- Negotiation Skills & Customer Orientation
- Tenacity / Perseverance
- Action Oriented / Initiative Taking
- Planning & Organizing
- Communication / Impact
8. Internal Sales
When you work in Internal Sales, you rarely leave the office because you are mainly selling your products or services by phone. So, in contrast to a Sales Representative, you don’t see your clients a lot. Usually, you do ‘hard-selling’ from the comfort of your own office.
Key Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications or a related field
- Previous experience in this position or as a Sales Assistant is a big plus
Relevant Competences
-
Business Acumen
-
Drive For Results
-
Stress Tolerance
-
Analytical
-
Negotiation Skills & Customer Orientation
-
Tenacity / Perseverance
-
Action Oriented / Initiative Taking
-
Planning & Organizing
-
Communication / Impact
9. Sales Assistant
This is again more of an operational role, where you will assist the different members of the sales team in a variety of tasks: drafting contracts, conducting performance analyses, preparing meetings…. You can also expect to work on some logistics, administration…
Key Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications or a related field
- Strong organizational skills (you will be managing a lot of different projects at the same time)
Key Qualifications
-
Drive For Results
-
Political Sensitivity
- Vision / Strategic Agility
-
Stress Tolerance
-
Analytical
-
Action Oriented / Initiative Taking
-
Creativity
-
Planning & Organizing
-
Communication / Impact
Looking for a job?
Did the article convince you to start your career in sales or do you feel like it’s time for a promotion? Generations Recruitment is specialized in Sales and Marketing vacancies, so don’t hesitate tot take a look at our Job Page!
