8 types of sales careers worth exploring

If you’re a good communicator who loves working with people and you’re keen to use your negotiation skills to get ahead, read on to learn more about the sales roles available and find the best fit for your skillset.

What are the different types of sales roles?

Sales roles fall into four main categories:

Customer satisfaction

These roles work closely with clients, answer queries, and focus on long-term relationship building and fostering loyalty.

Lead generation and research

These roles involve chasing up each prospect or lead to identifying those that could generate value for the company. Teams conduct research to determine who a target audience is and where their pain points are. They use this data to create ideal customer profiles (ICPs), find consumers, and appeal to them.

Sales operations

These roles handle technical client queries. People in these roles will have expert knowledge of the products or services they sell, how they function, and their unique specifications.

Management

Management roles oversee sales teams, ensuring that they are running smoothly. These executives will have industry experience, good interpersonal skills, and the drive to create new business opportunities.

They are often responsible for drafting a strategic business proposal that seeks to expand market reach and enhance revenue.

What should you look for in a sales career?

The right sales role for you will depend on your interests and abilities. Consider the following points as a baseline for evaluating a prospective role.

Job function

Firstly, consider what kind of industry and specialism you’d like to work in. Do you want to sell B2B (business-to-business) or B2C (business-to-consumer)?

If you are going to study and work at the same time, find out if there are part-time opportunities available that allow you to gain real-world work experience while you learn.

Long-term prospects

Next, consider whether this area has good long-term prospects. While software as a service (SaaS) sales roles are increasing, sales prospecting and cold calling roles are fast becoming obsolete.

Type of compensation

Some salespeople work on commission, while others have a fixed salary. Check the average pay, job security, and career progression opportunities for roles you like.

Eight sales careers to explore

Below are eight of the most commonly offered sales roles.

1. Lead Development Representative (LDR)

An LDR sits at the top of the sales funnel. They’ll use various techniques to build connections with leads and prospects.

Their job involves identifying worthwhile leads, building relationships, and guiding them down the funnel. Focusing mainly on inbound clients, LDRs work with ‘warm’ clients to develop an existing interest and identify pain points.

This role is a good starting point for would-be salespeople who enjoy speaking directly with consumers and have excellent communication and evaluation skills.

2. Business Development Representative (BDR)

BDRs also focus on creating business opportunities. However, they work with outbound leads often using automated lead generation techniques, such as email outreach, to contact new clients.

Unlike LDRs, they’re also more likely to spend their time researching prospective companies and identifying who to contact so they can make that first step and then qualify their interest.

3. Account Executive

An Account Executive is in charge of moving leads from the top and middle of the funnel through to closing. They may give product demonstrations, create pitches for clients, and negotiate sales terms. The role suits people who are detail-oriented and have good presentation skills.

4. Customer Success Manager (CSM)

CSMs help customers move through the sales funnel and become active purchasers. They focus on building deeper connections with clients and will often work with a specific account long-term.

CSMs should be problem-solvers, addressing issues before they affect customers. For example, a CSM selling SaaS call centre services must proactively minimise dropped call rates to achieve maximum customer satisfaction.

5. Sales Engineer

Those with good interpersonal skills and a technical aptitude are well suited to jobs as Sales Engineers. They work closely with the wider sales team to create product pitches, technical documents, and other product sales information tools.

6. Sales Manager

Sales Managers lead a team of salespeople, supervising their daily operations and ensuring they meet their targets. They are responsible for developing a core sales strategy and using demand planning KPIs and other metrics to monitor progress, drive performance and ensure success.

Sales Managers oversee hiring, training, and data and report analysis. The role is suited to people who are strong leaders and delegators, quick decision-makers, and impeccable communicators.

7. Sales Consultant

Instead of working within a company, Sales Consultants are external contractors who provide guidance to in-house teams. They advise on how to increase sales and revenue by changing business strategies. Sales Consultants primarily focus on consumers' needs.

This is often a freelance role, so it is suited to people who want to work for themselves and enjoy variety in their day-to-day work. The best consultants will have robust knowledge in their chosen field, be strong problem-solvers, and adapt quickly to meet various business needs. You will commonly find that sales consultants started out working in-house across multiple companies and use this valuable experience to consult others.

8. Director of Sales

Sales Directors are at the highest rung of the sales team. They may lead whole divisions of salespeople and report directly to upper management. Their primary responsibilities include conducting competitor research, developing sales plans, supply and demand costing, and drafting quarterly sales reports.

To obtain a job at this level, candidates will need significant experience in sales, good spoken and written communication skills, managerial experience, and proven ability to drive sales growth.

Jumpstart your career in sales today

Now you’re familiar with some of the potential sales roles on offer, start narrowing down your options based on your preferences. Where in the sales funnel do you want to work? What industry appeals most? Do you want a customer-facing or managerial role? Pick the path that excites you most and take your first steps to landing your dream sales career!