Business Development & Sales

The Basics

A sales career is fundamentally driven by relationships and involves promoting and selling products or services to customers, ranging from individuals to large businesses. It is a crucial business function focused on directly driving revenue through product/service transactions. It involves direct interaction with potential and existing customers to sell products or services, negotiate deals, and manage client relationships. The work often includes activities like cultivating relationships, managing information, speaking, researching, and evaluating. This can involve researching prospects, analyzing data, cold-calling, and utilizing a consultative approach to drive repeat business, loyalty, and sustainable growth.

Different roles within sales:

• Sales Representative/Account Executive: Directly sells products or services to customers, manages a portfolio of accounts, and works to meet sales targets.
• Business Development Representative (BDR)/Sales Development Representative (SDR): Focuses on lead generation, prospecting, and qualifying potential customers before handing them off to account executives.
• Account Manager: Manages relationships with existing clients, ensures their satisfaction, identifies opportunities for upselling or cross-selling, and drives repeat business.
• Sales Manager: Leads and motivates a team of sales representatives, sets targets, provides training, and monitors performance.
• Sales Engineer/Solutions Architect: Combines technical expertise with sales skills to demonstrate complex products or solutions and address client technical questions.
• Inside Sales Representative: Sells products/services remotely, typically via phone, email, or video conferencing.
• Outside Sales Representative/Territory Sales Representative: Sells products/services in person, often traveling to meet clients within a specific geographic region or territory.
• Sales Assistant/Coordinator: Provides crucial administrative and logistical support to the sales team, managing data, processing orders, and ensuring the sales process runs smoothly.
• Business Development Associate: An entry-level role that helps with research, data analysis, and client communication to support the broader business development and sales teams.
• Ad Sales Agent: Specializes in selling advertising space or time across various media platforms, from print and TV to digital channels, building relationships with clients and managing their ad campaigns.

Different industries that the career might be found in:

Sales professionals are indispensable in virtually every industry, as every business needs to attract customers and generate revenue. They can be found in:

• Technology: Software as a Service (SaaS), hardware, IT services (a very common area for B2B sales).
• Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG): Food, beverage, household products.
• Retail: Fashion, electronics, home goods (both brick-and-mortar and e-commerce).
• Financial Services: Banks, insurance companies, investment firms.
• Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals: Medical devices, pharmaceuticals, healthcare services.
• Automotive: Car manufacturers and dealerships.
• Media and Entertainment: Film studios, music labels, publishing houses, advertising agencies.
• Real Estate: Residential and commercial property sales.
• Hospitality and Tourism: Hotels, airlines, travel agencies.
• Non-profit Organizations: Fundraising, donor relations.
• Manufacturing: Industrial products, machinery.
• Consulting Firms: Sales consulting.
• Government

Why Business Development & Sales?

A career in Sales offers a dynamic, results-driven path at the core of business growth. You’ll gain a deep understanding of human psychology, negotiation tactics, and strategic communication, directly impacting an organization’s bottom line. The field offers competitive compensation structures, often with significant performance incentives, continuous learning as market dynamics evolve, and the satisfaction of building strong relationships and seeing your efforts translate into tangible success. If you’re passionate about influencing decisions, building connections, and driving innovation, this path provides constant challenge and significant reward.

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Preparation

Preparation for a career in Sales often benefits from relevant higher education, though an aptitude for persuasion and resilience can sometimes outweigh specific coursework. Hands-on experience is highly valued in the field.

Key steps for preparation include:

• Relevant Academic Background: Pursue coursework in sales management, business communication, negotiation, and consumer behavior.
• Develop Core Skills: Cultivate strong communication (written, verbal, presentation), interpersonal, negotiation, problem-solving, analytical, and critical thinking skills. Resilience, tenacity, and a goal-oriented mindset are also crucial.
• Gain Practical Experience: Any role involving direct customer interaction, persuasion, or goal attainment (e.g., retail sales, customer service, fundraising) is highly beneficial. Seek internships in sales roles.
• Understand Data: Familiarity with CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software is increasingly important for managing client relationships and tracking sales performance.
• Networking: Connect with professionals in sales through informational interviews, industry events, and alumni networks.
• Understand the Recruiting Timeline: Sales positions recruit year-round, with a high concentration of postings in August and September and deadlines in October and November. Additional opportunities also appear early in the spring semester around January and February. It’s important to be looking year-round, starting to network in the fall and continuing to nurture these relationships throughout the year.

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Where Deacs Go

So, where do Deacs actually land sales jobs? The first thing you’ll notice is there’s no single path. A lot of students from Business, Communication, and Economics go into sales, but so do people who majored in Political Science, Sociology, and even the sciences. They’re not all just “Sales Reps,” either. Recent grads are starting out as Business Development Associates, Account Managers, and even in specific fields like medical device sales. They’ve landed jobs at huge companies you know, like Salesforce, Oracle, Procter & Gamble (P&G), and General Mills, as well as major players in media like NBCUniversal. The takeaway? You don’t have to follow a specific major or a single path to get into sales. It’s about your skills, your grit, and your ability to connect with people.

Check out a few of our student success stories here!