Sales Careers: Options, Job Titles, and Descriptions

Job titles in sales include entry-level customer service representatives, executive vice presidents, and hundreds of jobs in between. A sales job is any job that requires you to sell a product, service, or idea. Since this category is broad, your duties will depend on what you are selling, to whom you are selling, and whether yours is an entry-level, coordinating, or management position.

While this list is not exhaustive, it includes the most common sales-related titles seen currently across the job market. Some companies may use different job titles to refer to similar positions since there isn’t necessarily a standardized system for naming sales positions.

Sales Representative

These are typically entry-level, customer-facing positions or business-to-business sales roles. The primary goal is to sell the company’s products, and you might work from a storefront or travel to cover a territory. If you are successful as a sales representative, you can advance quickly to a leadership position with a decent amount of responsibility.

• Account Representative
• Advertising Sales Representative
• Automotive Sales Representative
• B2B Corporate Sales
• Brand Ambassador
• Customer Care Representative
• Direct Salesperson
• Distribution Sales Representative
• Enterprise Sales Representative
• Equipment Sales Representative
• Equipment Sales Specialist
• Healthcare Sales Representative
• Industrial Sales Representative
• Inside Salesperson
• Insurance Sales Representative
• Medical Sales Representative
• National Accounts Sales Representative
• Outside Sales Representative
• Retail Sales Representative
• Route Sales Representative
• Sales Assistant
• Sales Associate
• Sales Representative
• Sales Trainee
• Salesperson
• Specialty Sales Representative
• Territory Sales Representative

Sales Management

Management positions supervise other sales employees, existing customer accounts, or develop strategies for the sales department. Many sales management positions also work with their assistant manager.

• Account Manager
• Area Sales Manager
• Business Development Manager
• Direct Sales Manager
• District Sales Manager
• Franchise Development Manager
• Group Sales Manager
• Inside Sales Manager
• Manager, Business Development
• Market Development Manager
• Marketing Manager
• National Sales Manager
• Regional Manager
• Regional Sales Manager
• Retail Store Manager
• Sales and Community Marketing Manager
• Sales Manager
• Territory Manager
• Territory Sales Manager
• Wholesale Sales Manager
  

Administrative Positions Related to Sales

Administrative teams support the sales team, coordinate schedules, and perform various clerical functions. As an administrative team member, you may be analyzing data to identify trends, acting as a liaison between sales and marketing, and otherwise supporting sales team members with appointment reminders, client upselling, and more.

• Business Development Representative
• Enterprise Resources Planning Representative
• Financial Sales Assistant
• Fixed Income Specialist
• Industry Representative
• Investments Representative
• National Accounts Sales Analyst
• Regional Dealer Recruiter
• Sales Coordinator
• Sales Operation Coordinator
• Sales Representative - Territory Lead

Account Executives and Advisors

Account management positions offer complex responsibilities. Duties include establishing relationships with new clients and managing the needs of existing clients. Account managers must work hard at first to acquire new clients, but if they manage their accounts well, they may subsequently need to do very little client acquisition.

There are a few different pay structures for account managers and executives, though all are directly related to the dollar amount of products or services sold. Your organization might charge a client a series of service fees or offer a service package for free if sales reach a certain threshold. You might receive money at the point of sale only, or you might be paid a regular commission by the company whose products you sell. Sometimes, you’ll receive both fees and a commission.

You might be an employee of a company, or you might be part of an independent agency. Again, this will vary depending upon the company you work for.

• Account Executive
• Channel Partner Sales Executive
• Corporate Sales Account Executive
• Financial Advisor
• Financial Planner
• Group and Events Sales Coordinator
• Key Account Manager
• Major Accounts Manager
• National Accounts Sales General Manager
• Regional Sales Account Manager
• Regional Sales Executive
• Sales Account Executive, Small and Medium Business
• Strategic Account Manager
• Territory Business Manager
• Wealth Management Advisor

Executive-Level Management

Once you’ve reached “director” or “vice president” as a job title, you’re officially an executive. Directors supervise groups of managers, and vice presidents supervise the directors. At the executive level, you’re establishing and managing sales goals for the entire company or a division of the company. Additionally, you will be responsible for developing strategies to reach long-term company goals.

When you reach the executive level, it will matter less which industry you’re in. You will be dealing mostly with organizational issues and interpersonal matters that remain roughly the same no matter what the company is selling. Executives that “move up” are typically moving to another executive position at another company that may or may not be in the same industry.

• Director of Inside Sales
• Director of National Sales
• Director of Sales
• Executive Vice President of Sales