What Does an Entry-Level Salesperson Do?
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Entry-level sales jobs offer a path to career advancement. This field takes hard work to succeed, but if a person has excellent soft skills and is comfortable making phone calls, writing emails and communicating the benefits of a product or service to prospects they have vetted, they can thrive.
Entry-level salespeople fulfill various managed and independent tasks. Those tasks can often differ, especially between business environments. An entry-level salesperson’s role in a retail store may not resemble those of a person who works in telemarketing. Experiences can even change depending on the day.
Sales is an excellent career path with plenty of high earning potential and concrete organizational charts allowing advancement and growth. The other positive thing about sales is that practically anyone can enter the field and excel. For those with a strong work ethic, the ability to connect with others and a passion for enthusiastically sharing product or service details, an entry-level sales role can present the right opportunity for a new start.
Entry-Level Salesperson Responsibilities
Entry-level sales jobs involve many tasks. And often fall under two umbrellas: business development representatives (BDRs) and sales development representatives (SDRs). BDRs and SDRs prospect leads and move them through the funnel toward a closed deal. They accomplish this goal through the following behaviors:
Communicating with Potential Leads and Customers
Salespeople spend most of their time reaching out to potential leads or current customers to set appointments. Sometimes those conversations happen over the phone through cold calls. In others, it might mean sending a flurry of emails to follow up on previous discussions.
Some entry-level salespeople must meet daily, weekly or monthly quotas for phone calls and emails sent.
Educating Potential Prospects on Product or Service Offerings
A salesperson who keeps a potential prospect from hanging up has only done part of their job. Another major part of the role is introducing those leads to the company’s product or service offerings. The sales professional must understand any shortcomings or needs their company can fulfill for the customer.
Touching Base with Account Leads and Directors
It is rare for an entry-level salesperson to close a sale, although it is not unheard of. Often, the SDR will pass information about the lead or prospect to an account lead or director . The information they may share includes the following:
Researching Target Markets
BDRs and SDRs must know what kind of companies and clients to pursue before they pick up the phone or start writing an email. That makes researching target markets for their company’s products an absolute priority. A salesperson’s target market describes their core customer base: the people most suited to their products and services.
SDRs and BDRs need to build an intimate knowledge of buyer personas — the most likely-to-convert leads — and use that information to understand the priorities of those buyers. One significant way to do this is to analyze data from existing and potential customers. Common demographic data that can help a salesperson nail down the target market includes:
How Do Salespeople Differ from Sales Associates?
There might be some confusion about the differences between salespeople/sales representatives and sales associates . Sales representatives focus more on a proactive approach to sales: market research, networking and cold calling. Sales associates often work more in a retail customer service capacity.
While there is some overlap between the two with skills (comfort talking to new people, product knowledge, etc.), sales representatives typically earn a commission. These commissions make up the bulk of their compensation. Sales associates, meanwhile, usually earn an hourly wage without commission incentives.?
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What Skills Does an Entry-Level Salesperson Need?
Entry-level sales professionals need many skills to do their jobs well. While most can start a career in sales, growth in the field requires attention to detail and the willingness to develop necessary soft skills .
Effective Communication
Because sales professionals spend most of their time talking to others on the phone or through email, effective communication is among the most treasured skills they can have. Effective communication involves listening to and responding clearly to customer needs.
Basic Product and Industry Knowledge
Most companies train their sales representatives on the products they are selling. Still, basic knowledge of a given industry or product can make a difference in a salesperson’s success . Before applying for or accepting a sales position, spend time researching the product or company.
Some retail companies think that enthusiastic customers often make the best salespeople. A passion for the product or services goes a long way toward selling them to others.?
Excellent Customer Service
The sales process can take a long time and may not always be smooth. Excellent customer service skills can defuse tension and reduce the risk of missing a conversion. Most great salespeople — retail managers and account representatives — are excellent at customer service.
Customer service is not just placating clients who have complaints. It also involves prompt responses, clarifying questions and concerns prospects (or existing clients) might have about a product or service.
Negotiation
While SDRs and BDRs may not close deals, their early conversations with prospects play a big part in setting the tone for future negotiations. If those entry-level salespeople want to advance, they must develop negotiation skills .?
Entry-level salespeople should come prepared to every meeting with vital information about pricing. That includes concrete numbers for each product or service. Setting expectations can reduce the risk of confusion later.
Client Prospecting and Lead Generation
The most important part of a job for entry-level sales professionals is client prospecting . There are only so many minutes in a day. Knowing how to use that time on phone calls and writing emails effectively can be the difference between a calendar full of appointments and a missed quarterly goal.
In addition to knowing the best types of clients to contact, understanding how to contact them is critical. Some decision-makers may not like email correspondence. Others might exclusively want to communicate that way. Navigating these obstacles is paramount for a successful sales career.
Final Thoughts: How to Be an Effective Entry-Level Salesperson
Entry-level salespeople must cultivate diverse skills to succeed immediately in their field. While sales roles are often lucrative and have a lower barrier to entry than other technology or marketing adjacent industries, they require dedication and a laser focus on generating results.
For people who love making connections with others and solving their needs, sales can be a rewarding career that creates life-changing opportunities.
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(Reporting by NPD)