A field sales job is quite profitable, broadly accepted, and well-paid. Almost every company requires a field sales operative to make revenue and gather new clients.
However, applying for this position requires homework.
We’ll discuss how you can apply for it and what to include in your description. Moreover, you will learn about different roles in the industry and can compare them to select a suitable position for yourself.
What Are Field Sales Jobs?
Field sales jobs include any position where the agent operates, manages, or strategizes on field activities and increases sales. These agents range from onsite workers to executives responsible for improving field sales.
How to Apply for a Job?
You can find a field sales job online on job boards and other marketplaces, like Indeed, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, Craiglist, and others.
Simply type the field sales role you want to apply for in the search bar (and set your region for nearby opportunities). Then select an interesting job post and apply from the site.
You can also apply from a company’s website by going to their job/career page. If they have a vacant position, it will be shown there, or you can mail them too.
Although applying as such may offer you great opportunities, the recruitment chances largely depend on the company’s hiring schedule.
Things to Consider While Applying
1. Select the Right Role
Field sales jobs have different roles, each with a distinctive required skill set and expertise. So, you must understand which role suits you the best according to your experience and qualifications (more on this later).
2. Search the Company You’re Interested In
If you have experience and qualifications in sales and marketing, you are probably able to sell any product or service. However, try to look for a company in the industry you have a specialized degree.
Selling products related to your interest’s niche will allow you to make more sales for the company, as you will be convincing the customers passionately.
3. Never Fear to Ask Questions
When you are called for an interview, remember to understand more about the company from the start.
So, don’t be afraid to ask reasonable, thoughtful, and informative questions. It will tell you more about the company and show your eagerness for the position.
4. Understand Your Value
Many sales job seekers compromise on their value proposition to get the job, resulting in underpaying for their efforts. Don’t lower your salary if you have an excellent sales record and extensive experience.
You know how much sales you can generate for the company, so don’t under-evaluate yourself. However, if you’re a beginner, it’s fine to start with what they offer.
How Does a Field Sales Job Description Look Like?
Sample 1: We are seeking an experienced and creative field sales representative to join our passionate team. Your responsibilities will include:
- Increasing company sales
- Finding new customers
- Developing and practicing modern sales strategies and techniques
- Giving an excellent impression of the company
We require candidates with at least two years of experience and a decent sales record.
Sample 2: We need an experienced and passionate field sales manager to manage and guide our professional sales teams. You should have excellent communication skills and brilliant teamwork abilities.
You should be aware of modern industry trends and can make the representative achieve company goals successfully. We look forward to your resume of at least two years of experience.
Different Roles
1. Field Sales Executive
Field sales executives supervise the sales representatives and execute different on-field operations.
Although they share many duties with sales reps, they are also responsible for other errands. They manage them, take reports, and answer sales managers.
The field sales representatives, on the other hand, are only responsible for meeting customers and prospects. They present a good company image and describe product benefits to generate sales. In this way, they create reports of their activities and progress and answer executives.
Requirements
To apply for a field sales executive job, you will need some other skills and qualifications than a normal field worker position. It’s because your duties will have more than just traveling and selling.
Skills
First, you should have a strong knowledge of your company’s industry, which will assist in converting a prospect into a customer. Next, you must be confident and articulate to convey your message strongly.
It will increase the chances of successful sales and portray you as well-informed about what you are selling or offering.
You should have strong negotiation and communication skills to deal with any arguments and satisfy your customers. It leads to being creative and flexible as you will encounter different personalities.
Moreover, you should effectively utilize technology.
Qualification
The companies usually prefer executives with either a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, Management, Strategic Marketing, or Sales.
But since the position greatly relies on your communication skills, confidence, and how well you can incorporate the company’s module, a degree is not a prerequisite.
Experience
Few companies hire freshers for this position, as they want their sales reps to be managed effectively.
Otherwise, businesses require at least six months of prior experience in client dealing. If you have worked as a sales rep for some time, it can be acceptable.
Responsibilities
As mentioned earlier, a field sales executive shares most of the sales representatives’ duties.
They sell products, negotiate with customers and prospects, travel to different locations, and perform demonstrations.
But apart from the basic tasks, they are also responsible for the following activities:
- Partly manage sales reps, which includes booking appointments and meetings with current and new customers.
- Negotiate prices and payments with the customers on behalf of the company.
- Follow-up leads and referrals.
- Develop on-spot sales strategies to make conversions.
- Meet with various clients to maintain relationships.
- Practice modern strategies to increase sales.
- Present a positive image of the company to new customers.
- Prepare reports, gather statistical data from different reps, and present it to the managers.
Salary
A field sales executive’s salary is decent enough, with commissions or bonuses. The average per annum salary is around $117,000, with a base pay of around $70,000. The bonuses and commissions can get above $47,000.
2. Field Sales Manager
A field sales manager organizes, manages, and monitors the on-field team sales and activities. The position is higher than executives, and they take reports from them and sales reps.
They act as a channel between authorities and field sales workers who pass on orders and set goals to accomplish targets.
Requirements
Sales managers’ responsibilities are more complicated than executives, so their selection requirements are also higher.
It’s because they may have to work more than 40 hours a week, depending on the company’s industry and needs.
Skills
Since you need to supervise the on-field team, you should be excellent in management and organization.
A sales manager should be optimistic, collaborative, and strategic with the team members to motivate them.
So, you must be supportive and practice excellent teamwork. Moreover, you should have critical thinking and fantastic problem-solving skills to face any sales challenges.
In some companies (depending on the demand), sales managers may need to come out in the field and meet with the customers. So, you must have brilliant verbal communication and negotiation.
Additionally, you should have a sound knowledge of marketing trends and sales techniques.
Qualification
A degree may be less important for executives or representative positions. But you will require at least a Bachelor’s degree (a Master’s will be great) to be a field sales manager.
It can be in any business-related study, like marketing, sales, business management, or communication.
Experience
You must have spent at least five years in the field sales department, which will hint to the hiring company about your proficiency in the industry.
But if you have some experience in a leadership role, that will be a huge advantage.
Responsibilities
Your responsibilities being a field sales manager are diversified, but the main point is that you must be exceptional in your selling techniques to benefit the company. Overall, your duties will include:
- Supervising field sales staff and gathering daily reports.
- Monitoring customer requirements and making plans to fulfill and satisfy needs.
- Analyzing pricing plans and discounts.
- Listening to and resolving complaints from customers.
- Assigning daily goals and territories, and setting targets for field workers.
- Analyzing sales reports, statistics, profits, and budget, and approving expenses.
- Organizing and conducting meetings when required (virtually or physically).
- Partaking in recruitment, interviewing, and training of reps.
Salary
Due to the advanced and complex responsibilities, the salary of field sales managers is relatively high.
Their average annual salary is around $115,000, which usually starts from $73,000. Moreover, the additional pay (bonuses, commissions) can be up to $40,000.
3. Field Sales Engineer
You can consider a field sales engineer as the same as a field sales representative, but selling a more technical and complicated product.
The engineers differ from reps and executives as they also teach the customer how to integrate and use the product.
Mostly, companies with more oversized industrial, technical, or scientific products require field sales engineers.
Requirements
Since the job deals with handling complex products and teaching the customer how to use them, the position’s prerequisites are high. Unlike the roles mentioned above, you can only apply for the job with a relevant technical degree.
Skills
You must have strong technical skills and a quick learning curve to quickly understand the setup, initialization, processes, working, and every detail about the products.
Next, you have excellent communication skills because you will have to teach the structure and mechanism of the product in easy words.
You will require great problem-solving skills to tackle any complexities that may appear during presentations or demonstrations.
Moreover, you should have critical thinking to solve any confusion and satisfy customers since they will (most probably) have many questions.
Qualification
Due to the need of the role, you must have a Bachelor’s degree in engineering, either electrical, mechanical, biotechnology, computer, software, medical, or any other niche (according to the company’s industry).
But it will be a marvelous advantage if you have a minor or side course in sales, marketing, business administration, or communication.
Experience
Companies prefer candidates with experience of at least three years. This experience usually includes working with other technical sales departments, where the candidate has dealt with similar products.
It will ensure the company about your learning skills, as you will understand their product after hiring.
Responsibilities
Besides the technical aspect of the position, the job is just like a sales representative or executive. So, you will have almost the same duties, which include:
- Simply explaining the company’s product and performing demonstrations.
- Traveling to different locations and meeting prospects or customers.
- Maintain a pleasant relationship with the current customers
- Answer customers’ queries and confusions to increase satisfaction levels.
- Attract new leads and present products to develop purchasing desire.
- Make meetings and clear complaints of customers using the product.
Salary
Due to the high and technical required skill set, a field sales engineer’s salary is also quite impressive. Their average annual pay is around $150,000, while even the base pay can start from $90,000.
And if we talk about commissions and bonuses, it can get up to $60,000.
4. Field Sales Trainer
A field sales trainer offloads some responsibilities and efforts of a sales manager. They train the new sales reps to operate exceptionally on the field and increase profit.
It helps managers to focus on other tasks rather than coaching staff. So, a sales trainer solely focuses on polishing reps’ skills and enhancing their performance.
Requirements
As the sales trainer only has to train the reps, their requirement set is comparatively lesser. However, they must be exceptional in their duties to teach excellently.
Skills
If you want to be a field sales trainer, you should have great communication skills. However, it is required to teach reps better instead of dealing with customers.
You also know advanced coaching techniques and can understand reps’ learning curve.
Additionally, you should be able to design effective and easy training programs. You will also require great leadership skills to instruct your students better.
Lastly, you should have an eye on measuring the rep’s progress and learnings.
Qualification
Having a Bachelor’s degree is preferred, but if you have specific certifications (like sales training), you can apply for the position.
Otherwise, a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in sales, marketing, strategic sales, or any other industry-related niches may probably be fine.
Experience
Since you will be coaching individuals who can bring more sales to the business, a company will require you to be highly fit for the position.
So, they normally want an experience of at least two years as a corporate sales trainer, sales training specialist, or any other related job.
Responsibilities
The field sales trainer’s responsibilities are limited but quite specific and thorough. By breaking down their duties besides only teaching, they will have to:
- Conduct orientations of new members and help the manager teach other sales reps.
- Prepare a streamlined, easy-to-understand, and well-organized training program.
- Create assisting materials for the students, like outlines, charts, handouts, etc.
- Create, conduct, and check exercises.
- Constantly analyze, modify, and improve current training programs.
- Measure trainees’ performances, generate results and provide feedback.
Salary
Although a sales trainer’s duties are limited, a company’s sales future depends on their teachings. So, their salary is typically good.
On average, their annual salary can be up to $106,000, which usually starts from $70,000. In the form of bonuses and commissions, they can get up to $35,000.
What is the Future of Field Sales?
The future of field sales is safe, and the career’s scope won’t fade away. Since you cannot always convince customers and describe or present a company’s product virtually or through inside sales.
A field worker will always be required to actively get customers’ attention. Although the former methods are convenient, field sales can bear more results.
The methods may become more experienced-oriented and utilize technology a lot, but the jobs are there. In order to pursue the career, you will have to constantly evolve with modern trends to keep up with the pace.
FAQs
1. What Is Meant by Field Sales?
Field sales (or outside sales) is the marketing and product selling technique where the company’s representative travels to customers.
The reps physically meet the current clients and new leads and present the products or demonstrate services.
2. Where to Find Field Sales Jobs?
You can find field sales jobs online from different platforms and websites like Indeed, Monster, LinkedIn, Craiglist, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, or Google Careers.
You can also use social media platforms where companies upload job posts on their pages or visit their website’s career page.
3. Is a Field Sales Job a Good Career?
Field sales jobs are great to choose from as they can lead to a successful career. The positions have high earning potential, so you can make it a full-time and long-term job. If frequent and extensive traveling doesn’t bother you, the career is great to select.
4. Can You Get a Promotion in a Field Sales Job?
Yes, you can get promotions from any role in field sales. If you keep up with excellent and consistent performance, deliver your best, and drive high sales for the company, your promotion chances increase.
5. How Can You Be Successful in Field Sales?
- Have a great strategy and constantly evolve to set new benchmarks.
- Redefine your goals after every success.
- Efficiently manage your time and route strategies.
- Become a great listener, so you can better understand customers’ complaints or confusions and help them resolve them.
Conclusion
Field sales are the requirement of almost every company, and its different roles have high earning potential. You can apply from various websites for a position according to your skills and expertise.
The sales executive is the same as the sales representative but gathers reports from them. The manager oversees both executives and reps and instructs them about sales goals.
A field sales engineer is also the same as a representative but sells more technical and complex products.
In comparison, the trainers train newcomers and assist managers in coaching teams.
After you select your role, write an excellent CV with your experience that fits the job description and benefit the company’s progress.
