Career101.org - Sales, Marketing, & Business Development

Sales, Marketing, & Business Development

This role is on the opposite end of the heads down role and tends to be a better fit for extroverts. If you are the type of person who walks into a crowd and feels excited to meet many new people, this could be a fit for you. It involves ongoing discussions with people outside of your company with the goal of completing sales and/or partnerships. There is a difference between sales and business development.

- - Sales: The goal of someone in sales is to have another company or person buy something. Examples: Selling a set of box seats for a baseball game to a company. Selling a house or a car. Renting an apartment to someone.
  - Marketing: The marketing team creates awareness for what the company is selling. Without marketing, the sales team would have a much harder time selling.
  - Business Development: The goal of someone in business development is to have another company enter into a partnership with your company or sell your company something. Examples: An agreement between two companies to manufacture something together. A computer maker agreeing to put Intel chips in all its computers. A venture capital company making an investment in a startup business.

Sales Roles

- Retail Sales - Sales, Retail, and Consumer Goods
  - Assists customers in finding products, provides information about products, and completes sales transactions. Skills Required: Customer service, communication, basic math skills.
- Inside Sales Representative - Sales, Retail, and Consumer Goods
  - Sells products or services via phone or online, manages customer accounts, and follows up on leads. Skills Required: Communication, sales techniques, CRM software proficiency.
- Personal Banker - Banking
  - Helps clients manage their accounts and investments, provides financial advice, and sells banking products. Skills Required: Communication skills, sales skills, knowledge of financial products.
- Insurance Sales Agent - Insurance
  - Sell insurance policies and advise clients on coverage. Skills Required: Communication, sales, customer service.
- Assistant or Associate Sales - Film & Television
  - This is the other side of licensing. Production companies have team members focused on selling their content to film studios.
- Leasing Consultant - Residential Real Estate
  - Helps property owners find tenants, shows properties, and processes rental applications. Skills Required: Customer service skills, sales skills, knowledge of leasing regulations.
- Salesperson or Broker - Residential Real Estate and Commercial Real Estate
  - Sells and leases rental properties. Most U.S. states require some sort of licensing before you can start. The position tends to be commission based so your upside is unlimited. I suggest joining an established team within a company as opposed to being a "one person show" from day one.

Marketing Roles

- Marketing Assistant - Marketing, Residential Real Estate
  - Supports marketing campaigns, coordinates events, and assists with market research. Skills Required: Organizational skills, communication, basic understanding of marketing principles.
- Social Media Coordinator - Marketing
  - Manages social media accounts, creates content, and engages with followers. Skills Required: Creativity, social media savvy, content creation.
- Publicity Assistant - Book Publishing
  - Helps with media outreach and organizing book tours.
- Marketing Coordinator - Book Publishing, Consumer Goods
  - Assists in promoting and managing marketing campaigns.

Business Development Roles

- VC Scout - Venture Capital
  - Identifies and evaluates promising startups, often working part-time or on a contract basis. Skills Required: Networking, industry knowledge, ability to identify trends.
- Assistant or Associate Licensing - Film & Television
  - This is within the acquisitions, content or programming department which is in charge of licensing new content from production companies.

How To Learn More

Read about Heads Down or Project Management roles.
Talk to someone doing the role you want. Check out my writings on The Gift of Asking for Help, Mentors and Networking 101 on The Search page to learn how to do this.
- Check out my writings on various industries and departments at the Industries page.
Already know what you want to do but are looking for general guidance on how to find a job? Check out The Search for advice.

Disclaimer: This information is provided to help you navigate the early stages of your career. It is based on my experience over 25+ years. There is no guarantee that the same principles will allow you to be successful. For the industry summaries, I have gathered information in one or more of the following ways: (a) interviewed someone in the industry, (b) researched the industry myself, or (c) used an artificial intelligence tool. No guarantee is provided as to the accuracy of the information. It is provided for research purposes only.