The different types of sales roles explained

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Jobs in sales:
Sales development rep (SDR)
Account Executive (AE)
Outside Salesperson
Account Manager
Sales Engineer
Sales Manager
Director of Sales
VP of Sales
Common Sales Job Types
1. Sales development rep (SDR)
SDRs (also commonly called business development reps, or BDRs) are responsible for the first part of the sales process: Researching, prospecting, and qualifying leads.

Depending on the organization, that may mean identifying and reaching out to potential good fits, answering requests for more information, following up with prospects who downloaded content, prospecting on LinkedIn and other social networks, and more.

Once an SDR has determined the lead is qualified, they pass the opportunity to a sales rep. That rep is responsible for presenting or demoing the product, resolving the buyer’s objections, and creating a proposal.

Unlike a closing sales rep, SDRs don’t carry a traditional quota. They’re typically measured on their activity, like number of calls made and/or emails sent. According to The Bridge Group’s 2016 Sales Development Metrics and Compensation report, it’s most common for companies to base an SDR’s commission on the number of meetings or opportunities they pass to their partner reps and the number of meetings or opportunities accepted by those reps.

The Bridge Group also found average SDR compensation (base plus commission) is $72,100.

How to know if this job is right for you: This position is a great entry point to sales. Not only is there a clear promotion path, you don’t need much experience. Since 2010, the number of businesses bringing on board SDRs with less than one year of experience has increased four times.

You’ll spend most of your time speaking with potential prospects, so you may not want to become an SDR if you’re not comfortable talking on the phone. The typical SDR role requires excellent written and verbal communication skills.

2. Account Executive (AE)
The vast majority of candidates are ready to be promoted after approximately six to 18 months in a sales development role. As an AE, they’ve got a brand-new set of responsibilities: Running demos or giving presentations; identifying, surfacing, and addressing potential buying obstacles; crafting personalized value propositions; getting the commitment to purchase; and negotiating the actual terms.

AEs are held to quotas. RingDNA says average OTE (on-target earnings) is $118,000.

How to know if this job is right for you: Being an AE is a natural next step once you’ve gotten some selling experience under your belt. People with strong interpersonal skills thrive as AEs, since the lion’s share of their day is spent in meetings, on the phone, sending emails, and/or engaging prospects on social media.

Resiliency is crucial. Like most sales jobs, the AE role comes with rejection and uncertainty. You’ll be miserable if you don’t learn to bounce back quickly after failure and remain calm in high-stress situations.

Of course, there are also a lot of highs. If the idea of closing a big deal or winning a low-probability opportunity thrills you, this position is right up your alley.

3. Outside Salesperson
Thanks to the rise of email, social media, and web-conferencing tools — not to mention, a growing desire to talk to salespeople virtually and on the phone rather than in-person — outside sales roles are becoming increasingly less common.

An outside salesperson spends most of their time “in the field,” or visiting potential customers at their offices. You’ll be moving around constantly: Around the city, region, state, country, or even world.

Because you’re largely working by yourself or with a few other team members, a field sales job can be isolating. On the other hand, you’ll likely have a flexible schedule.

Pace Productivity, a consulting firm, found the average outside sales rep works 48 hours a week and spends 13% of their time traveling.

The average national salary for this role is around $48,097, according to Glassdoor.

How to know if this job is right for you: Employers usually look to more experienced salespeople for outside sales roles, since you’ll normally be meeting buyers on your own. It’s also harder to learn selling fundamentals when you’re operating solo or in a small team.

As a result, an outside sales role might not be the optimal choice when you’re new to sales. The travel takes a toll too — whether you’re a novice or veteran.

Outside sales does offer some advantages. Building rapport and establishing trust with your prospects tends to be easier if you’re face-to-face. In addition, many reps like how much autonomy and independence this role offers.

4. Account Manager
Account managers enter the picture once the initial purchase is complete. Unlike a salesperson, whose accounts are constantly changing, an account manager’s portfolio is relatively stable.

You’ll work with each customer to understand their needs, create a long-term strategy, and help them realize the greatest possible ROI from your product.

An account manager also serves as the client’s primary point-of-contact at the company. When they have non-support questions, they’ll go to you.

The main metrics you’ll be measured by? Retention and satisfaction rates. But account managers also look for upsell and cross-sell opportunities. At some organizations (usually smaller ones), they’ll handle this conversation with the customer directly. At larger companies, it’s more common for a salesperson to take over once an opportunity to expand the account comes up.

The average national salary is $61,000, according to PayScale.

How to know if this job is right for you: If you’re passionate about building lasting relationships and being an internal advocate for your customers, you’ll do well as an account manager.

Successful account managers are also skilled at balancing multiple needs. For any given account, you must consider the client’s objectives, your company’s objectives, sales targets, and more.

Lastly, you’ll need to speak your customer’s language. Without a deep understanding of their business, market, product, and industry, you’ll never earn their confidence.

5. Regional Sales Manager
Sales managers and regional sales managers lead teams of SDRs, reps, and, sometimes, account managers. You’ll set individual quotas and team goals, analyze data, coordinate sales trainings and call reviews, and manage sales territories.

You also might be involved in the recruiting, hiring, and firing of employees. And, depending on your organization’s hierarchy, you might need to represent your team in executive and company-wide meetings.

According to Salary.com, you can expect a median annual salary to be $111,070 — ranging between $94,000 and $130,000.

How to know if the job is right for you: You’ll need at least three years of sales experience, including some managerial experience. You might have held an account executive position or overseen a few SDRs, and you should be familiar with managing a small budget and analyzing team performance.

Before applying for a sales manager role, consider whether you have this experience. If not, ask your supervisor to help you develop in these areas. Is there a new sales rep who would benefit from your coaching? Volunteer for the job.

Once you have the experience, ask yourself whether you like managing people, budgets, and strategy for a team. Some salespeople prefer to remain individual contributors. If you’re happier in the trenches making sales and ringing the gong, a sales manager position might not be for you.

6. Sales Engineer
These professionals are also known as “pre-sales support,” “systems engineer,” or “field consultant.” Sales engineers combine the technical expertise of engineers with the business acumen and selling skills of a traditional rep.

That’s a powerful — and rare — combination, so demand for them is relatively high.

As a sales engineer, you’ll answer in-depth product questions; work with prospects to determine their technical needs; communicate those needs to your sales, engineering and/or product teams; help salespeople give demos; and craft the technical components of proposals and contracts.

You’ll either be paired with a single rep — in which case you may be held to a joint quota — or assigned to deals. Reps often complain there aren’t enough sales engineers to go around, so it’s likely you’ll have a full schedule.

Because sales engineering calls for more tech savvy than a traditional selling role, the median pay is relatively high: $97,650, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

How to know if the job is right for you: This position is ideal if you’re excited to flex both your technical knowledge and people skills. It requires fantastic active listening, presentation, and communication skills, as you’ll be spending a great deal of time in front of customers.

Some sales engineers are always on the road. Can you picture yourself spending a few days per week away from home hosting workshops for prospective customers and giving demos? If just the thought exhausts you, a sales engineering position may not be the best fit.

It’s also worth noting most employers look for a B.S. in computer science, a B.A. in engineering, or another related degree. Five-plus years of experience in pre-sales roles will also increase your chances of getting hired.

7. Director of Sales
A director of sales works with sales managers to determine sales objectives, forecast and develop sales quotas, maintain sales volume, and remain a crucial part of the hiring process.

In this position, you’ll maintain a more strategic role than that of a sales manager. You’ll likely report to the VP of Sales, and communicate executive directives to the rest of the sales organization.

You’ll probably be held responsible for the performance of your department. And your bonus will be awarded when your sales organization meets or exceeds goals. Budget and people management, recruiting, and business development initiatives will also be on your plate.

Glassdoor sets the national average base pay at 109,477, ranging between $67,000 at the low end and $165,000 at the high end.

How to know if the job is right for you: Are you a sales manager who’s ready for more responsibility and leadership potential? This might be the role for you.

You should have spearheaded incredible growth and performance from your team as a sales manager. Your reps and region should be thriving, and you should already be flexing your muscles outside your job description.

Demonstrate a one-step-ahead mentality against your competition by identifying gaps in your business and delivering solutions first.

8. VP of Sales
A vice president of sales should contribute to the overall growth and strategy of the sales organization — and the company as a whole.

You should identify strategic hiring opportunities that will strengthen your team, and aid in recruiting top talent. You’ll also be in charge of team strategy, like deciding which markets your organization will expand to — and you should be able to sell the tactics your team will need to get there.

At the end of the day, your goal is to help your sales organization — and the company — scale. Your experience should yield keen insight into the company’s next move before it’s visible on the horizon.

Because this role requires 10 or more years of experience and a proven track record of success, VPs also boast a bigger salary.

Glassdoor reports the average base pay as $152,114, ranging all the way up to $224,000 and six-digits of additional compensation available.

How to know if the job is right for you: You’ll have held managerial and director-level sales positions and be able to claim significant department and company growth.

You should be fairly familiar with what’s required of the VP position, having worked directly with or reported to one previously.

And you should feel comfortable in a leadership role, be able to think analytically about your sales organization, and be proficient at communicating with executive- and board-level colleagues.

Good luck finding your perfect job in sales. It’s a career that offers unlimited earning potential, great fulfillment, and autonomy. Get started today.

Author – Hubspot, Aja Frost,

Source:
https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/types-of-sales-jobs