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What is a sales agent and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
Quoted experts
Frederik Beuk,
John Cicala Ph.D.
introduction image

A sales agent is a person who is responsible for selling products or services to customers on behalf of a business. They typically work in a variety of industries, including retail, real estate, and insurance. Sales agents must have excellent communication skills, as well as a strong understanding of the products or services they are selling. They may also be responsible for negotiating deals and maintaining relationships with clients.

What general advice would you give to a sales agent?

Frederik Beuk

Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Akron

The key consideration is whether you really want to maximize your initial salary. For instance, envision two job opportunities: one offering a salary of $50,000 per year, where you'd be the most junior team member, and the other providing $75,000 per year, with the caveat that you would be the sole sales representative for the firm. The optimal choice is to prioritize learning opportunities. In this context, being the lone salesperson for a company that compensates its highest-earning sales professional $75,000 might not be your superior option. Instead, seek a position that offers the greatest potential for learning. Subsequently, demonstrate your negotiating prowess, a critical sales skill, by securing a slightly higher salary. However, it's essential not to fixate on maximizing your starting salary. Your career requires a long-term strategy, and you have several decades ahead of you to maximize income.
ScoreSales AgentUS Average
Salary
3.5

Avg. Salary $45,217

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
6.7

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.21%

Asian 9.31%

Black or African American 5.72%

Hispanic or Latino 12.02%

Unknown 4.14%

White 68.59%

Gender

female 47.35%

male 52.65%

Age - 43
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43
Stress level
6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.7

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a sales agent?

Pros

  • Opportunity for career advancement and growth

  • Ability to work in a variety of industries and markets

  • Training and development opportunities provided by companies

  • Ability to work independently and be your boss in some cases

  • Chance to learn about new products, services, and industries

Cons

  • A highly competitive industry with many other sales agents

  • High level of responsibility for representing the company's brand

  • Pressure to meet sales targets and quotas

  • May require extensive travel away from family and friends

  • High level of accountability for results

Sales agent career paths

Key steps to become a sales agent

  1. Explore sales agent education requirements

    Most common sales agent degrees

    Bachelor's

    47.8 %

    High School Diploma

    19.9 %

    Associate

    19.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific sales agent skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Customer Service9.91%
    Customer Satisfaction9.89%
    Life Insurance9.62%
    Insurance Products7.12%
    Work Ethic6.48%
  3. Complete relevant sales agent training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sales agents learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a sales agent based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sales agent resumes.
  4. Obtain the necessary licensing

    Becoming a licensed sales agent usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed sales agent in most of states. 38 states require sales agents to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.
    StateEducationExamLicense url
    Alabama--Licensed Insurance Producer
    ArkansasDegree requiredState exam requiredInsurance Sales Producer (Agent)
    ColoradoSpecific course requiredState exam requiredInsurance Agent
    ConnecticutSpecific course requiredState exam requiredProducer License, Individual
    Delaware-State exam requiredInsurance Agent
  5. Research sales agent duties and responsibilities

    • Manage a CRM pipeline of hundreds of leads with different needs and qualifications.
    • Generate fresh leads through outbound telemarketing.
    • Achieve sales standards set for department by effectively communicating Humana campaigns to customers.
    • Increase customer understanding of Comcast products and pricing models as well as competitive advantage over other service providers.
  6. Prepare your sales agent resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your sales agent resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a sales agent resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable sales agent resume templates

    Build a professional sales agent resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your sales agent resume.
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  7. Apply for sales agent jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a sales agent job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first sales agent job

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Average sales agent salary

The average sales agent salary in the United States is $45,217 per year or $22 per hour. Sales agent salaries range between $21,000 and $95,000 per year.

Average sales agent salary
$45,217 Yearly
$21.74 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do sales agents rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Sales agent reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

Communicating and helping my clients.

Cons

The travel was extensive. Sometimes. It took more than month to close a deaĺ.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

i enjoy the interaction with people, listen the customer in order to convert him/her into your friend, detect and help customer with his/her needs.

Cons

People without vision, dreams and selfishness.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2020
Pros

Marketing products from a traceable companies to consumers and providing a good service to the clients .

Cons

I don't like to work for a company without good management which results in disappointing consumers


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.