What is a sales counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Joseph Hancock

A sales counselor is an individual who works in a sales environment, typically in real estate or new home construction. They are responsible for guiding potential buyers through the sales process by answering questions and providing information about the product or service being sold. Sales counselors use their knowledge to identify potential customers and build relationships with them. Ultimately, the role of a sales counselor is to help customers make informed purchasing decisions and drive sales.

What's a day at work look like for a sales counselor?

Joseph Hancock

Research Professor, Program Director, Former Retail Operations Manager, Drexel University, Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design

New graduates will need to be self-disciplined and self-motivated. No one is going to hold your hand and tell you "get to work" or you will soon be looking for a new job. The new world may be one where you don't go to an office, but instead work right from home, scheduling appointments and doing your own calendar. My last years working for Target in a regional field position taught me that no one was going to motivate me each day, I had to motivate myself. Also, it can be lonely working from home as a new graduate, so find outside interests and ways to make friends. I am from the old fashion ideologies that getting a hobby is extremely important, and that hobby is not going to the gym or watching television. It includes something that enriches your life to be a better person in society.

ScoreSales CounselorUS Average

Salary

5.0

Avg. Salary $63,569

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

6.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.56%

Asian 7.04%

Black or African American 10.46%

Hispanic or Latino 23.14%

Unknown 5.20%

White 53.60%

Gender

female 41.85%

male 58.15%

Age - 39

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 - 39

Stress level

6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.5

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.5

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

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

Pros

Opportunity to earn high commission
Ability to build relationships with clients
Constant learning and development opportunities
Potential for career advancement
Ability to work independently and be self-motivated

Cons

High pressure to meet sales targets
Long hours, including weekends and evenings
Rejection from potential clients can be demotivating
Commission-based pay can be unpredictable
Constant need to keep up with industry trends and product knowledge can be overwhelming

Key steps to become a sales counselor

Explore sales counselor education requirements

Most common sales counselor degrees

Bachelor's

57.5 %

Associate

18.7 %

High School Diploma

13.2 %

Start to develop specific sales counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
Lead Management	17.38%
Customer Service	16.29%
Real Estate	14.04%
Community Events	7.37%
Business Development	7.02%

Complete relevant sales counselor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sales counselors 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 counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sales counselor resumes.

Research sales counselor duties and responsibilities

Enter all leads into the CRM system and maintains that information until the lead is transferred to a sales representative.
Manage product deliveries, and maintain overall orderliness and cleanliness of facility to optimize customer experience.
Clean the dressing rooms, do recovery, help on POS
Outpace division goals to increase CRM usage through upbeat mentoring, training and technical support.

Prepare your sales counselor resume

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

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