What does a sales internship do?
Sales internship is a program that requires work in the business and sales development. Sales interns work as assistants to managers and senior staff. Their duties and responsibilities are administrative. They do research, send emails, update records, and make calls. It is their job to maintain good client relationships. They observe the process and other details related to sales. Also, they help in identifying and tracking sales leads, evaluating success, and generating sales reports.
Sales internship responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real sales internship resumes:
- Track leads and manage accounts with SalesForce.
- Produce press releases and distribute via multiple platforms such as the company website, email, twitter, etc.
- Generate content for YouTube videos and penned the channel s description.
- Redesign the public website with a focus on SEO, CRM, usability, and social media.
- Create value proposition presentation decks that outline return-on-investment (ROI) models, competitive analysis and case studies.
- Audit and categorize their website's incoming links on excel, for search engine optimization purposes (SEO).
- Capture videos for the creation of the intern video blog, which is currently receiving thousands of views on YouTube.
- Develop consultative sales ability leveraging customer POS and selling tools.
- Create PowerPoint presentations on business trends and actively participate in all meetings.
- Recognize for exceeding quarterly sales benchmarks by establishing customer rapport/service and up-selling.
- Review and recommendations on current marketing strategies, evaluating effectiveness and ROI.
- Improve the CRM user-interface using stakeholder interviews to collect and translate functional requirements.
- Navigate and update a cloud-base CRM system with contact and inventory status information.
- Assist in territory management by organizing sales meetings via geographic location or product compatibility.
- Research ticketing plans and prices and create PowerPoint presentation to demonstrate comparisons and recommend ticketing programs.
Sales internship skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Sales Interns are proficient in Customer Service, Sales Intern, and PowerPoint. They’re also known for soft skills such as Physical stamina, Self-confidence, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Sales Interns that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 18%
Assisted with sales operations including inventory management and customer service - Worked extensively with Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint Activities _
- Sales Intern, 15%
Acquired leadership, entrepreneurial and organizational skills through the Southwestern Advantage summer sales internship program.
- PowerPoint, 5%
Adjusted gross sales data in Microsoft Excel and organized presentations for senior executives in Microsoft PowerPoint.
- CRM, 4%
Utilized customer relationship management (CRM) system to support Sales Representatives with marketing campaigns and communications.
- Work Ethic, 3%
Increased ability to persuasively communicate ideas with coworkers and demonstrated diligence and work ethic while completing projects.
- Salesforce, 3%
Collaborated with the Director of Hospitality and Sales tracking customer relationships and wine club management using SalesForce program.
Most sales interns use their skills in "customer service," "sales intern," and "powerpoint" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential sales internship responsibilities here:
Physical stamina. The most essential soft skill for a sales internship to carry out their responsibilities is physical stamina. This skill is important for the role because "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives are often on their feet for a long time and may carry heavy sample products." Additionally, a sales internship resume shows how their duties depend on physical stamina: "conducted a minimum of 2 sales presentations per week by physical visits to customer locations. "
Self-confidence. Many sales internship duties rely on self-confidence. "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be confident and persuasive when making sales presentations," so a sales internship will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways sales internship responsibilities rely on self-confidence: "developed customer relations to achieve trust and confidence. "
Customer-service skills. sales interns are also known for customer-service skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to sales internship responsibilities, because "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be able to listen to the customer’s needs and concerns before and after the sale." A sales internship resume example shows how customer-service skills is used in the workplace: "developed sales techniques while communicating with customers. "
Interpersonal skills. For certain sales internship responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "interpersonal skills." The day-to-day duties of a sales internship rely on this skill, as "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be able to work well with many types of people." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what sales interns do: "developed interpersonal skills by engaging in team meetings, client meetings, and cold calling. "
The three companies that hire the most sales internships are:
- AT&T63 sales interns jobs
- Oracle48 sales interns jobs
- Gallagher30 sales interns jobs
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Compare different sales interns
Sales internship vs. Outside sales
An outside sales representative is responsible for generating the company's sales and revenues by offering goods and services to existing and potential clients, responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns about the products, and researching on possible leads. Outside sales representatives monitor the current industry trends to identify new business opportunities that would help the business adjust to market changes to achieve profitability goals. An outside sales representative must have excellent communication and customer service skills, immediately resolving complaints and assisting on marketing promotions to gain sales prospects.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, sales internship responsibilities require skills like "sales intern," "powerpoint," "salesforce," and "client relationships." Meanwhile a typical outside sales has skills in areas such as "first hand," "ongoing support," "flyers," and "hvac." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Outside sales earn the highest salaries when working in the manufacturing industry, with an average yearly salary of $83,118. On the other hand, sales interns are paid more in the technology industry with an average salary of $36,889.The education levels that outside sales earn slightly differ from sales interns. In particular, outside sales are 1.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a sales internship. Additionally, they're 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Sales internship vs. Inside sales specialist
An inside sales specialist is primarily responsible for securing sales by reaching out to clients to sell products and services. They may communicate with customers through calls and correspondence or personally recommend products in a retail store setting. Moreover, they are also responsible for responding to inquiries or concerns, identifying the customers' needs, devising strategies to find sales opportunities, and discussing products to customers. An inside sales specialist is often required to meet sales goals and report to managers should there be any issues or problems.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that sales internship responsibilities requires skills like "sales intern," "client facing," "strong analytical," and "account executives." But an inside sales specialist might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "healthcare," "phone calls," "excellent organizational," and "customer relationships."
Inside sales specialists may earn a higher salary than sales interns, but inside sales specialists earn the most pay in the real estate industry with an average salary of $63,848. On the other hand, sales interns receive higher pay in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $36,889.inside sales specialists earn similar levels of education than sales interns in general. They're 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Sales internship vs. Associate sales representative
The duties of an associate sales representative depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Their responsibilities typically revolve around reaching out to clients through calls or door-to-door visits, offering products and services, collecting payments, addressing issues and concerns, and performing corrective measures when necessary. An associate sales representative often has a quota and deadline to reach; therefore, it is essential to be sales driven and goal-oriented. Furthermore, one must adhere to the policies and regulations of the company.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a sales internship is likely to be skilled in "sales intern," "salesforce," "client relationships," and "digital marketing," while a typical associate sales representative is skilled in "patients," "excellent organizational," "product line," and "excellent time management."
Associate sales representatives make a very good living in the health care industry with an average annual salary of $56,246. On the other hand, sales interns are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $36,889.When it comes to education, associate sales representatives tend to earn similar degree levels compared to sales interns. In fact, they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Sales internship vs. Internet sales representative
Internet Sales Representatives are employed by companies that conduct business on online platforms or with a sizable following in social media. They are in charge of communicating with clients and performing activities directly related to achieving the company's sales goals. Internet Sales Representatives are responsible for creating sales strategies. They should be familiar with the current sales and marketing trends, especially in the industry landscape.
Types of sales internship
Updated January 8, 2025
