What is a Sales Person?

As a sales person, you've got to be able to form relationships with people very quickly. If you can't do that, then you likely won't be able to sell them your product. Which is the majority of your day-to-day responsibilities.

As a salesperson you have to be persuasive to get the customers to purchase your product or service. But it doesn't end there. Essentially, you want to build a network of customers who continue to come back and buy from you. So you'll want to maintain a positive business experience for these customers.

As a sales person, you'll have a range of hours that you'll be working. The average sales person works between 31-40 hours a week. So, that's not too bad. You'll be able to work those hours with ease.

What Does a Sales Person Do

There are certain skills that many sales people have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed selling skills, math skills and interpersonal skills.

Learn more about what a Sales Person does

How To Become a Sales Person

If you're interested in becoming a sales person, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 43.2% of sales people have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 3.7% of sales people have master's degrees. Even though some sales people have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Sales Person

Sales Person Job Description

A sales person is meant to meet sales quotas by assisting a company's customers in making decisions relevant to product purchase. Their duties also include answering customers' questions, demonstrating product features and benefits, and figuring out how to best sell said product.

Learn more about Sales Person Job Description
Top Sales Person Jobs Near You

Sales Person Career Paths

In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of account executive you might progress to a role such as sales manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title district manager.

Sales Person

Average Salary for a Sales Person

Sales People in America make an average salary of $42,010 per year or $20 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $121,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $14,000 per year.
Average Sales Person Salary
$42,010 Yearly
$20.20 hourly
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What Am I Worth?

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Roles and Types of Sales Person

The role of a sales person includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general sales person responsibilities:

  • Set and achieve personal sales goals while supporting the goals of the team greet customers in a timely, professional
  • Present and sell company services upon evaluation
  • Greet customer and determine make, type

There are several types of sales person, including:

Sales Representative

Role:

As the sole point of contact, sales representatives are responsible for all business matters when it comes to their clients. They ensure the right products are delivered, follow customer leads, and pitch prospective customers.

Probably the most important aspect of a sales representative's job is closing on sales. That's what keeps the business running and your paycheck coming. There are some times when you'll have to deal with tough situations, like customer complaints, and you'll have to know how to fix the situation.

The majority of sales representatives spend about 47 hours a week at work. From travel time to breaks and interacting with customers, you've got some long days ahead. Although, it's not a bad gig, especially since you only need a high school diploma. The majority of your education in your career will come from on-the-job training - nothing beats hands-on experience.

  • Average Salary: $56,591
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Sales Clerk

Role:

Ever been into a store with no idea of what you're getting (phew, what a hassle!)? Or have you a hard time picking between two beautiful-colored sneakers (why not get both anyway)? Worry no more! A sales clerk might be who you need to get your shopping spree done.

Sales clerks are usually those employees walking around the store to assist customers with their store experience. They know a lot about certain products, so you can trust them to give you advice on which is the best one for you. They even demonstrate the features of these items and recommend alternatives, if you're on a tight budget. Pretty cool, right? They interact with people for over eight hours, as needed, probably even during weekends, as their job requires. But really, being a sales clerk can be an awesome job. I mean, believe me, if it wasn't for sales clerks, it would be hard to look for your favorite baseball cap or fashion tee.

Being a sales clerk gives you so much exposure interacting with different people and gaining your self-confidence. If you're into customer service, this might be a good stepping stone for gaining professional expertise!

  • Average Salary: $25,739
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Sales Agent

Role:

With an average salary of $41,574 per year and a job growth rate of 4%, entering the career world as a Sales Agent is a good start. Not only will you have a stable job, but you also have the chance to explore other careers related to your professional path. You can be an Agent, an Account Executive, a Regional Sales Manager, and a National Sales Manager.

As a Sales Agent, also known as a sales representative, you will offer clients goods and services. Since you are selling or offering goods to existing and potential clients, you need to be knowledgeable about the product of the company in order to be able to assist the customers when they have concerns.

When it comes to skills and traits, you need to be creative and detail-oriented. You also need to have good math skills since you are doing business. Lastly, excellent customer service skills are needed as a Sales Agent; you need to know what your customer needs and provide them with appropriate goods and services.

  • Average Salary: $45,217
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree
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States With The Most Sales Person Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active sales person jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where sales people earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Sales Person Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California13,244$71,243
2Florida8,770$38,642
3Texas8,131$40,602
4Pennsylvania5,779$47,157
5New York5,069$70,328
6Ohio4,684$36,835
7Illinois4,446$44,514
8Georgia4,213$36,387
9North Carolina4,015$36,853
10Virginia3,833$40,396
11New Jersey3,813$62,714
12Massachusetts3,016$57,665
13Michigan3,006$38,541
14Tennessee2,621$37,652
15Indiana2,564$35,363
16Washington2,534$42,582
17Wisconsin2,496$40,646
18Maryland2,491$43,026
19Arizona2,461$45,619
20Colorado2,356$46,202
21Alabama2,182$36,932
22South Carolina2,108$36,863
23Missouri2,060$39,196
24Minnesota2,015$39,927
25Connecticut1,766$68,760
26Kentucky1,633$35,323
27Oregon1,442$54,897
28Louisiana1,399$37,948
29Iowa1,350$33,805
30Utah1,287$55,718
31Oklahoma1,067$38,619
32Kansas1,030$38,906
33Arkansas1,019$37,475
34Mississippi910$36,980
35New Hampshire801$51,212
36Nevada715$50,352
37West Virginia692$34,736
38Nebraska676$37,464
39Maine643$48,325
40Idaho568$48,912
41New Mexico557$42,568
42Delaware520$48,505
43Rhode Island467$55,298
44Montana418$32,026
45Vermont303$50,004
46Hawaii290$49,538
47South Dakota283$33,691
48North Dakota269$32,094
49Alaska216$31,420
50Wyoming213$34,335

Sales Person Education

Sales Person Majors

Business
29.1 %
General Studies
5.9 %
Psychology
5.9 %

Sales Person Degrees

Bachelors

43.2 %

High School Diploma

26.8 %

Associate

17.1 %

Top Skills For a Sales Person

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 26.9% of sales people listed basic math on their resume, but soft skills such as selling skills and math skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Sales Person Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Sales Person templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Sales Person resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Sales Person diversity

Sales Person Gender Distribution

Male
Male
71%
Female
Female
30%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among sales people, 29.5% of them are women, while 70.5% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among sales people is White, which makes up 56.2% of all sales people.

  • The most common foreign language among sales people is Spanish at 55.2%.

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Best States For a Sales Person

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a sales person. The best states for people in this position are California, New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Sales people make the most in California with an average salary of $71,243. Whereas in New York and Connecticut, they would average $70,328 and $68,760, respectively. While sales people would only make an average of $62,714 in New Jersey, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Connecticut

Total Sales Person Jobs: 1,766
Highest 10% Earn:
$161,000
Location Quotient:
1.28

$68,760

Avg. Salary

View 1,766 Sales Person Jobs In CT

2. California

Total Sales Person Jobs: 13,244
Highest 10% Earn:
$148,000
Location Quotient:
1.09

$71,243

Avg. Salary

View 13,244 Sales Person Jobs In CA

3. New Jersey

Total Sales Person Jobs: 3,813
Highest 10% Earn:
$151,000
Location Quotient:
1.16

$62,714

Avg. Salary

View 3,813 Sales Person Jobs In NJ
Full List Of Best States For Sales People

How Do Sales People Rate Their Jobs?

5/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Sales Person Reviews

5.0
Apr 2019
Pros

Meeting people & making them satisfied with value for their money.

Cons

I think I like everything about sales

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Top Sales Person Employers

Most Common Employers For Sales Person

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Citi$198,805$95.58224
2Keller Williams Realty$92,233$44.34322
3Kirby$40,852$19.64406
4Cutco$38,403$18.46384
5hhgregg$34,809$16.74277
6Target$32,743$15.74282
7Walmart$31,960$15.37574
8Sheetz$31,509$15.151,785
9Menards$31,436$15.11196
10Nordstrom$31,267$15.032,113
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Sales Person Videos

Actual Live Sales Call Sales Training
Taptera - A Day In The Life Of A Sales Person - Facebook

Becoming a Sales Person FAQs

Broker Vs. Salesperson

A broker is a person who represents the parties in a transaction and is licensed to own a firm, while a salesperson is a professional who is licensed to sell products while representing a brokerage firm.

How Long Does It Take To Become A Sales Person?

It takes 2 years of professional experience to become a sales person. That is the time it takes to learn specific sales person skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.

How Do I Become A Salesperson With No Experience?

To become a salesperson with no experience takes learning the trade, researching sales positions, polishing your resume, and preparing for the interview. The good news is to become a salesperson, you don't need formal education or specific training - to be successful takes cultivating the right type of skills.

What Are The Characteristics Of A Salesperson?

The characteristics of a salesperson include attributes such as persistence, people skills, customer-focused attitude, and active listening, to name a few.

You might picture someone charismatic, outgoing, and extroverted when you think about a salesperson. While these are important traits to have, other characteristics of a salesperson are arguably equally as important. We've broken down the top ten characteristics of a salesperson.

Have more questions? See all answers to common sales questions.

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Updated April 6, 2023