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What is a sales team member and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
Quoted expert
Sonya DiPalma Ph.D.
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A sales team member works to drive revenue growth by selling products or services. They identify new leads, build client relationships, and close deals. Sales team members have excellent communication and interpersonal skills to effectively negotiate and persuade customers. They also require a knowledge of the products or services they sell and work to stay up-to-date on industry trends. Successful sales team members are driven, competitive, and goal-oriented and can work both independently and collaboratively.

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

Sonya DiPalma Ph.D.Sonya DiPalma Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor, Chair, Academic Policies Committee, Director of MCOM Internship Program, University of North Carolina at Asheville

With more positions going partially or totally remote, you'll need to be self-disciplined and proactive. Doing the bare minimum will not get you by in either a remote or a traditional professional work environment. You can expect more flexibility with remote work hours. For instance, if you have small children or you're an early riser, then working early mornings starting at 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. may be possible, or if you're a night owl, late evenings may be an option. But once your schedule is set, your hours are likely to stay this way for some time. You will be expected to log into a portal to clock-in, and some online collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams can notify your supervisor when you're dormant. In-person meetings will probably occur on a bi-weekly or monthly basis.
ScoreSales Team MemberUS Average
Salary
2.6

Avg. Salary $33,827

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity
6.9
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.55%

Asian 6.90%

Black or African American 9.88%

Hispanic or Latino 20.84%

Unknown 5.09%

White 56.73%

Gender

female 51.96%

male 48.04%

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 team member?

Pros

  • Opportunity to earn high income through commissions

  • Opportunities for travel and attending conferences

  • Team-based work environment that fosters collaboration and support

  • Opportunity for career advancement within the sales field

  • Exposure to different business models and strategies

Cons

  • High pressure to meet sales targets and quotas

  • Limited control over product pricing, inventory, or marketing strategies

  • Commission-based pay can lead to financial instability during slow sales periods

  • High competition within the industry, leading to a constant need to differentiate oneself from others

  • Lack of job security due to fluctuating market conditions or changes in company direction

Sales team member career paths

Key steps to become a sales team member

  1. Explore sales team member education requirements

    Most common sales team member degrees

    Bachelor's

    45.6 %

    High School Diploma

    27.3 %

    Associate

    17.8 %
  2. Start to develop specific sales team member skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Sales Floor14.26%
    Wine9.83%
    Cleanliness9.64%
    Ladders8.69%
    Customer Service8.36%
  3. Complete relevant sales team member training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sales team members 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 team member based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sales team member resumes.
  4. Research sales team member duties and responsibilities

    • Manage the hardlines department of the store.
    • Lead a team of eighteen people in the apparel department through development, talent management, and training.
    • Supervise women's department, manage jewelry department, assist customers on finalizing purchases
    • Serve customers, stock shelves, organize products, correct merchandise pricing, train newly hire employees, POS system
  5. Prepare your sales team member resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your sales team member 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 team member 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 team member resume templates

    Build a professional sales team member 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 team member resume.
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  6. Apply for sales team member jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a sales team member 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 team member job

Zippi

Are you a sales team member?

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Average sales team member salary

The average sales team member salary in the United States is $33,827 per year or $16 per hour. Sales team member salaries range between $25,000 and $45,000 per year.

Average sales team member salary
$33,827 Yearly
$16.26 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do sales team members rate their job?

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Sales team member reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2021
Cons

Pretty new field


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2021
Pros

I like mostly that I work with team oriented people. Some people that care and will help and that help others whether it's work related or not. That have good employee morale amongst each other not necessarily management but amongst each other.

Cons

Double standards extra work extra tasks that aren't in the job description you're doing assumptions that you know everything you're doing and you know the right way of everything that you're doing even though no one's ever trained you to do what you're doing and what you're doing isn't necessarily in the jobs description for the title for lack of a better word that you actually have


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A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020
Pros

Being so responsible and concentrate with what i am doing.. Having a small talk with some customers who patiently waiting 😊


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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.