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What is a sales trainee and how to become one

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

If you know how to keep potential customers for the benefit of the company with your communication skills and sales services, you should not miss out on the fact that the job of a Sales Trainee might suit you well. You should know about sales and marketing and be a keen observer of sale processes.

All you need to pursue your career as a Sales Trainee is a great presence of mind to tackle all kinds of situations, excellent negotiation skills, basic math skills, and knowledge of sales and business. You must be interactive, and you should foresee uncertainty. You have to build long-term relationships with potential customers and hit sale goals regularly.

If you are qualified enough and perform well, you should be promoted to higher positions and pays with time. However, if you're wondering how much a Sales Trainee makes, it ranges from $20,000 to $70,000 annually. However, the median pay is about $40,000 in general. Therefore, if you have a command of basic math and linguistic skills, you will be good to go.

What general advice would you give to a sales trainee?

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 TraineeUS Average
Salary
3.7

Avg. Salary $47,337

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.1

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.8
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 5.16%

Black or African American 3.85%

Hispanic or Latino 14.31%

Unknown 3.71%

White 72.72%

Gender

female 27.72%

male 72.28%

Age - 48
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 - 48
Stress level
7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Sales trainee career paths

Key steps to become a sales trainee

  1. Explore sales trainee education requirements

    Most common sales trainee degrees

    Bachelor's

    77.6 %

    Associate

    9.5 %

    High School Diploma

    5.8 %
  2. Start to develop specific sales trainee skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Strong Work Ethic24.59%
    Product Knowledge22.06%
    Sales Process10.63%
    Sales Techniques6.98%
    Business Sales5.65%
  3. Complete relevant sales trainee training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sales trainees 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 trainee based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sales trainee resumes.
  4. Research sales trainee duties and responsibilities

    • Set up bin stock programs at large OEM and MRO accounts and manage inventory levels.
    • Create a PowerPoint that are used by sales representatives nationwide as a tool on their iPads during sales meetings.
    • Perform inside sales, including telemarketing, prospecting, account penetration and product application, consulting and delivery of customer service.
    • Set up bin stock programs at large OEM and MRO accounts and manage inventory levels.
  5. Prepare your sales trainee resume

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

    Build a professional sales trainee 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 trainee resume.
    Sales Trainee Resume
    Sales Trainee Resume
    Sales Trainee Resume
    Sales Trainee Resume
    Sales Trainee Resume
    Sales Trainee Resume
    Sales Trainee Resume
    Sales Trainee Resume
    Sales Trainee Resume
  6. Apply for sales trainee jobs

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

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Average sales trainee salary

The average sales trainee salary in the United States is $47,337 per year or $23 per hour. Sales trainee salaries range between $35,000 and $63,000 per year.

Average sales trainee salary
$47,337 Yearly
$22.76 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do sales trainees rate their job?

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Sales trainee 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 love to engage the public and meet new faces. I enjoy explaining all of the benefits of the product I am selling, and making the customer feel important and well informed.

Cons

I don't like feeling like I haven't did a great at job at making customers feel comfortable and confident about where and who they are purchasing from.


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.


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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.