What are sales and marketing jobs?

The purpose of sales and marketing jobs is to promote products or services to gain more sales and customers.  Sales jobs are more based on approaching potential customers to try and get sales, while marketing is a more subtle approach. Sales jobs are most suitable to those with great communication and customer service skills, and enjoy advertising products and services to the public or dealing with people on a one-to-one basis, by email or over the phone, depending on the role. Alternatively, a job in marketing may be more suitable to you, particularly if you have good digital skills, the ability to understand customers and use digital tools to promote products or services. There is a variety of marketing positions to choose from. The following are some of the most popular sales and marketing jobs. 

Sales executive

The job of the sales executive involves selling products or services to customers. In this role, qualified professionals would need to have extensive knowledge of the organisation you are working on behalf of, and the products or services you are selling. A sales executive will not just focus on gaining new customers, although this is an important aspect of the role. They will also have the responsibility of ensuring the maintenance of the relationships with current clients and using this to get repeat business. 

The key skills of this role include excellent communication skills, sales experience, and knowledge, with the ability to work as part of a team, and independently. The ideal person for this role would have a confident and personable approach when dealing with customers. You would not need any specific qualifications or experience for this role, however, a degree or other qualification in a business or marketing subject would be appealing. The next step in the career path for expert staff in this role would be a senior sales executive or a move into management.

Business development manager

The role of a business development manager is to grow the business by bringing in new clients, and managing relationships with other partners, as well as customers and suppliers. The goals are ultimately to increase profit for an organisation and find ways to generate new avenues for revenue. As a business development manager, your duties would include researching potential business opportunities and following up on leads. It may also involve cold calling potential customers and attending relevant events. You would need to be target driven, have excellent sales and communication skills, with the desire to improve the success of a business. Job seekers would also need good decision-making skills. You may be able to move into a role as a senior business development manager, and there is also the potential for qualified candidates to reach the Director level eventually.

Digital marketing executive

A digital marketing executive is doing a similar role to a sales executive, although they drive sales through marketing channels. There are different types of digital marketing, and some people will specialise in one, while others, will specialise in several of these. The different areas of digital marketing include social media manager, search engine optimization (SEO)  and PPC specialist. The responsibilities required for a digital marketing executive include creating engaging content, conducting keyword research, and incorporating this into the copy. 

Digital marketing executives would be expected to keep up with trends and communicate with clients. Some employers will prefer to hire qualified professionals for this role. For instance, candidates who have a digital marketing degree or diploma, or similar. However, in some cases, experience within one or several of these areas would be sufficient. Some of the skills required for this role include extensive knowledge and expertise within the chosen area, strong communication skills, ability to work independently and together as part of a team, and excellent copywriting skills. You may progress from this role into a role within management or moving from one area of digital marketing to another.

Market researcher

Another potential role within marketing careers is market researcher. This is most suitable for those who have the abilities and  enjoy the collection and analysing large amounts of data. The types of data you may be asked to collect include customer opinions on products and services, and/or reviews about the organisation. The role may include designing surveys, obtaining, and collating responses, and organising focus groups or similar, to obtain the relevant information. Some of the skills required for this role include strong communication and interpersonal skills, organisational skills, flexibility and analytical skills. You would be expected to have a degree in a relevant business subject, and if it is a qualitative research role, you may need to have a qualification in a specialist subject, such as geography or psychology. Specialised personnel may progress from this role into a senior role. For example, senior market researcher or within the management team.