Sales Executive careers guide and job profile

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• Fantastic customer service and communication skills
• Negotiation skills and being able to sell goods and services
• IT and presentation skills (you may be asked to create easy-to-read reports, or slideshows, or you may need to juggle sales information and communications from one device to another, e.g. from laptop to phone)

Top Skills-boosting Tip

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• Self-belief skills – you will have self-confidence and enthusiasm
• Good personal presentation as you are the ambassador for a product or service
• Self-management skills so that you can plan your work day and never miss a meeting

How Do You Get These Skills?

Vocational qualifications and work experience will help you build these skills over time.

BTECs

As an alternative to A-Levels, you can do BTECs from the age of 16. There are a number of BTEC subjects you might want to consider if you are interested in becoming a Sales Executive. Courses available could include:

• BTEC in Principles of Sales Level 3
• BTEC Sales and Marketing
• BTEC Certificate in Sales
• BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Business

Courses available can vary across schools, colleges and sixth forms and across training providers.

You’ll normally need 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9-3 (A*-D) or equivalent for a Level 2 or 3 course. If your qualifications are lower than this, you’ll most likely start on a Level 1 course.

University degrees and graduates

You may need to do a degree in a subject related to your area of sales, especially if you’re selling specialist products or services, for example pharmaceuticals.

UCAS has more information on degree courses and entry requirements.

A-Levels

A Levels are academic qualifications that come after GCSEs. A Levels can be an ideal stepping stone to an advanced apprenticeship, a degree, a job, or going straight into a freelance career.

Any A Levels relating to Maths or Business may be useful.

You’ll normally need GCSEs at grade 4 (C) or above in English and Maths. 2 to 3 relevant A levels, or equivalent, are usually required to complete a degree.

Apprenticeships

An apprenticeship is a scheme where you train while earning a starting salary. With an apprenticeship (or advanced apprenticeship) you’ll have a paid job with an employer that includes structured training and learning. This training leads to an official qualification that’s recognised by employers as an industry standard.

The apprenticeship route you take will depend on the kind of products or services you want to sell. You could do a:

• Level 3 IT technical salesperson higher apprenticeship
• Level 4 Sales executive higher apprenticeship
• Level 6 Business to business sales professional degree apprenticeship

Apprenticeships in retail, customer service or marketing may also give you useful experience for getting into this role.

Anyone over 16 can study for an apprenticeship. You will normally need at least 5 GCSEs at grades 4-9 (A*-C) to study for an apprenticeship, including English and Maths.

T-Levels

T-Levels are a choice for learners after GCSEs alongside apprenticeships and A-levels.

T Levels, an alternative to A-Levels, are qualifications in vocational, technical and hands-on subjects that you can choose to do after GCSEs instead of traditional academic qualifications.

They include a mixture of classroom-based learning and industry placements where you can put your new skills into practice in real-world scenarios.

You may need 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for T Levels.

Work Experience Tips

It can help you decide if this is the right career for you if you have previously done work experience in sales. Work experience in a sales environment can help you build useful skills.

Examples of relevant work experience include:

• Work shadowing (even if it’s just for a day)
• Work placements in a company
• Work experience placements on a college or university course

Work experience in an office environment, or in sales and communication environment (e.g. a call centre or telephone sales environment can help. It can also help if you can demonstrate experience of keeping calm under pressure in a busy environment or with deadlines looming, or if you can soothe dissatisfied clients or customers with diplomacy and understanding.

Volunteering Tips

A lot of volunteering relates to communication with people and displaying initiative – two skills that are highly rated in the sales sector.

For example, organising a school charity event or setting up a fundraising campaign for your charity efforts shows initiative and persuasion skills.

Taking part in a fun run or volunteering abroad shows you have drive and endurance, and the ambition to see a project through even if it’s out of your comfort zone.

Volunteering with vulnerable people like the homeless or elderly shows you are able to communicate with and relate to a wide range of people, using skills like diplomacy and tact.

Volunteering tips

Some example daily responsibilities include:

• Getting in touch with new and existing customers. Your job is to persuade new customers to love what your company offers, and make sure existing customers are really happy with the service they’re getting and want to continue the business relationship.
• Making presentations to promote new products and services
• Negotiating sales, prices and delivery

• Keeping up the contact with customers before and after sales
• Making a record of any orders or sales made
• Heading to meetings with clients and customers, or going to conference to keep up with the latest industry trends
• Meeting sales targets

To find jobs for young people in this role, search on jobs boards for early career roles and opportunities with keywords such as:

• Sales apprentice
• Business development apprentice
• Apprentice sales consultant
• Trainee sales executive
• Graduate sales executive

You can take a look at our database of local opportunities to see if there are any relevant jobs, work placements, or careers events and workshops to help you get started. Create Your Future!