Sales and Marketing

Acareer in sales involves business development, promotng a business, obtaining orders and maintaining customer relatonships.

Marketng, on the other hand, involves the maximising of profts through developing strategies and promotng products, services and ideas that cater to the demands of the market.

Sales encompasses two possible areas of work: Retail sales and corporate sales. A career in retail sales, though less “glamourous”, tends to give early responsibility and fast career progression, thanks to its rapid expansion.

On the other hand, corporate sales require a greater amount of strategy and an integraton of multple sof skills.

While salespeople are mainly involved in promotng business growth, marketng professionals will need to work closely with colleagues across several departments to successfully expand the organisaton’s reach.

This may include the sales team, market research team and producton and distributon staf. With the rise of social media marketng, graduates should also be digitally-savvy and have a strong awareness of market trends.

You will need…

• Commercial awareness • Communicaton skills • Resilience • To be a team player • Problem-solving skills

Types of employers

• Manufacturers • Product vendors/distributors • Consumer banks • Insurance companies • Corporate frms

Types of jobs

• Sales • Business development • Store management • Brand management • Marketng executve • Market research • Merchandising • Social media specialist Job-hunting tips

• Research employers and their products thoroughly before applying – candidates are ofen given case studies and role plays within interviews. This also applies to marketng roles • During job interviews for a marketng role, an ability to market oneself is a refecton of an applicant’s capability to market a product. Show confdence and demonstrate a capacity to think out of the box with concrete examples from past experiences • Experience regarding dealing with customers is extremely important.

It will make interviews easier if candidates can draw on their own previous working experiences

Work experience

For retail sales, part-tme or summer jobs in stores over school holidays are excellent opportunites to gain experience. Internships in corporate sales are less common, so hopefuls may want to dig for roles where they will be exposed to dealing with customers or clients.

Relevant internship work experience is useful if a marketng role is sought. Experience in marketng actvites and experience gained through on-campus events or clubs and societes can also be benefcial for the job hunt.

Deadlines

Companies usually recruit salespeople and marketers year-round, as and when needed.

Did you know?

Customer service, as well as sales and marketng expertse, are stll in demand despite technological advancements. For instance, sales and marketng professionals with experience in the felds of big data, e-commerce and digital transformaton are highly valued.