Online Sales Training Degree Programs

Sales are a large part of a wide variety of industries and companies and organizations are constantly looking for new ways to improve sales. Online sales training degree programs prepare students to effectively contribute to the sales and marketing of the services and products offered by many different companies and organizations. Students gain the essential sales, communication, problem solving, and critical thinking skills to lead a lucrative career in many different sales related fields. Sales training professionals learn to stay ahead of the competition by finding effective and efficient ways to reach their customers and sell their products or services. Read more about online sales training degree programs.

Some Stats

In 2006, there were 1,378 bachelor degrees, 266 master degrees, and 3 doctorate degrees conferred in general sales, distribution, and marketing operations (1). Sales managers held 318,000 jobs in 2006 and most were employed in insurance, finance, manufacturing, retail trade, and wholesale trade industries (2).

Employment Outlook

Employment outlook for sales training jobs varies depending on degree and position. Employment of sales managers is expected to grow about as fast as average for all professions from 2006 to 2016, increasing 10% and adding 33,000 new jobs (2). The average annual salary for sales trainers with less than 1 year experience is between $35,250 and $48,718 (3).

Specialties

The sales industry is a large field and there are a wide variety of specialties for students who wish to pursue a meaningful career in sales training. The sales training specialties include marketing, customer service, e-commerce, entrepreneurship, pharmaceutical sales, retail, call center, workplace management, performance management, telemarketing, sales management, sales communication, and business management. Students who are interested in a particular specialty should select schools that offer a strong program in the specific area of interest.

What to Expect

Sales training degree programs provide students with comprehensive sales instruction to foster success in their careers. Undergraduate sales training degree programs require general education courses such as English, history, composition mathematics, science, and electives. The specific core courses vary with program, but many programs require courses in fundamentals of sales, sales techniques, marketing principles, advertising principles, retailing principles, seller behavior, buyer behavior, the selling cycle, customer relations, sales management, telemarketing, and promotional selling. Students often engage in brainstorming and marketing strategies activities. Graduate degree programs focus on more in-depth concepts and help students gain the analytic tools needed for more advanced positions.

The End Result

Sales training degrees provide graduates with abundance of career opportunities in many different fields such as business, healthcare, and pharmaceutical fields. Many commercial and non-profit organizations seek sales training professionals in their sales and marketing departments. Graduate degree programs prepare students to pursue advanced sales positions. Career opportunities for sales training graduates include:

Sales Training Manager
Sales Trainer
Marketing Manager
Retail Store Manager
Sales Representative
Sales Consultant
Sales Project Designer
Insurance Sales Agent
Public Relations Sales Associate
Sales Training and Development Specialist
Sales Support Representative
Medical Sales Representative
Purchasing Agent

A sales training career will be rewarding for individuals who have a strong interest in sales and working with the public. Sales training professionals must be friendly and approachable and have good communication and interpersonal skills to effectively interact with customers and other professionals. They must convince customers that their company’s products and services meet their needs. They must be able to adapt to competitors and identify emerging trends to remain competitive in the field.

(1) SOURCE: U.S. National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics
(2) SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook 2008-2009 Edition
(3) SOURCE: Payscale.com, Salary Survey Report