Best Careers in Marketing (Part 3)

For the past two weeks, we have been exploring new careers in marketing such as Internet Marketing, Professional Events Management and Marketing Communications. We also explored some popular careers that have stood the test of time such as Advertising, Product/Brand Management and Publicity.

But the ultimate goal of Marketing is to sell. That is why Sales is a high-demand marketing-related career. If you are looking for a financially-rewarding career, you may want to look into becoming a sales person. There are different types, level and classifications involved in this type of career which includes:

Telemarketer

Telemarketers are marketing and sales representatives who conduct their business on the phone. They usually call people from a list or database to sell a product or gather information that will help sell a product to their target customers. Usually following a script or sales spiel, telemarketers may be tasked to make cold calls to target new clients or even call existing customers for order renewals and to try new products. They may also entertain inbound calls from inquiring customers.

What Skills Will You Need to Become a Telemarketer? A high degree of Verbal Communications skills is necessary if you want to be successful in this career. Most companies hire college graduates or even undergrads for this job. They usually will train you in basic salesmanship and the sales process, active listening skills, sales negotiation and sales closing techniques. With the right amount of drive and persistence, your sales skills can be developed as a Telemarketer.

Pros & Cons: The good thing about this career is that it is not as physically challenging compared to other sales jobs. As a telemarketer, you don’t have to go out under the sun and brave the traffic to do sales calls. Most of the time, you will stay in a comfortable office and the phone will be your constant companion. Sales, is a performance-based job, so there will be incentives and financial rewards. The more sales you close, the more rewards you get.

Field Sales Representative

Many different types of industries hire Field Sales Representatives and pay well for it. They know that their field reps are the key to getting their products out there so they typically send them off with brochures, catalogues, product samples and giveaways. Popular careers in field sales include Medical Representatives, Consumer Goods Sales Representatives or Sales Distributors, and even Door-to-Door Sales Persons.

What Skills Will You Need to Become a Field Sales Representative? What is important in this type of job is your desire to sell and make money. Since you are out of the office more often than not, time management skills and knowledge of city locations are necessary. You will also need to be able to deal with people from different walks of life and use your street smarts as you go about selling your products. A high level of interpersonal skills and relationship-building will help you build a collection of customers for life, which will make you a successful Field Sales Representative.

Pros & Cons: This type of career involves going out and meeting clients, travelling to different cities, towns or even counties (if you get promoted into a regional or country sales manager). If you are the type who like being on the go, this is the job for you. Field Sales Representatives usually have control over their time, but are required to punch-in at certain hours of the day and provide reports. It’s a good job for people who like having a little flexibility in terms of work hours. However, if you prefer to stay in your office cubicle, this is not the job for you.

Account Executives

Many service-based companies employ Account Executives to liaison between their clients and their service team. On the front end, they are the point person---the go-to guy or gal that the client relies on to handle, deliver and complete projects for them. They usually meet with clients, present solutions and work out cost estimates. On the back end, they are the ones who briefs and coordinates with the team to get the job done, usually following up and closely monitoring the overall developments of the project.

What Skills Will You Need to Become an Account Executive? To become successful in this field, you will need to have skills in consultative selling. Since the client relies on you to give solutions, it helps to have creativity and a good business head. Meanwhile, you will also be dealing with your service team who will complete the project. To be good at it, you will need good organizational, leadership and interpersonal skills. The ultimate point of the job is client servicing. The better you are at satisfying and impressing clients, the more long-lasting the relationship will be and the more indispensable you become to your company.

Pros & Cons: Account Executives are tasked to find new customers or maintain existing customers. As such, you will need a lot of patience in dealing with the demands, moods and even egos of clients. It is a challenging career but it can also be very rewarding not just financially but also personally. Successful Account Executives eventually build long-lasting relationships with their clients and even gain great friendships in the course of their career.

There are many exciting jobs in the field of Marketing. Entry to this is quite easy because unlike other professions where you will need certification testing and years of fellowship, you simply need general education. This is a career where persistence, practical knowledge of people and street smarts are valued more compared to academic excellence. It can also be very financially rewarding, if you are successful in getting people to buy your product.

I hope this Best Careers Series in Marketing has helped open your mind to many possibilities and options to help you find the best career for yourself.

Jhoanna O. Gan-So is president of Businessmaker Academy and the managing director for HR Club Philippines. Her company conducts seminars on Business Management, Human Resource, Sales and Marketing Courses. They have also recently launched the INSTANT HR TOOLKIT, a service that provides HR practitioners with over 100 ready-to-use downloadable, customizable and printable HR manuals, contract, letters forms and templates. To know more about HR seminars that they offer, you may visit www.businessmaker-academy.com or call (632)6874645. To know more about the Instant HR Toolkit, you may visit www.hrclubphilippines.com. You may email your comments and questions to: mbworklife@gmail.com