A complete guide for new career explorers and future account makers.

Sales is one of the most dynamic, rewarding, and flexible career paths in business. Whether you’re drawn to people, problem-solving, analytics, or strategy, there’s a place for you in the sales world.

In this guide, we’ll break down the mindset and habits of top salespeople, explore real insights from sales communities, and walk through the most common career path from sales operations and analytics to account management, B2B selling, CRM roles, and more.

What Makes a Good Salesperson?

The idea of the “slick” salesperson is outdated. Today, the best sellers are problem-solvers, not pitch machines.

1. They Understand Customer Pain

Top performers don’t force solutions they uncover problems. They’re curious, empathetic, and focused on discovering what really matters to the buyer.

Pain → Insight → Solution → Value is the modern sales path.

2. They Ask Great Questions

Elite salespeople treat conversations like investigations. They use thoughtful, open-ended questions to uncover needs customers often haven’t voiced out loud.

3. They Listen More Than They Talk

In online communities like r/sales, professionals emphasize that listening (not talking) is the most underrated skill. You can’t solve a problem you don’t fully understand.

4. They’re Genuine and Authentic

People buy from people they like and trust. Being real—rather than “salesy”—builds long-term relationships and referrals.

5. They Follow Up (More Than You Think)

Success isn’t about one great call. It’s about consistent, respectful, value-adding follow-ups. Persistence separates closers from quitters.

6. They Focus on Relationships, Not Hard Selling

Modern sales is relationship-driven. Your goal isn’t just to close a deal, it’s to help someone succeed. When you focus on impact, not pressure, everything works better.

Career Paths in Sales (and What Background You Need for Each)

Sales isn’t one job…it’s an entire ecosystem. Below are the most common paths, what they involve, and the skills or education typically needed.

1. Sales Operations (Sales Ops)

Sales Ops is the engine behind a high-performing sales organization.

What you do:

• Build and optimize the sales process
• Manage forecasting, quotas, and sales tools
• Analyze performance and improve efficiency
• Support reps with resources and data

Great for people who:
✓ Like systems and organization
✓ Enjoy solving operational problems
✓ Want a strategic, behind-the-scenes role

Typical background:

• Business, operations, finance, or analytics
• Strong Excel/Sheets skills
• Experience with CRM platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot)

2. Sales Analytics

Sales analytics roles focus on turning data into insights that guide strategy.

What you do:

• Track KPIs, pipelines, conversions
• Build dashboards and reports
• Identify patterns that improve revenue
• Support decision-making for leaders

Great for people who:
✓ Are highly analytical
✓ Enjoy data storytelling
✓ Want to influence strategy through numbers

Typical background:

• Analytics, statistics, data science, business
• Tools: SQL, Python, Excel, BI dashboards (Tableau, PowerBI)

3. Sales Funnel / Sales Development (SDR/BDR)

This is the starting point for many sales careers.

What you do:

• Generate leads
• Qualify prospects
• Book meetings for account executives
• Build top of the sales funnel

Great for people who:
✓ Love talking to people
✓ Are competitive and energized
✓ Want fast career growth

Typical background:

• Any degree (or none)
• Strong communication skills
• Resilience and enthusiasm

4. B2B Sales (Business-to-Business)

B2B sales professionals sell complex solutions to companies, not consumers.

What you do:

• Manage multi-stakeholder deals
• Present demos and proposals
• Build long-term client relationships
• Negotiate high-value contracts

Great for people who:
✓ Have strong communication skills
✓ Enjoy strategic conversations
✓ Are patient, organized, and persuasive

Typical background:

• Business or industry-specific knowledge
• Experience as an SDR or junior AE
• Understanding of the buyer industry (SaaS, healthcare, manufacturing, etc.)

5. Lead Generation / Growth Roles

These roles focus on sourcing and qualifying potential customers.

What you do:

• Research ideal clients
• Run outbound campaigns
• Use tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator
• Build prospect lists and sequences

Great for people who:
✓ Like research
✓ Enjoy strategy and targeting
✓ Prefer behind-the-scenes work

Typical background:

• Marketing, communications, business
• Experience with automation tools (Apollo, Outreach)

6. Market Segmentation & Strategy

These professionals help companies define who they should sell to—and how.

What you do:

• Analyze markets and buyer personas
• Create segmentation strategies
• Research competitive landscapes
• Guide product and marketing alignment

Great for people who:
✓ Are analytical and strategic
✓ Like market research
✓ Understand customer psychology

Typical background:

• Marketing, business, economics
• Strong research and analytical skills

7. Customer Relationship Management (CRM Specialists)

CRM experts manage the software systems that keep sales teams organized.

What you do:

• Configure and maintain CRM tools
• Train sales teams
• Improve data quality
• Build workflows and automation

Great for people who:
✓ Enjoy tech platforms
✓ Like organizing data
✓ Want a hybrid of sales + tech

Typical background:

• Information systems, business, or marketing
• Salesforce or HubSpot certifications help a lot

8. Sales Management / Leadership

Sales managers lead teams, set strategy, and develop people.

What you do:

• Hire, train, and coach reps
• Set targets and compensation plans
• Review forecasting and performance
• Run pipelines and revenue meetings

Great for people who:
✓ Are coaches and communicators
✓ Want to mentor others
✓ Understand both strategy and people

Typical background:

• Years of experience as a rep
• Strong track record of performance
• Leadership training or MBA (optional)

Is a Sales Career Right for You?

Sales is one of the few careers where you can start without a degree, grow based on performance, and pivot into multiple specialties—analytics, leadership, operations, marketing, or customer success.

If you enjoy learning about people, helping them solve problems, and working in a fast-moving environment, sales can be both fulfilling and financially rewarding.

And remember:

The best sellers succeed not because they push products, but because they understand people.

What Makes a Great Salesperson? (It’s Not What Most People Think)

The stereotype of a “salesperson” is outdated. Today’s successful sellers aren’t pushy or aggressive—they’re strategic, empathetic, and customer-focused.

Here are the traits that truly matter:

1. Understanding Customer Pain

Great salespeople don’t push products; they explore problems.
They ask:

• What’s slowing the customer down?
• What are their goals?
• What’s the cost of not solving this problem?

Understanding pain creates trust—and trust leads to deals.

2. Asking Great Questions

Questions are the salesperson’s most powerful tool.
Top performers ask open-ended questions that reveal real motivations:

• “Walk me through how you’re doing this now.”
• “What happens if you don’t make this change?”
• “Who else is impacted by this challenge?”

The best sellers talk less and learn more.

3. Active Listening

Listening isn’t waiting for your turn to talk.
It means:

• Paraphrasing what you heard
• Picking up emotional cues
• Noticing hesitation
• Identifying the real problem beneath the stated issue

People buy from those who make them feel understood.

4. Being Genuine

Authenticity beats scripts.
Customers can feel when a seller is human and honest—versus when they’re executing a pitch.

5. Persistent (but Respectful) Follow-up

Most sales happen after 5–12 touchpoints.
Successful sellers don’t assume disinterest—they assume busyness.
The difference between a lost deal and a closed one often comes down to consistent, thoughtful follow-up.

6. Relationship Focus > Hard Selling

In modern sales, long-term trust unlocks:

• Bigger deals
• Renewals
• Upsells
• Referrals

People don’t want “salespeople” they want partners.

How to Break Into a Sales Career (With or Without a College Degree)

The great thing about sales? There’s no single path in.
Some people study business or marketing and walk into corporate roles.
Others start with zero experience and work their way into high-paying B2B positions through skill-building and real-world practice.

Below are two clear paths: college route and experience route, followed by step-by-step actions to land your dream sales job.

📘 Path 1: Breaking Into Sales Through College

A degree isn’t required for a sales career—but it can open doors to roles in tech, enterprise sales, or operations.

Best Majors for Sales

• Business Administration
• Marketing
• Communications
• Psychology (great for understanding buyer behavior)
• Data Analytics (ideal for sales ops and sales analytics)
• Information Systems (helpful for CRM or technical sales roles)

How to Use College to Launch a Sales Career

1. Join a university sales program or sales competition team.
Many universities have sales labs, pitch competitions, or business clubs that train real selling skills.

2. Get an internship in ANY customer-facing role.
Even internships in retail, hospitality, or customer support give hiring managers something valuable:
experience working with real people.

3. Earn CRM or sales tool certifications while in school.
Highly recommended:

• Salesforce Admin Certification
• HubSpot Sales or Marketing Software Certification
• Google Analytics (for analytics/ops roles)

These certifications are low-cost and make your résumé stand out.

4. Network with recruiters early.
Career fairs, LinkedIn outreach, or alumni networks can lead to referrals.
Sales is relationship-based—your job search is, too.

5. Target entry-level roles right after graduation.
Good entry points:

• Sales Development Representative (SDR)
• Business Development Representative (BDR)
• Inside Sales
• Junior Account Manager
• Sales Support or Sales Operations Assistant

If you handle your first year well, you can climb to high-paying roles quickly.

💼 Path 2: Breaking Into Sales Through Real-World Experience

If college isn’t your path—great. Some of the highest-paid sellers in the world never went to college.

Here’s how to break in using experience alone.

1. Start With Any Job That Involves Customers

These roles are perfect stepping stones:

• Retail sales
• Customer support
• Hospitality (restaurants, hotels, events)
• Call center or phone-based work

In these roles, you can practice key sales skills: communication, problem-solving, handling objections, and reading people.

2. Get Your First Sales Role (SDR, BDR, or Inside Sales)

These entry-level roles don’t require degrees and teach you:

• Prospecting
• Cold outreach
• Qualifying leads
• CRM management
• Pipeline building

Even 6–12 months of SDR experience can launch you into:

• Account Executive
• Sales Ops
• Customer Success
• Sales Management

3. Teach Yourself What College Grads Learn

With free online resources, you can learn everything you need:

• HubSpot Academy (free)
• Salesforce Trailhead (free)
• Coursera business courses
• YouTube channels like Patrick Dang, Josh Braun, and SalesHacker

4. Build a “Proof of Skill” Sales Portfolio

Even without a degree, you can stand out by showing:

• 10 cold emails you wrote
• A cold-call script
• A pipeline spreadsheet
• A LinkedIn outreach sequence
• A mock discovery call (recorded with a friend or AI tool)
• CRM screenshots from Trailhead projects

This works incredibly well for beginners.

5. Network Where Salespeople Hang Out

Places to get noticed:

• LinkedIn (comment daily on sales posts)
• Sales subreddits
• Local sales meetups
• Startup networking events
• RevOps communities

Networking opens more doors than resumes alone.

🚀 Action Plan: How to Land Your Dream Sales Job (Step-by-Step)

No matter which path you take, this is a proven way to get your first sales job.

STEP 1 — Identify the Sales Role You Want

Pick your starting point:

• SDR / BDR (most common entry role)
• Inside Sales
• Customer Success
• Sales Ops
• CRM Admin (Salesforce / HubSpot)
• Sales Analytics

STEP 2 — Learn the Skills for That Role

Examples:

• SDR: cold email, cold calling, tools (HubSpot/Salesforce).
• Sales Ops: CRM, Excel, reporting.
• Analytics: Excel, SQL, BI dashboards.
• B2B Sales: discovery calls, presentation, negotiation.

You can learn all of these online.

STEP 3 — Build a Mini Portfolio

Showing > telling.
Create a simple Google Drive folder with:

• Cold outreach examples
• A mock video pitch
• A CRM practice project
• A short analysis of a sales funnel or competitor
• Certifications

This triples your chances of getting interviews.

STEP 4 — Apply to 10–20 SDR or entry sales roles weekly

Focus on:

• SaaS companies
• Startups
• Agencies
• Companies that hire and train new reps

These industries love hungry beginners.

STEP 5 — Prepare for Interviews

Practice:

• A 60-second elevator pitch
• A mock discovery call
• Your understanding of the company’s product
• What motivates you
• Handling objections

Confidence + curiosity beats experience every time.

STEP 6 — Follow Up Like a Salesperson

After each interview:

• Send a personalized thank-you email
• Add the hiring manager on LinkedIn
• Share a short “sales sample” (ex: sample cold email you’d send for their product)

This is how you stand out.

What You Can Earn in Sales: Salaries, Work Environments and Industries

One of the biggest advantages of a sales career is the income potential. Most roles include a base salary plus commissions or bonuses that reward performance. Below is a clear overview of common US sales roles, typical earnings, benefits and the type of work environment you can expect.

Sales Development Representative (SDR) or Business Development Representative (BDR)

Typical US Total Compensation
• Base salary: 45,000 to 65,000
• On-target earnings with commission: 60,000 to 90,000

Work Environment
• Often hybrid or remote
• Heavy outbound calling and emailing
• Structured training and clear career path

Typical Benefits
• Health insurance, PTO, 401(k), performance bonuses

Industries
Tech, software, financial services, logistics, staffing, marketing services, real estate, healthcare solutions

Account Executive (AE)

Typical US Total Compensation
• Base salary: 60,000 to 100,000
• OTE: 100,000 to 180,000
High performers can exceed 200,000 to 300,000 depending on the industry.

Work Environment
• Hybrid, remote or in the field
• Prospecting, running demos, closing deals

Typical Benefits
• Base salary, commissions, bonuses, stock options in some companies

Industries
Technology, SaaS, medical devices, media, advertising, B2B services, manufacturing

Enterprise Account Executive

Typical US Total Compensation
• Base salary: 100,000 to 150,000
• OTE: 200,000 to 350,000+
This is one of the highest-paying non-management roles in sales.

Work Environment
• Field based with travel
• Complex deals, long sales cycles

Typical Benefits
• Premium compensation packages, travel budgets, stock options

Industries
Enterprise software, cybersecurity, cloud solutions, telecom, data platforms, consulting services

Account Manager / Customer Success Manager

Typical US Total Compensation
• Base salary: 60,000 to 90,000
• OTE: 80,000 to 120,000+
Compensation depends on renewals, expansions, and retention metrics.

Work Environment
• Hybrid or remote
• Relationship management and upselling

Typical Benefits
• Health benefits, 401(k), client travel, bonus incentives

Industries
SaaS, professional services, staffing, healthcare solutions, education services, corporate training

Sales Manager

Typical US Total Compensation
• Base salary: 80,000 to 130,000
• OTE: 120,000 to 200,000

Work Environment
• Onsite or hybrid
• Manages team performance, training and forecasting

Typical Benefits
• Bonuses tied to team quotas, health benefits, retirement plans

Industries
Retail, automotive, tech, SaaS, insurance, industrial products

Regional Sales Manager / Director of Sales

Typical US Total Compensation
• Base salary: 120,000 to 170,000
• OTE: 200,000 to 300,000+

Work Environment
• Field leadership with travel
• Territory strategy, major accounts, regional oversight

Typical Benefits
• Larger bonus pools, car allowances, travel incentives, equity in some companies

Industries
Medical devices, enterprise tech, telecom, industrial manufacturing, pharmaceuticals

VP of Sales / Head of Sales

Typical US Total Compensation
• Base salary: 150,000 to 250,000
• OTE: 300,000 to 600,000+
Compensation often includes equity in startups and tech companies.

Work Environment
• Onsite or hybrid
• Leads sales org strategy, forecasting, hiring, major deals

Typical Benefits
• Executive bonuses, equity, profit sharing, expanded leadership benefits

Industries
Technology, SaaS, healthcare, finance, advertising, logistics, enterprise B2B services

Key Takeaways When Choosing a Sales Path

Income potential grows as your skills grow. Sales rewards improvement, not seniority alone.

Work environment varies. You can build a great career onsite, hybrid, field based or fully remote depending on your role.

Benefits are strong. Most full time sales roles include health insurance, PTO, retirement plans and performance incentives.

Every industry needs sales talent. This gives you flexibility throughout your entire career.

Bottom Line: You Don’t Need Luck. You Need a Path You Can Practice Daily

Whether you pursue a college degree or jump in through real-world experience, sales rewards people who bring curiosity, persistence, learning, adaptability, and a true desire to help customers. These traits open doors, but what accelerates your growth is intentionally learning what to say in the moments that matter.

Today’s top sales trainers and influencers share proven scripts, breakdowns, and real call examples on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Consistently following them gives you a constant stream of practical insights that can sharpen your instincts faster than most formal training programs. It is one of the fastest ways for new sellers to absorb real language patterns that work.

The real transformation happens when you practice these phrases out loud and weave them into your own style. Repetition builds confidence, confidence builds clarity, and clarity helps you close deals. Sales is a skill you develop through doing, refining, and doing again.

If you commit to learning from great sellers, practicing consistently, and following a clear path, you can land your first sales role faster than expected and grow into the kind of high performer teams compete to hire.