Work with your counselor or a mentor to find a sales rep in your area and reach out to them for an interview about their job. Prepare several questions that you'd like to know about their job or how they got there.

Interview a sales representative.

Brainstorm 5 ways you can take on a leadership role at school or in one of your activities, then choose one to try! It can be as simple as volunteering to lead a group project in class!

Take on a leadership role.

Get the hang of working in sales or customer service by applying to jobs where you'll interact with people regularly. Make a list of 5 local places where you might like to work and start applying!

Get experience working with people!

First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of sales workers other than retail sales workers. May perform duties such as budgeting, accounting, and personnel work, in addition to supervisory duties.

Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Enterprising

Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Conventional

Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Social

Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Realistic

Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Investigative

Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Artistic

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

First-Line Supervisors of Sales Workers

Sales and Related Occupations

Supervisors of Sales Workers

Monitor sales staff performance to ensure that goals are met.

Provide staff with assistance in performing difficult or complicated duties.

Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or performing specific services.

Listen to and resolve customer complaints regarding services, products, or personnel.

Keep records pertaining to purchases, sales, and requisitions.

Confer with company officials to develop methods and procedures to increase sales, expand markets, and promote business.

Plan and prepare work schedules, and assign employees to specific duties.

Attend company meetings to exchange product information and coordinate work activities with other departments.

Visit retailers and sales representatives to promote products and gather information.

First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers

Overview

Career

What First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers Do

Other Job Titles First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers

Overview

Career

What First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers Do

Other Job Titles First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Education

Level of Education Attained by First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers

Majors Related to Career

Related Careers

Related Leaders