A sales analyst, likewise known as a business analyst, plays an integral role in the success of any company. They take raw results and present them to the client in a clear, concise package. Their salary is $60k on average at entry-level but can rise very sharply with experience - perhaps even over $100k for senior roles.

A career as one involves crunching numbers, problem-solving, and data analysis. This blog post will cover what an analyst of sales does, their common responsibilities, and the qualifications it takes to become one! If you’re eager for tips on how to get started down this road, keep reading.

‍

Common job titles you will find under this role of Sales Analyst

‍

1. They focus on understanding the needs of their company's clients and developing strategies to maximize company growth while increasing profits for all involved parties. They provide general business intelligence through assessing current operations, forecasting future operations, and presenting information through reports and findings.

Sales Analyst Salary: $39k- $78k (Avg $60k)

Average Entry Level Salary: $49K

Average Experienced Salary: $83K

CareerCast’s 2017 Most Valuable Careers in America list ranks this job role as one of the top 150 careers because it offers good pay, opportunities for advancement, and plentiful job openings throughout our nation (especially due to the high demand for effective sales teams in most industries).

‍

2. A senior analyst is a mid-level management position and often reports directly to the CFO or members of upper management about specific business metrics. They have a solid grasp of relevant topics such as organizational leadership, budgeting, forecasting, strategic planning, and financial analysis.

In addition, they provide leadership over more junior accountants, analysts, or marketers within an organization who focus on particular segments of the business (e.g., retail vs. wholesale divisions). Senior Sales Analyst Salary: $78k - $136k+

CareerCast’s 2017 Most Valuable Careers list ranks senior ones in this job role among the top 50 careers with a great hiring outlook because senior analysts develop critical business knowledge and a comprehensive understanding of a company’s core competencies. Their salaries vary greatly depending on the industry, size of the organization/company, and location.

‍

3. A financial analyst focuses specifically on assessing an enterprise's financial status - usually through comparisons with other similar businesses or benchmarking data from other companies in its horizontal markets.

Their work is used to create forecasts, inform board decisions, and aid in long-term planning efforts. They also may study market trends to ensure the future growth prospects of their organization are positive.

Financial Analyst Salary: $88k - $120k+

CareerCast’s 2017 Most Valuable Careers list ranks a career as a financial analyst among the top 50 with a great hiring outlook because individuals who are able to effectively analyze data and trends will always be needed by organizations of all sizes.

Financial analysts may focus on specific sectors within finance (e.g., healthcare, technology), so individual salaries vary greatly depending on the industry, size of the organization/company, and location.

4. A national account manager is responsible for overseeing the relationship between multiple clients and an organization's marketing department or product development team.

They act as liaisons between their teams and their customers - which include familiarizing themselves with each client's unique needs in order to provide them with effective products or services that align with those needs. National Account Manager Salary: $90k - $140+.

CareerCast ranked this position among the top 100 careers with a great hiring outlook because individuals who are able to successfully manage relationships between multiple clients will always be needed by organizations of all sizes.

National account managers may focus on specific sectors within their industry, so individual salaries vary greatly depending on the industry, size of the organization/company, and location.

‍

5. A sales operations manager/ sales analyst focuses on overseeing several different aspects of an organization's sales team - including hiring decisions, training procedures, and monitoring performance metrics.

They provide guidance to new hires within the sales team as well as monitor current employees' progress towards company goals in order to maximize productivity levels. Sales Operations Manager Salary: $92k+

CareerCast ranked this position among the top 100 careers with a great hiring outlook due to its expansive growth rate of 8% or higher. Sales operations managers must have a good understanding of company goals and how they align with the sales team's objectives in order to maximize productivity levels for both parties.

‍

6. A finance director provides guidance on financial decisions for an organization, department, division, or line of business - often reporting directly to the CFO about any issues that may arise between them and their organization at large.

They typically oversee all financial activities within their division (e.g., budgeting, forecasting) as well as provide recommendations on possible courses of action when necessary - which can include gaining approval from higher-ranking members within upper management before proceeding with new initiatives.

Finance Director Salary: $80k+

CareerCast ranked this position among the top 100 careers with a great hiring outlook. They must have a good understanding of their industry's performance levels and how they align with their organization's financial goals - so advancement within finance is often possible as long as an individual shows exceptional results throughout their tenure at one organization.

‍

7. A director of sales operations oversees several different duties related to the sales team, which can include ensuring that all members are following procedures that lead to successful achievement of their goals, training new hires, and monitoring productivity across several different factors.

Director Of Sales Operations Salary: $81k+ 

There is a high demand for organizational leaders who understand the ins and outs of effective human resource management practices in order to maximize profits across all departments or functions within an organization.

CareerCast ranked this position among the top 100 careers with a great hiring outlook because individuals who are able to successfully lead others will always be in demand by organizations of all sizes.

They must have a good understanding of their industry's performance levels and how they align with their organization's financial goals - so advancement is often possible as long as an individual shows exceptional results throughout their tenure at one organization.

‍

Sales Analyst Job Description & Responsibilities

Tasks & Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following: Answer complex questions and provide complex problem solutions. Gather data to be used in forecasting sales impact (sales opportunities) for existing or proposed products.

Research account needs; create customized sales presentations that outline product benefits; answer customer questions about products or services; direct Sales Specialists during sales calls. Prepare reports on sales activities, including expense forecasts and projections.

• Track customer satisfaction levels, average revenue per buyer (ARPU), attrition rate by the customer, and other sales metrics.
• Identify sales opportunities by monitoring industry trends and developments in the market or region.
• Analyze customer data to identify potential business development leads. Create reports regarding commercial activities, revenue performance, profitability impacts, and any related issues.
• Conduct research on potential customers to determine whether a company's products would be a good match for them.
• Perform administrative duties such as answering phones, greeting visitors, arranging conference calls or meetings, facilitating email communication with employees or clients, filing documents, creating expense reports, completing purchase orders, scheduling appointments, taking meeting minutes, organizing events/conferences/webinars/trade shows, etc.
• Review financial records to prepare updates for management on expenditures incurred against established budgets.

The role is typically multi-functional, i.e. have input on financial forecasts but also an input for product analysis, etc, depending on the position. This description is intended to reflect the general nature and level of work performed by individuals assigned to this job. It is not intended to include all duties and responsibilities. The order in which duties/responsibilities are listed is not necessarily the order in which they must be performed. Tasks & Responsibilities may change at any time due to changes in business conditions.

Qualifications for Sales Analyst

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience required  
• Prior experience working with business development or sales is specifically helpful but not necessary  
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite preferred  
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

Their Responsibilities

• Forecasting sales/revenue by studying market trends and competitor information
• Analyzing new product opportunities
• Maintaining a database on active accounts that meet certain criteria (e.g., size of the account, closing history)
• Gathering competitive data from market research companies
• Developing report templates used by Sales Management to monitor revenue growth and profitability at various business units within their division(s).

‍

How to become a successful Sales Analyst?

• Have knowledge of basic accounting concepts and strong PC skills (MS Excel & Access).
• Be knowledgeable about the company's business and its products/services.
• Participate in any training programs offered by the company for this position.
• Gain related work experiences such as internships, part-time jobs, leadership roles in campus organizations, etc.

‍

5 Great Job Interview Questions for Analysts of Sales

When interviewing your analysts, it's critical that you ask the correct questions. Here are five excellent questions to ask to determine the fitness of a possible analyst:

• Which data analysis software have you previously used?
• How do you go about assessing sales data?
• Can you tell me about an occasion when you supplied useful information that resulted in greater sales?
• How are your public speaking abilities?
• What is one great practice you acquired at the prior job that you will use here?

The Skills You Should Look Out For!

Of course, there are heaps more too but these are the essentials that no successful analyst should be without!

1. Excel wizardry! If someone tells you that they love spreadsheets, they probably love you too! When analyzing data for a company your chief weapon is the humble spreadsheet. It's essential that you become an expert in its use and can crunch numbers at speed without making mistakes.
2. Good communication skills are vital when it comes to selling yourself or pitching ideas to people both inside and outside of your company. Make sure that if you want to get on, these are second nature to you!
3. The most important thing which you will need is 'ambition'. Every successful analyst of sales I have ever come across has been hungry for success and has really wanted it. You may not be able to make this happen but it will help loads when getting started in this field so don't be afraid to show it.
4. You will also need to be good with people (it's useful for when pitching ideas), intelligent (for the technical stuff), and rational (so you can look at figures sensibly). Some of these things may come naturally but others may not, so don't worry too much if you feel that any of them are lacking; you can work on it!  

I hope this has given some inspiration for anyone looking to get started in sales, either by climbing the corporate ladder or striking out on their own. If you have ambitions to succeed then I wish you all the best!

5. Last but definitely not least is being comfortable with failure. It comes hand-in-hand with success in these jobs and you'll have to be able to take it on the chin whilst keeping a cool head!

When you are looking for a career in sales, there's no better place to start than at the top.

The biggest companies in the world need these analysts and it is a great way to get your foot on the ladder of a successful business. Not only that, but if you have an eye for detail then these businesses will be beating a path to your door!

As well as climbing the corporate ladder, there are also heaps of opportunities available if you decide to go out on your own.

In fact, the internet has opened up doors that would have been shut even five years ago. You can use this opportunity to kick-start yourself into being self-employed by putting together a good proposal and drawing attention to yourself as a self-starter.