Today more than ever before, companies want employees who can sell themselves as well as products/services. A sales career is for those who have the gift of great communication skills and an energetic & compelling personality.

The basic principle behind any sales role is to assist clients in comparing, examining, and understanding the best available options when choosing any product or service.

But do you ever wonder what sales positions are available to you? Or how do the sales titles hierarchy work? If so, don't worry! In this article, we will take a look at sales titles and their corresponding job descriptions. This way, you can find the perfect sales position for your skillset.

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Introduction

Because sales is the business discipline associated with prospecting for new customers and converting prospects into loyal customers, sales departments are critical to their companies. Sales departments and sales-focused businesses might design specified progression paths for top performers to advance through a separate sales roles hierarchy.

In sales, the salesperson is expected to have a comprehensive knowledge of their product/service and be able to answer all client questions. In addition, salespeople should always put customer satisfaction at the forefront of any sale they make. Excellent communication skills, as highlighted in your resume, are essential for success in this field because sales people must often deal with customers face-to-face. Several companies also use the sales aptitude test to screen candidates for sales roles.

At the top of any sales career ladder is an executive sales position, which offers great responsibility and often high remuneration. The responsibilities for this role involve holding financial accountability as well as maintaining client relationships with large corporations & companies who are looking to spend hundreds of thousands on a monthly basis.

They must have extensive knowledge about their product.

Sales hierarchies, in some ways, resemble military command structures, with managers in charge of progressively smaller groups of employees as the hierarchy approaches the front lines. Job titles in the sales hierarchy range from sales associate to vice president of sales.

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What Are Sales Titles?

Titles are simply words that describe your job responsibilities. They can be specific to your company’s culture, industry, or even region. For example, if you work at a large corporation with several divisions, then each division may have its own title.

Sales titles can range from salesperson to sales director. Within the sales department, there are different types of sales positions such as inside sales representative, outside sales representative, account manager, etc. For example:

- Inside Sales Representative – These reps work in a call center environment and typically handle small accounts or make outbound sales calls. They also answer customer questions and support salespeople in the field.

- Outside Sales Representative – These reps call on customers to sell a company's products, services, or both. Common roles include account manager, sales engineer, sales consultant & account executive.

- Account Manager - This person is responsible for managing existing accounts while developing new sales opportunities.

- Sales Engineer - This sales representative specializes in complex sales involving technical products, services, or both. They are also responsible for providing support to sales reps and customers after the sale is made.

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And what is the Sales Titles Hierarchy?

Most firms and companies divide their sales staff into many tiers based on their abilities, experience, and, most significantly, designations. These tiers or structures are referred to as the Sales hierarchy.

Similar to other jobs, sales positions have a clear sales titles hierarchy. Let's take a look at this concept below:

Sales Representative → Junior Sales Executive/Associate → Senior Sales Executive/Specialist → Manager or Director of Sales or Vice President of sales

In the sales titles hierarchy above, you will notice a consistent pattern of increasing responsibility and independence as one progresses through each sales position. For example, sales representatives are expected to generate sales on their own. On the other hand, sales managers oversee several sales reps and ensure that they meet or exceed company expectations.

Read on to learn about all the possible sales titles you could be crowned with, & which ones you should strive for, in your sales career.

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Entry Level Sales Staff Titles

These sales positions are great options if you want to gain experience in sales without making a long-term commitment.

This is the bottom of the sales staff hierarchy. Professionals are constantly needed at this level of the Corporate Staff Hierarchy. Despite having no prior experience or training in the required discipline, professionals at this level are often recruited.

These are just frontier employees who are directed to follow out their superiors' orders. For entry-level salespeople, the following job profiles are available:

• Senior Sales Analyst: Senior sales analysts are responsible for analyzing sales data and reporting it to the appropriate personnel.
• Sales Assistant: Sales assistants are typically entry-level sales roles with the responsibility for doing clerical work in sales.
• Quality Analyst: Quality analysts are responsible for inspecting sales data to ensure it is accurate.
• Customer Care Representative: These sales reps focus on customer satisfaction and ensuring that customers are able to get answers to questions they may have.
• Sales Associate: Sales associates are sales reps that handle smaller accounts and focus on generating sales for the company.
• Sales Engineer: Sales engineers work with customers to ensure they are satisfied with their sales transactions and provide any support they need.
• Account Manager: Account managers focus on developing new sales opportunities and maintaining existing accounts
• Sales Representative: Sales representatives are sales reps that focus on generating sales for the company.
• Account Executive: Account executives work with customers to ensure they are satisfied with their sales transactions and provide any support they need.
• Sales Representative: Sales representatives are sales reps that focus on generating sales for the company.
• Sales Trainee: Sales Trainees are also sales reps in training who typically do clerical work.

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Mid-Level Sales Staff Titles

These are seasoned employees with sales experience who focus on closing sales.

The majority of firms employ their personnel in a variety of different sections to easily manage and coordinate their operations based on certain locations. These locations are also referred to as a company's branches.

Mid-level salespeople manage the sales divisions in these branches and report directly to higher-level executives in the ales directorate. These employees usually operate in groups, directing the sales staff to meet higher management's sales targets. The following job roles are included in the mid-level salesperson hierarchy:

• Director of Sales: Directors of sales have high-level responsibilities in sales management such as supervising team leaders, training new sales representatives, setting sales goals & tracking results, etc.
• Sales Manager: Sales managers are the sales representatives that have been around for a while and developed sales skills.
• Sales Branch Manager: Sales branch managers oversee sales in a specific geographic area.
• Assistant Sales Branch Manager: Assistant sales branch managers are sales reps that have gained experience over time and are now responsible for overseeing sales in a specific geographic area.
• Sales Director: Sales directors are sales managers that oversee sales in specific areas.
• Sales Executive: Sales executives are sales reps who have proven themselves to be valuable assets to sales organizations.
• Sales Specialist: Sales specialists focus on sales transactions that are trending or complex.
• Account Manager: Account managers focus on developing new sales opportunities and maintaining existing accounts.
• Market Research Analyst: Market research analysts perform sales market analysis to determine sales opportunities and suggest new products.
• Senior Sales Analyst: Senior sales analysts are responsible for analyzing sales data and reporting it to the appropriate personnel.
• Lead Development Officer: Lead development officers are sales managers who focus on developing sales opportunities.
• Sales Development Representative: Sales development representatives work within sales teams or sales departments to fill sales openings through activities such as cold calling, emailing, etc.
• Sales Professional: Sales professionals are sales reps that have sales in a specific industry or vertical.
• Administrative Assistant: Administrative assistants serve as sales support staff by performing clerical work in sales such as answering sales calls, filing documents, scheduling appointments, etc.
• Sales Coordinator: Sales coordinators typically provide administrative support such as sales forecasting, sales reporting & sales information.
• Sales Consultant: Sales consultants work with sales management staff and sales representatives in a sales organization, providing support and sales guidance.
• Inside Sales Consultant: Inside sales consultants are sales reps that focus on sales transactions inside a company as opposed to outside.
• Junior Sales Consultant: Junior sales consultants typically provide sales support such as sales forecasting, sales reporting & sales information.
• Team Leader: Team Leaders are sales managers in training. They have a lot of responsibility but do not yet have the authority to make decisions for their team members.

When advancing your sales career, exploring a wide range of opportunities that align with your skills and preferences is essential. If you're currently seeking remote sales positions that provide flexibility and the ability to work from anywhere, consider exploring Remote Sales Jobs on a platform like RemoteWokr. They offer an extensive selection of remote sales positions tailored to various skill sets and work styles. Whether you're interested in sales representatives or account management roles, RemoteWokr provides access to diverse remote sales opportunities across different industries.

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High-Level Sales Staff Titles

This is the top of the sales titles hierarchy. These people are in charge of the administrative responsibilities of the firm.

Their key tasks include pioneering innovative approaches for lucrative sales growth. Furthermore, these professionals set targets for the company's sales representatives. These are the primary decision-makers for any corporation's sales department. To get here, you need to be dedicated & hard working, whilst also being sales-driven.

• Chief Executive Officer: CEOs are sales managers who have proven themselves to be valuable assets in sales organizations and have high-level responsibilities such as sales management, sales operations, and sales strategy.
• Chief Sales Executive: Chief sales executives are high-level sales managers who handle all aspects of a sales organization.
• CEO of Sales: CEOs of sales oversee sales in a specific industry or vertical, including sales management and sales operations.
• Chief Executive Officer: Chief executive officers oversee sales in an entire company or industry. 
• Controller: Controllers manage financial transactions within a business organization such as overseeing accounts receivable, accounts payable, etc.
• National Sales Manager: National sales managers oversee sales in a specific geographic region.
• Regional Sales Manager: Regional sales managers lead regional sales teams and provide support to national sales organizations. 
• Executive Vice President of Sales: Executive vice presidents of sales are responsible for overseeing all areas of the company's sales department such as training, marketing & branding, and daily operations.
• General Manager of the Sales Department: General sales managers oversee sales teams in retail settings.
• Vice President of Sales: Vice presidents of sales are responsible for overseeing all areas of the company's sales department such as training, marketing & branding, and daily operations. 
• National Sales Coordinator & Distributor: National sales coordinators and distributors typically provide sales support such as sales forecasting, sales reporting & sales information.
• Senior Sales Accountant: Senior sales accountants work with sales to ensure that all sales transactions are accurate and organized.
• Zonal Sales Manager: Zonal sales managers are responsible for overseeing sales teams in a specific region and reporting sales numbers to the company's top management.
• Sales Director: Sales directors oversee sales operations and create sales strategies at the highest level within an organization or industry. 
• Senior Sales Consultant: Senior sales consultants typically provide sales support such as sales forecasting, sales reporting & sales information.
• Senior Sales Engineer: Senior sales engineers work with sales to ensure that all sales transactions are accurate and organized.
• Head of Customer Acquisition: The head of customer acquisition is responsible for developing marketing strategies designed to attract new customers to a company's products or services.
• Area Sales Manager: Area sales managers oversee sales teams in a specific region and report sales numbers to the company's top management.
• President of Sales & Marketing: Presidents of sales and marketing oversee all areas of the sales department such as training, marketing & branding, and daily operations.
• Senior Sales Manager: Senior sales managers oversee sales teams in a specific region and report sales numbers to the company's top management.
• Sales Administrator: Sales administrators provide sales support such as sales forecasting, sales reporting & sales information.
• Global Sales Director: Global sales directors oversee sales operations and create sales strategies at the highest level in an organization or industry.

Each company is structured differently, and this blog just scrapes the surface of the various sales responsibilities and job titles available. Keep up the work if your company does things differently and it pays!

Now that you know what positions exist within a sales career & how it all works together, which position sounds most interesting? With so many sales titles to choose from, you are sure to discover the sales position that is perfect for your skillset!