salesperson

A salesperson is a professional who sells goods or services to customers. They may operate in retail stores, business-to-business sales, or online. They work to identify customer needs, present offerings, overcome objections, and close transactions. They may work as part of a sales team or independently.

Duties include prospecting, qualifying leads, presenting product features and benefits, negotiating terms, processing orders, and providing after-sales support. They use sales techniques, customer relationship management systems, and data to track prospects and forecast revenue. They collaborate with marketing, product, and customer service colleagues to align offerings with market needs.

Types of sales roles vary by setting and industry. Retail salespersons interact with walk-in customers; inside sales representatives sell remotely from an office or call center; field or outside sales representatives visit customers on-site; and key account managers handle strategic clients. Roles differ in workload, travel requirements, and sales cycles, but all focus on generating revenue and maintaining customer relationships.

Key skills include strong communication, active listening, empathy, product knowledge, problem-solving, time management, and resilience. Training often combines on-the-job learning with formal instruction; a high school diploma is common, with higher education or specialized certifications helpful. Many programs teach sales methodologies such as consultative or solution selling.

Compensation typically features a base salary plus commission or bonuses, with targets or quotas that drive performance. Performance is commonly evaluated by metrics such as win rate, average deal size, sales cycle length, and customer satisfaction.

Ethics and compliance are important in sales work. Professional conduct includes truthful advertising, fair dealing, respect for customer privacy, and adherence to consumer protection laws and industry regulations.