If you are looking for a career area with broad employment options, look to sales jobs. Companies are always looking for talented marketers and sales people to increase the bottom line. Without good sales people, companies go out of business - it's that simple.

Ok, so we know the demand is there, the jobs are there, but are you the right person for this career? There is no area of business that has more opportunities for the right person than sales.

Type of sales jobs

Financial Sales:

The areas that this section covers includes: Investments, Insurance, Real Estate, Loan Brokers and Mortgage Loan Sales. These jobs are plentiful and most will train new employees from scratch. If you are successful in financial sales, you can make an unlimited income and enjoy working in an exciting field. The negatives with these sales jobs are the same as with most sales positions - you sell, you earn - you don't, you won't.

Real estate agents rely on the "big hit". It is not a career that will reward you with multiple daily sales. Your job is to work as many prospects as possible, without sacrificing service and availability to your buyers and sellers. Your hope is that some of these prospects buy the home you are showing. Challenges in the real estate sales market include: real estate trends and shrinking real estate commissions. Agents have to work harder and longer to earn the same money they did just 5 years ago. If you have a high interest in real estate and are comfortable traveling and meeting people, it could be your career of choice. If you are not motivated or are willing to do those things, it a job that will frustrate more than it will compensate.

Investment, insurance and loan brokers rely on phone work. Cold calling and prospecting is what you will be doing in the beginning and it is necessary. Any company that offers you these jobs will expect you to be prospecting from the start. If and when you build a successful client base, you can use referrals to help build from there. The money is there with these jobs, but it is first and foremost a sales job, and even more accurately - a telephone sales job. Commissions are the goal and the salary (if any) is minimal. You need to go into financial sales with guns blazing or you will fail.

Medical and Service Representatives:

Service sales reps, which are people who either service existing clients or introduce new products to existing customers are service sales reps. These jobs can be attractive, because they usually pay a decent salary that includes commissions and bonuses. The pharmaceutical or medical rep jobs can be attractive because of this. The medical field in particular, is growing more every year and the demand should remain high. I would seriously consider these types of companies.

High End Retail Sales:

These include auto sales and leasing, furniture stores, etc. They do not have "the glamour" of real estate or investments, but as with any sales position - if you are good, you WILL make money. There is a stigma with car salespeople. Perhaps it's those old commercials or parodies of the fast talking guy with the loud sports jacket, but look past that. Walk into a BMW, Lexus or Mercedes dealership and it is a totally different ballgame. You will see very well dressed employees serving walk-in high end customers looking to spend $70,000 on a car. There is no fast-talk at these companies, and the good sales people make a lot of money. If you have an interest in cars, especially luxury cars - give this career a try. You'll get a nice discount on a beautiful car yourself too!

Other sales jobs to consider or not consider:

Collections - Not a job for most. You are literally hounding people, who are struggling themselves to pay late or delinquent payments. Not for me.

Telecommunications - Working for long distance companies, internet providers or cell phone companies. These are just "call off the list with a script" sales jobs and would only be good for people looking to gain experience on the phone.

Conclusion

There are many other areas of sales. There are many jobs with attractive or unattractive features for the employee. The key to being successful in a sales career is your ability to connect with people. Being not only comfortable with the product or industry, but have a genuine interest in it. Customers will notice if you at least give the impression that you "love your job". Do not take a commission only position in the beginning. Building a client base while you are starving is almost impossible. Talk to the employees already with that company or friends that are in sales.

One thing is certain: 95% of you that make a career in sales will have several jobs before you are in the job you can retire with. Learn at each stop. You will be better as times goes on and if you have a talent for it, you can make a great living.

Good luck in your upcoming sales job!