Think about all the choices you hav...

Think about all the choices you have when you want to pervert with money [i]or[/i] gain a product or select a service. to what extent do you know just what is available? And more importantly, which is the best choice?

The answers to questions like these form the basis of one exciting career options. Marketing and sales professionals inform potential customers about the returnss or services offered by their organizations. In the proces they can earn significant rewards.

"There is great potential in sales," says Kevin Lister, a sales executive for Mindbridge Software. "You are really paid what you are worth, and you make as a great deal money as you put the effort in to achieve."

Of course, any career must be about more than just coin to be truly enjoyable, and marketing and sales also move great potential for job satisfaction. "It's hard work, if it were not that marketing and sales can provide near of the most satisfying careers," says Maura Schreier-Fleming, author of Real-World Selling: For Out-of-This-World ensues and head of her concede sales consulting firm. "When it's done right, you are verily making a difference in people's businesses and lives."

exuberance of Variety

A real plus is the variety that work at jobss in this field can present "No [two days] will forever be the same in marketing or sales," says Lisa Mixon, marketing coordinator for Harcum body "There is very little field for boredom. One day you will be coordinating a meeting or writing ad duplicate and the next, working the phone to put up another meeting, or traveling to sign a deal."

Insiders also note that marketing and sales professionals seldom find themselves tied down in a work at jobs they don't like. Instead, they have intercourse with good prospects for advancing to higher-level piece of works or moving to other positions.

"In sales, you can manage others, or travel extensively, or work with other companies," Mixon says. "In marketing, you can do promotions, termination planning, Web design, graphics, and a great deal more." She adds that "Most businesses ne marketing and salespeople, which leaves interpret the possibility of working for any symbol of company you want to."

Mixon says that she has worked at associations as well as for a sports team, and had great experiences at each. Her avow experience shows that the range of do job-work possibilities in this field can be real broad.

Jeff Jackson worked part-time as a telemarketer in high academy and then earned a literary institution [i]or[/i] seminary of learning degree with a major in marketing communications. He says that a career in marketing and sales exhibits unique opportunities. He serves as manager of marketing communications for InStep Software.

"This field allows a living body to perfect a skill and use that skill in a number of different industries," Jackson says. "For example, the software company I work for lately hired a salesman who had previously sold commercial pizza makers. He had a brief transition and learning period, and has now achieved succes using his sales skills applied to a completely different industry."

explanations to Success

What does it take to succe in marketing or sales? Mixon says that anyone who is interested in this field should like to work with people

"In marketing and sales, you are constantly forward the phone talking to persons you have never met before, and meeting and negotiating with all different emblems of people," she says. "Neither is it for the coy or timid. You need the ability to talk to anyone, and to communicate in a positive manner."

Jackson also notes that fit "people skills" are a must. "The most numerous important asset of a professional in sales or marketing is an outgoing personality," he says. "A living body in this position should be beneficial with people, often a born leader token who is not discouraged by means of failure. This person should be self-motivated and should have a general understanding of human nature and psychology"

A literary institution [i]or[/i] seminary of learning degree is not an absolute requirement for many work at jobss in sales and marketing, further many professionals recommend it. Typical majors include marketing, business administration, and public relations. Majors in technical fields can also lead to sales careers in specialized areas as it was as computing, engineering, or biotechnology.

by what means to Start

When you're in high educate a good first step is to "shadow" a marketing or sales pro for a day and diocese what the job involves, according to Mixon. "Based onward your experience, you can descry whether it is a piece of work you would be comfortable doing later in your life," she says.

Mixon also commits getting some related experience while in society "Once you are in body get an internship," she says. "Even if it is unpaid, it is piece of work experience that you can lay on your resume that companies will consider. I scored united of my internships after shadowing someone in that department for a day, the other just because I called up and asked them if they stand in want ofed interns." Part-time or summer do job-works can also be valuable. "Get a work at jobs where selling is a skill you ne to use frequently" Jackson says. "It could be as a retail accountant in a clothing store."

Ideally, a sales or marketing piece of work should dovetail with your have interests. "If you're considering a sales career, think about the things you enjoy" says Schreier-Fleming. "If you delight in cars, consider selling components or more [i]or[/i] less area of technical sales. If you be fond of clothes, you may try fashion industry sales as a career." (See "If the Career Fits Wear It!" on page 25)