Remote sales jobs are especially prevalent, especially among those who do outside sales and travel to customers. However, even employers and employees of inside sales teams can benefit from the greater efficiency, wider reach, more flexibility, and a better work-life balance afforded by remote work.
Working in sales can be a fulfilling and exciting career. If you have strong communication skills, an excellent employment track record, and love meeting new people (either in person or virtually), sales might be just the new job for you.
Remote sales jobs offer excellent opportunities to use skills in a career that can be very lucrative.
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Why Work In Sales?
Many people enjoy the challenge of sales, in particular the common perk of paying a base salary with incentives for reaching certain sales quotas or benchmarks. Sales jobs allow you to turn your persuasive abilities and effort into a bigger paycheck.
Those who want to be in business for themselves frequently turn to sales careers. Modern sales is a far cry from the stereotype of the pushy salesman in a cheap suit giving customers the hard sell to buy something they may not want or need.
Sale techniques focus on presenting customers with features and benefits and promising (and delivering) the service that goes with the product. Today’s sales professional strives to be an expert in doing that.
While you may think of sales jobs as ideal careers for extroverts, introverts can be successful as well.
Can You Work Remotely In Sales?
Sales jobs range from inside sales representatives to sales executives. While many inside sales personnel may work from a call center or office, others spend a significant amount of time out of the office visiting prospects and customers.
Outside sales personnel have great flexibility in setting their own schedules so long as they meet or exceed weekly or monthly sales targets. They may only come into the office for meetings, training, or sales materials.
Many of these positions are basically remote and easily be made fully remote. An increasingly large number of job alerts now mention either remote or flex employment options. The nature of sales is interaction. so working remotely does not change the nature of the job.
Wondering what types of remote jobs exist in sales? We have answers to all of your pressing questions.
What Are The Benefits Of Working In Remote Sales?
Especially after the pandemic, many people sing the praises of working at home. Some of the many benefits of working remotely, either full-time or part-time, include:
- Better home and work-life balance.
- Decrease in the number of sick days one needs to take.
- Fewer interruptions with coworkers wanting to chat.
- Flexible schedule in some job types.
- Increased autonomy in remote positions.
- No commute cost saves time and money when your job is remote work.
- Spend less on work clothing when there is not an in-person requirement.
- You can live where you want and still get or keep the job you desire.
Those in outside sales may already be used to flexible schedules, autonomy, and freedom from a daily commute to the office. Some of the other work-from-home benefits may not apply.
Many sales positions require the sales rep to meet with clients to close the deal and offer after-purchase service. Meeting prospects and clients in person means there will be some travel and entertainment costs.
Some sales jobs require considerable travel throughout a territory. During the height of the pandemic, business travel fell off drastically, and many salespersons learned to sell virtually. Since Covid, more business still takes place online – but face-to-face interactions will always be a part of sales.
Even when meetings take place on Zoom, sales personnel must be appropriately dressed, so the wardrobe savings may not be applicable.
What Is The Downside Of Remote Sales Jobs?
The cons list is also very real, however.
- Bias toward those who work in the office.
- Missing out on in-office perks.
- No face-to-face contact with colleagues can get lonely
- Communicating clearly can be tricky when working remotely, so you need even stronger communication skills.
- Getting past the gatekeeper to have an initial conversation can be harder over the phone as some people have an easier time saying no over the phone or via message than in person.
- No team nearby to pump you up on the day when your self-motivation is low.
Partly as a result of Covid, sales teams learned to communicate online through Zoom meetings. Sales managers used the meetings to present sales figures, new products, and challenges and encourage the staff to sell products and service customers. Many companies found that virtual meetings saved time for everyone and have continued them.
How Do I Get Started In Remote Sales?
The first piece is to make sure you are ready to work remotely. Do you have the following:
- Comfortable, quiet workspace
- Computer with a webcam and microphone
- Desk or table space with a chair that offers you comfort and function
- Headset or headphones for calls and virtual meetings
- Strong internet connection
Once you are logistically set up to work remotely, it is time to start the job search. Some job titles to search include these.
Also, look for wording like “flexible” or “flex openings”, in addition to “remote” or “work from home.” Do bear in mind that employers can have different names for positions that essentially mean the same thing.
- Account Manager
- Business Development Manager
- Business Development Representative
- Outside Sales Representative (or Sales Rep)
- Remote Inside Sales Manager
- Remote Sales Assistant
- Remote Sales Account Executive/Manager
- Remote Sales Specialist
- Sales Agent
- Sales and Account Executive (SAAS)
- Sales AssociateSales Consultant
- Sales Development Representative (remote)
- Sales Professional
- Sales Support
How Can I Work Remotely With No Experience?
If you lack experience in sales or selling remotely, it pays to take the time to be ready to prove to potential employers that you know you can handle the task.
If your interview is virtual, make sure your workspace is tidy, and learn how to present yourself well in a Zoom or Google meeting. Plan ahead to make sure lighting, camera placement, and microphone quality show you off to best advantage. Make sure your workplace is quiet without background noise.
Anticipate the questions the interviewer will ask, and even have a friend do a practice virtual interview with you. If you have had retail experience or other jobs working with customers, weave that into your presentation.
Depending on the sales job, employers often look for post-secondary education in business, marketing, or a related field, a strong employment history (even if it is not in sales), and CRM (customer relationship management) experience.
Some positions require an academic background in engineering, math, science, or computer science due to the nature of the product you’ll be selling.
If you are willing to take an entry-level job or get your feet wet with a new business, some employees may look past your lack of sales experience and hire trainees. Some positions specifically mention their willingness to train people with potential
Where Can You Find Remote Sales Jobs?
Some of the best job search websites for finding remote sales jobs include:
- Indeed: This site advertises as the best way to job hunt no matter where you are located or what type of job you are seeking.
- Glassdoor: Not only does Glassdoor post jobs, but they also allow employees the opportunity to rank employers. This gives job seekers a bird’s eye view of what to expect from various companies.
- SimplyHired: Another website dedicated to helping people find employment, it is a popular recruiting platform.
- ZipRecruiter: Referring to itself as the “one-stop shop” for employment, ZipRecruiter is another must-see method of job hunting.
What Are The Best Paying Sales Job
Most of these jobs appear on the major job sites with compensation in the $50,000 and $100,000+ range.
- Customer Sales Engineer who aids the sales process for technical products
- Customer Success Engineer who guides customers through the sales process into the support phase
- Regional Sales Manager who oversees the sales strategy of an entire area rather than a single city
- Remote Sales Representative who communicates with customers by phone to meet their buying needs
6 Great Companies For Work In Remote Sales
- AirBnb: Standing for Air Bed and Breakfast, this company allows people to rent out their homes when they are not using them. They offer jobs in customer success management, customer service representatives, etc.
- Allstate: This company sells insurance using remote inside sales reps, financial sales associates, and other positions.
- Amazon: This online giant of a store offers remote sales employment as advertising managers, account executives, sales development managers, etc.
- CVS Health: This pharmaceutical and health store employs remote employees as medicare sales specialists, direct sales representatives, and customer support representatives.
- Pearson: A provider of educational books, testing, and materials, they hire sales engineers, sales development representatives, and field salesmen.
- UnitedHealth Group: This business is a for-profit company offering health insurance. Remote sales employees can fill multiple roles pertaining to insurance sales.
