Do I need to be an extrovert to succeed in sales?

No. Many successful salespeople are quiet and thoughtful. Preparation, genuine curiosity about customers and consistent follow-up often matter more than a loud personality.

How is sales pay usually structured?

Many sales roles combine a base salary with commission or bonuses linked to results, but structures vary widely between employers and countries. Ask about this openly during the interview process.

What should I put on a sales CV?

Focus on outcomes and actions: customers you helped, targets you met and processes you improved. Where you can, use honest figures, such as the number of calls handled or deals closed.

Career guide

How to start a career in sales

Salespeople help customers find products or services that solve their problems, and they help businesses grow. The work can be in shops, on the phone, online or face to face with companies, and it rewards people who listen well and follow through.

Sales is often open to candidates from many backgrounds. Employers commonly look for communication skills, resilience after rejection and a habit of organising leads and follow-ups, while product knowledge can usually be learned on the job.

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What the work looks like

Contacting potential customers by phone, email or in person
Asking questions to understand needs before suggesting a solution
Preparing quotes, proposals and product demonstrations
Following up and recording every conversation in a CRM system
Working towards targets and reviewing what worked each week

First roles

Sales assistant or retail sales associate
Sales development or business development representative
Inside sales or telesales executive
Account coordinator or junior account executive

How to start

Learn the basics of a sales process, from prospecting to closing and follow-up.
Practise active listening and asking open questions.
Prove your foundations with the sales test and the negotiation test.
Gain customer-facing experience through retail, events, volunteering or part-time work.
Prepare short examples of times you persuaded someone, solved a problem or kept going after a setback.
Highlight results and customer contact in a CV made with the CV builder.

Skills employers look for

Prove these with a free test, or read the guide for each one.

SalesFree test Guide
NegotiationFree test Guide
Relationship BuildingFree test Guide
InfluencingFree test Guide
Verbal CommunicationFree test Guide
Customer ServiceFree test Guide

Your CV for each market

Common questions

Do I need to be an extrovert to succeed in sales?: No. Many successful salespeople are quiet and thoughtful. Preparation, genuine curiosity about customers and consistent follow-up often matter more than a loud personality.
How is sales pay usually structured?: Many sales roles combine a base salary with commission or bonuses linked to results, but structures vary widely between employers and countries. Ask about this openly during the interview process.
What should I put on a sales CV?: Focus on outcomes and actions: customers you helped, targets you met and processes you improved. Where you can, use honest figures, such as the number of calls handled or deals closed.