Explore Your Options: A Breakdown of Different Types of Sales Jobs

Our guide to building a career in sales by finding the role that's right for you.

A career in sales conjures up images of fast-talking hustlers closing deals left and right. With the rewarding feeling of hitting targets, the exciting pursuit of leads, the careful cultivation of relationships, and over-competitive rewards, working in sales is perfect for those who love seeing results.

But sales isn't just about that initial spark or generating interest in the first moments of your pitch. From building sales relationships to understanding the finer details of customer data, there are plenty of different types of sales jobs that suit every kind of job hunter.

Before you jump into a career in sales, it's essential to know what you're signing up for. From sales director to deal desk specialist, there's a huge amount of choice. But beyond that, not every sales role is going to be right for you.

This guide is your one-stop shop for understanding the types of sales roles and finding a role that fits your skills and career ambitions.

Why Should You Work In Sales?

From rewards and results-driven promotions to a variety of challenges and opportunities for growth, working in sales changes day-to-day.

Working in sales allows you to:

• Have new experiences and interactions daily
• Continuously learn and adapt while providing a platform to build valuable relationships
• Sharpen communication skills
• Improve business outcomes
• Make a genuine impact in your business
• Feed off the adrenaline rush from closing deals
• See tangible outcomes
  

You'll help your company grow, but you'll also be there for your clients, helping them find the solutions they need.

What Types of Sales Jobs Are There?

If you've made your decision to enter a career in sales, it's time to explore the types of sales jobs and roles out there. The industry offers a surprising variety of roles, each with its own set of requirements, challenges, and experiences.  

At one end of the spectrum, there are Account Executives, Sales Managers, and Customer Success Managers who build relationships with key decision-makers to understand their needs and present bespoke solutions. These relationship-oriented roles help businesses find new customers and retain existing ones, building a customer base and increasing revenue.

On the other end of the spectrum, roles include Sales Development Representatives, Operations Managers, and Sales Engineers, who analyze sales data, qualify leads, provide in-depth customer demos, and facilitate the end-to-end sales process. These sales jobs types are crucial for identifying opportunities, building the pipeline, and closing the deal.

We're going to take a look at a few roles that are key within the sales jobs categories, as well as their tasks and responsibilities.

Account Executives

For businesses that manage many customer relationships, an Account Executive is a critical role. The go-to point of contact between a valuable client and the business, account executives represent the business by negotiating, collaborating, and promoting new products to help their clients meet their needs.

To succeed in an account executive role, great communication skills are a must, as are the power of persuasion and the ability to learn a product or service intimately. In this role, expect to work as a business advisor, understand client pain points, and offer solutions. This means being able to see the bigger picture, while getting to grips with the goals of your customers.

Wondering if this is the right career for you? An Account Executive role could be a great choice if you're a team player who loves meeting new people and fostering relationships. Crucially, your success in this position will depend on your strong interpersonal skills and a proactive, results-driven attitude.

Enterprise Sales Manager

Sales is all about forming solid relationships. The Enterprise Sales Manager (ESM) is a leader that sits at the intersection of relationship-building and B2B business growth.

Working as strategic partners, helping large organizations use technology to achieve their goals, ESMs oversee the sales process to understand clients’ needs, formulate solutions, and negotiate between stakeholders for the deal.

Wondering if this is the right role for you? As an Enterprise Sales Manager, you'll need to be a relationship builder who enjoys forging long-term partnerships and has management and leadership skills. You'll also possess strategic thinking skills that involve translating client needs into actionable plans. If you're results-oriented, a natural leader, and enjoy variety, this role could be your perfect fit.

Sales Director

The strategic mastermind of sales, the Sales Director is the driving force with a proven track record of exceeding sales targets, identifying market opportunities and building high-performing teams.

This role requires a seasoned professional who can create and implement a solid, results-focused sales strategy. In essence, the Sales Director role description often requires an inspiring and motivating go-to leader who builds strong customer relationships and oversees sales operations. It's a role with immense responsibility but equally as many rewards.

Wondering if this is the right career for you? If you're a strategic thinker who can translate vision into action, a leader who motivates teams, and enjoys data-driven decision-making, then this role might be your calling.

Sales Operation Manager

Let’s begin with one of the most pivotal points within the sales process is in data and trends: Sales Operations Specialists. With a keen eye for detail, Sales Operations Specialists analyze data, identify trends, and streamline processes to help the sales team achieve peak performance.

Wondering if this is the right role for you? If you enjoy crunching the numbers, making sense of complex data points, and identifying opportunities, then a sales operation manager role might be a perfect fit.

Tech Sales Roles

A more niche area of sales roles that often goes under the radar is tech sales. Technology sales is all about connecting people with forward-thinking solutions. This can be anything from marketing software to data storage or web hosting.

Tech sales roles are rooted in problem-solving and building trust. These professionals act as trusted advisors, identifying customer needs and demonstrating how technology can address them.

Wondering if this is the right role for you? If you're passionate about technology and enjoy forming relationships, then tech sales could be your dream career. Providing constant learning opportunities, tech sales roles offer the satisfaction of helping businesses grow. The good news? The tech industry is growing and the job outlook for skilled salespeople is strong.

Technical Engineer

A mix between sales and technical expertise, Technical, or Solution Engineers may be a role that's caught your eye. If so, this is one that requires technical expertise to bridge the gap between sales and the customer. Solution Engineers conduct comprehensive business reviews to gain insights into our customers’ specific business problems and challenges, while effectively communicating how solutions can address those issues.

Wondering if this is the right role for you? If you like using your technical knowledge to see the bigger picture and enjoy finding solutions to complex problems, then a technical engineer role could be a great fit for you.

Find A Sales Role At Semrush

Ready to look for a sales role that suits you?

In our company, we have a variety of sales vacancies in several locations across the world and remotely. Whether you want to work in a different location, switch to flexible, remote working, or try a new role, Semrush will help you build a successful and fulfilling career in sales.

Look for sales roles at Semrush today.