Entry-Level Positions For Aspiring Sales Professionals
For undergraduates and graduate students looking for entry-level positions in the GTM Enablement & Productivity field, Caitlin suggests considering roles in sales, like business development representative, sales representative, or account manager, because "there is so much opportunity to not only build your sales skillset, but also to gain exposure to industries, to executives." Caitlin even claims that "everybody should start their career in sales" to learn baseline sales skills for any career, and these roles are fun, plentiful, and pay well.
Sales Skills, Entry-Level Roles, Business Acumen, Professional Development, Industry Exposure
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Caitlin Bercha
Director, GTM Enablement & Productivity
Software Company
Cal Poly SLO
MBA - University of San Diego
English, Writing & Education
Technology
Business Strategy
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. Entry-level sales roles (enterprise sales, professional services, industrial automation, or software/tech) offer opportunities to build sales skills and gain exposure to industries and executives.
2. Sales roles provide insights into how businesses are run through the discovery process and diagnosing organizational needs.
3. Starting a career in sales is beneficial for learning baseline sales skills that can propel one's career, with roles like Business Development Representative, Sales Representative, and Account Manager being readily available, well-compensated, and fun.
Transcript
What entry-level positions are there in this field? What might an undergraduate or graduate student consider?
Undergraduates and graduate students should absolutely consider entry-level roles in sales. When I say sales, I mean enterprise sales, professional services, industrial automation, or even software and tech.
I think there's so much opportunity to build your sales skillset and gain exposure to industries and executives. You also get to see how businesses are run because, as part of the discovery process in a natural sales cycle, you diagnose how organizations work to assess fit.
I might even go as far to say that everybody should start their career in sales. This way, you learn baseline sales skills to propel you into your career.
For this role in particular, you should definitely start in sales. Whether it's a business development representative, sales representative, account manager, or account management representative, those roles are super fun. They're everywhere, always hiring, and they pay really well too.
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