Career Pathway: Sales and business marketing

Haworth College of Business

The sales and business marketing program will prepare you to excel in entry-level sales positions and provide the broader framework for future success in upper-level management. There are small class sizes and a hands-on, experiential learning philosophy. The sales and business marketing faculty all have real-world experience in sales and sales leadership.

If you choose to major in sales and business marketing 51�� Michigan University, you will spend a significant amount of time in the Robert S. Kaiser Sales, Negotiation and Leadership Lab, one of the best university sales learning facilities in the nation. In this interactive lab, you will perform role-playing sales exercises in a realistic business setting.

Where do I start for a career pathway in sales and business marketing?

Start by making an appointment with the Zhang Career Center, which can assist you in discovering your career interests and values. The sales and business marketing industry includes employees who tend to be conventional and enterprising. They value achievement, working conditions and working independence according to Find out if your work preferences match careers in sales and business marketing by taking the Focus2 assessment.

What is sales and business marketing?

What skills are sales and business marketing employers seeking?

Technical skills are part of the proficiencies that are required for a job and may be developed in your major coursework. Sales and business marketing-oriented technical skills desired include customer relationship management software, ERP software, sales and marketing software, and business intelligence and analysis software.

Interpersonal skills enable you to succeed and are often developed outside of the classroom. These skills include persuasion, active listening, negotiation, public speaking, social perceptiveness, service orientation, complex problem solving, critical thinking and time management.

What careers involve these sales and business marketing skills?

How can I obtain an internship?

There are many different ways to acquire an internship, online or in person. Visiting the Internship Catalog and the Career Outcomes Report can help you learn about the companies that have previously employed sales students.

is 51��’s employment website. All students should set up an account and publish a resume. Resumes made public by the student are searchable by employers.

Students use their Handshake accounts to view internship and full-time job opportunities posted by employers and sign up for on-campus interviews. For more information, visit the Zhang Career Center.

Student groups and supporting events at 51�� Haworth

Sales and business marketing student groups include Ad Club, American Marketing Association and Sales and Business Marketing Association (SBMA). Other groups include Business Association of Mentors, DECA at 51��, Delta Sigma Pi, Leadership and Business Strategy, Phi Chi Theta and Women's Business Network.

Events supporting the sales and business marketing major include the following:

Marketing Career Night
Sales and Food Marketing Career Night
National Collegiate Sales Competition
National Sales Challenge
The State Farm Sales and Marketing Competition

NACE Career Readiness Competencies

The Zhang Career Center at the Haworth College of Business empowers learners to launch successful business careers by engaging them in innovative programming focused on professional readiness, while developing partnerships with global, regional and local leaders who hire students. As pioneers in career readiness programs and experts in customer service, staff members in the career center strive to meet the needs of all students and employers.

Career readiness competencies include:

Career and self-development
Communication
Critical thinking
Equity and inclusion
Leadership
Professionalism
Teamwork
Technology

Visit the to learn more.

Tasks and processes in sales and business marketing:

Account management, brand management, category management, competitive market analysis, consumer affairs, contract management and negotiations, customer retention, customer loyalty, customer service, market analysis, market research, market segmentation, marketing models, marketing plans, needs assessments, point-of-sale, portfolio management, product positioning and relationship building.

Careers in sales and business marketing:

Business-to-business (B2B) sales:

Account development manager
Account executive
Account manager
Channel sales director
Distribution sales manager
Inside sales representative
Sales director
Sales manager
Sales representative
Sales consultant
Outside sales
Sales director

Business-to-consumer (B2C) sales:

Customer assistant
Sales associate
Sales clerk
Sales consultant
Salesperson
Sales representative
Fulfillment representative
Inventory specialist
Order filler
Client manager
Registered representative
Relationship manager
Sales agent
Agent
Underwriting sales representative

Sales management:

District sales manager
National sales manager
Regional sales manager
Sales director
Sales manager
Sales representative
Sales supervisor
Sales vice president
Store manager

Business Externship opportunities

The Business Externship Program provides career exploration opportunities that connect students in Western Michigan University's Haworth College of Business with mentors, many of whom are 51�� alumni. Current sales and business marketing externship opportunities include Alro Steel, Coyote Logistics, Thomson Reuters, TQL and many more. Learn more about the program.