What is a sales officer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted Experts
Bill Thorne,
Felicia Hodges

A sales officer is an executive who works with the company sales team to develop strategies in order to increase customer satisfaction and retention, as well as with upper management in the development of sales goals and sales benchmarks. A sales officers duties include, but are not limited to, managing the activities of sales staff and marketing teams, sustaining relationships with customers, and passing along any customer requests or issues to the sales and marketing departments.

Sales officers possess comprehensive knowledge of company products and services, and are able to communicate this knowledge to their customers so customers can then make informed purchase decisions. These individuals usually work in an office during a regular work week, but may have to travel on occasion to visit customers on-site. Sales officers should possess excellent interpersonal, communication, and sales skills, as well as be adept at managing finances and budgets.

There is no advanced degree requirement for obtaining a job as sales officer. However, it is recommended that individuals possess experience in business, finance, accounting, and/or marketing. Sales offices can make up to $107,000 per year, with job growth in the U.S. expected to grow 5% by 2028.

What general advice would you give to a Sales Officer?

B

Bill ThorneBill Thorne LinkedIn Profile

Executive Director of the NRF Foundation and Senior Vice President of Communication and Public Affairs of NRF, National Retail Federation

Retail is the largest private-sector employer in the country, directly employing 32 million people and supporting 52 million jobs overall - roughly one-quarter of the U.S. workforce. While COVID-19 has presented new and unexpected challenges, retailers have continued to showcase the industry's resilience and adaptability time and again. The safety and security of customers and employees remains our greatest priority. It is no doubt that the professional environment has changed this year, but retail continues to offer a plethora of career opportunities for graduates and seasoned veterans alike.
ScoreSales OfficerUS Average
Salary
8.6

Avg. Salary $136,777

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
6.4

Growth Rate 5%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
2.7
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.24%

Asian 4.07%

Black or African American 3.24%

Hispanic or Latino 9.82%

Unknown 4.41%

White 78.23%

Gender

female 37.26%

male 62.74%

Age - 46
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46
Stress Level
6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
8.7

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
4.4

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Sales Officer career paths

Key steps to become a sales officer

  1. Explore sales officer education requirements

    Most common sales officer degrees

    Bachelor's

    67.1 %

    Master's

    15.0 %

    High School Diploma

    5.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific sales officer skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Treasury12.66%
    Client Facing11.49%
    Cash Management9.32%
    Customer Service8.15%
    Client Relationships7.23%
  3. Complete relevant sales officer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sales officers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a sales officer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sales officer resumes.
  4. Research sales officer duties and responsibilities

    • Manage Facebook and twitter accounts for the hotel demonstrating professionalism while using social media.
    • Develop and implement proven growth strategies to continually drive sales and effectively improve and track marketing efforts in a very-weak economy.
    • Perform POS transactions and execute management functions.
    • Create marketing content for pages and promotional initiatives, newsletter design and implementation, create designed and produce PowerPoint presentations.
  5. Prepare your sales officer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your sales officer resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a sales officer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Sales Officer Resume templates

    Build a professional Sales Officer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Sales Officer resume.
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    Sales Officer Resume
  6. Apply for sales officer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a sales officer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Sales Officer Job

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Average sales officer salary

The average Sales Officer salary in the United States is $136,777 per year or $66 per hour. Sales officer salaries range between $94,000 and $198,000 per year.

Average Sales Officer Salary
$136,777 Yearly
$65.76 hourly

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How do sales officers rate their job?

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Sales Officer reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

i enjoy the interaction with people, listen the customer in order to convert him/her into your friend, detect and help customer with his/her needs.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020
Pros

Motivating people and helping to create success in each person's day. Honor God serve people in rich people's lives, pursue excellence in service.

Cons

Not enough time in each day to get everything accomplished.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2020
Pros

Marketing products from a traceable companies to consumers and providing a good service to the clients .

Cons

I don't like to work for a company without good management which results in disappointing consumers


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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