Prospects Luminate surveyed students and graduates to discover what aspects of a career in sales they find appealing - and which are off-putting
Sales staff are a vital component of UK businesses. Consequently, the UK has a large sales industry, with Statista research suggesting that there were approximately 917,900 sales, marketing, and related associate professionals in the UK as of the fourth quarter of 2023 - compared with 947,900 in the previous quarter.1
However, recent research indicates that it is becoming increasingly difficult to fill sales roles, with the ManpowerGroup identifying sales and marketing as one of the top five most sought-after hard skills by employers in the UK.2
We surveyed 197 Prospects users to find out what puts people off a career in sales, as well as what attracts those who are interested in a career in the sector.
Of those surveyed, a quarter indicated that they were currently considering a career in sales, with a further 12% saying that they already have (or had) one. When these respondents were asked when they first considered a career in sales, over half (53%) reported that they only considered a career in sales during (21%) or after (32%) university. Meanwhile 37% reported that they first considered it while in primary school (6%), secondary school (16%) or college/sixth form (15%).
| The earnings/Earning bonuses | 37% |
|---|---|
| Enjoys building relationships/interacting with customers | 31% |
| Interesting work | 22% |
| Improves interpersonal skills | 7% |
| Selling products that will help people | 7% |
| Job security | 7% |
| Work/life balance | 2% |
Both groups were asked what attracts or attracted them to a career in sales. Those considering a career in sales were most likely to suggest that they were attracted to the industry by the potential earnings, with some emphasising the meritocratic nature of sales work. For instance, some respondents found the prospect of being able to make bonuses based on their performance extremely attractive.
Moreover, 31% suggested that they would enjoy the customer-facing aspect of the role. Interacting with customers and building relationships on a day-to-day basis was a key selling point for these respondents. Similarly, a fifth (22%) said that they are simply interested in the work, with some referring to the variable nature of the work, while others were attracted to the busy environment.
A few respondents were attracted by the opportunity to sell products that they really believe will help their customers.
| The client facing nature of the work | 39% |
|---|---|
| The earnings | 26% |
| Needed a job/low bar for entry | 26% |
| Gaining an understanding of how businesses generate revenue/being responsible for revenue generation | 9% |
| Being responsible for market insight and feedback | 9% |
| Needed work experience | 9% |
| Flexible hours | 9% |
| Opportunity for career growth | 4% |
Those who already have or had a career in sales also indicated that the earning potential and client-facing nature of sales work were the two most attractive things about a career in sales. Some suggested that their natural talents (i.e. being good with people and communication skills) made a career in sales very attractive.
However, a quarter of respondents in this group indicated that they went into the industry because they could not find a job, with some suggesting that when they were desperate for work, they saw it as an employment opportunity with a lower bar for entry.
Others said that they liked the role of being responsible for market insight and feedback, calling sales 'the bloodline of the business'. Another respondent asserted that 'sales professionals act as a bridge between customers and the company', and stressed how important they are to product development, understanding customer needs and informing marketing campaigns.
"Sales professionals are the engine that drives revenue for companies. Regardless of how innovative a product or service is, without effective salespeople, it may never reach its full potential."
What puts people off a career in sales?
Nearly two thirds (62%) of respondents said that they had no interest in starting a career in sales, with 16% indicating that although they were not currently considering a sales career, they had previously considered it.
| Cold calling | 66% |
|---|---|
| It doesn't suit my personality | 57% |
| Pressure to meet targets | 54% |
| Having to sell a product or service that I don't like | 48% |
| I already have another career in mind | 45% |
| Concerned about reputation of salespeople | 33% |
| I'm not very good at persuading others | 29% |
| Time spent on phone calls | 26% |
| I don't want a customer-facing job | 24% |
| Starting salary is too low | 21% |
When asked why they did not want to pursue a career in sales, the most common drawback was an aversion to cold calling. This continues to be a commonly held stereotype of the sales industry, suggesting that young people may need to be provided with more information about what a modern sales role entails.
While it is true that some sales roles will involve cold calling, the majority do not. There are roles in which most of the responsibilities involve client management and relationship building, meaning they are dealing with existing customers most of the time.
Another major concern raised by respondents was the pressure to meet targets. And although there will always be pressure to meet targets in sales work, the extent of this and the severity of consequences for not meeting targets will vary from one employer to another. If a student or graduate is worried about this aspect of the industry, then workplace culture is a great topic to ask about during an interview.
Respondents were also put off by the idea of having to sell a product or service that they do not like. However, sales roles can be found in all industries, with leading employers in the UK including the likes of Bloomberg, Microsoft, and Mercedes-Benz.3 Therefore, anyone interested in sales should be able to find a role in which they are selling a product that they believe in.
| Yes | No | |
|---|---|---|
| Building a strong relationship with the customer | 55% | 33% |
| Campaign management | 42% | 41% |
| Giving presentations to the customer | 38% | 52% |
| Gathering market information | 48% | 42% |
| Travel as part of the job | 63% | 29% |
| Using persuasion techniques to sell a product or service | 16% | 70% |
Despite these respondents being uninterested in pursuing a role in sales, we wanted to find out if there were any aspects of sales work that interested them.
When asked, nearly two thirds (63%) indicated that they are they were interested in traveling as part of the job, half (55%) said that they liked the idea of building strong relationships with the customer and just under half (48%) indicated that they were interested in the aspect of the job that requires them to gather market information.
On the other hand, aspects of the job such as persuading clients to sell a product, and giving presentations to customers were much less interesting to this group of respondents.
How can minds be changed?
We also asked respondents who had no interest in a sales career to tell us what, if anything, could make them consider a career in sales.
| The earnings | 32% |
|---|---|
| Selling a product that I believe in | 24% |
| More information about the industry | 14% |
| Nothing | 11% |
| Flexible working | 7% |
| If role was less target driven/Less pressure | 6% |
| The creativity involved in the work | 5% |
| If there's nothing else available/availability | 5% |
| A less customer facing role | 3% |
| Room for progression | 1% |
A third indicated that they would consider a career in sales for the earnings, as previously mentioned, the meritocratic nature of sales work (i.e. financial rewards for good performance) is extremely attractive to students and graduates.
A quarter suggested that they would consider a career in sales if they could sell a product or service that they believe in, something that will help the customer. With sales work being pivotal to a wide range of industries, this is certainly possible. However, many appear to be unaware of the range of products and services that sales teams sell, which brings us to the next point.
There are a lot of negative stereotypes associated with sales work, not only regarding the kind of products and services that sales professionals typically sell, but also about the very nature of the work. Many view sales as a cutthroat, target-driven industry in which sales professionals are mostly cold calling potential customers and hassling them to buy products or services that they do not need. As one respondent put it:
"The public perception of sales as a career is distinctly lacking. When I think more seriously about the underlying skills for sales it's a skilled job, but it's not typically perceived that way… I think sales as a career is just not advertised well at all. Sales to most people is just like random people calling you about life insurance or mobile phone upgrades when you are already very satisfied with your current handset."
It is important that careers services, as well as those who already have a career in sales, do more to improve students' and graduates' knowledge about the sales industry, with 14% of respondents saying that they might consider a career in sales if they were more informed.
With the sales industry being so widespread, of course there are some roles within the sales industry that do fit the stereotypical view of the sales industry, but that does not account for most sales roles.
Moreover, a small proportion of respondents suggested that they would be open to a career in sales if it were less target driven, with some expressing worries about job security. Making it clear that it is common for individual sales professionals to receive support to reach targets, whether that be from managers or the wider sales team, could be an important way to ease these concerns.
Conclusions
For some, the meritocratic and customer facing nature of the sales industry makes it very attractive, a fact which is evidenced by the considerable size of UK's sales industry. However, due to a lack of information about what the industry entails, many young people have a negative view of the industry.
Therefore, with sales roles becoming increasingly difficult to fill, it is imperative that careers services and employers alike work to ensure that young people are properly informed about the industry - as it is likely that employers are missing out on talented graduates who would consider a career in sales if they had more information.
Notes:
- Estimated number of sales, marketing and related associate professionals in the United Kingdom from 4th quarter 2021 to 4th quarter 2023, Statista, 2024.
- MEOS 2023: UK Talent Shortage, ManpowerGroup, 2023.
- Overview of the UK's sales industry, Prospects, 2023.
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