Selling to individual and family consumers is called business-to-consumer (B2C) and selling to other businesses is business-to-business (B2B). There obviously is a difference in what and to whom you are selling. I
n addition, there is a difference in how you sell. You may discover, in your career, that you prefer one type of selling to the other. However, in fairness to your career, you should try both. You may learn that you have a preference or a gift for selling to one. But as you grow your skills and your life, the other may better fit your goals. Consider them both.B2C
n addition, there is a difference in how you sell. You may discover, in your career, that you prefer one type of selling to the other. However, in fairness to your career, you should try both. You may learn that you have a preference or a gift for selling to one. But as you grow your skills and your life, the other may better fit your goals. Consider them both.
The majority of salespeople are selling B2C. And most of these are in retailing. They choose retailing because new sellers are consumers. They understand the buyer's problems and have experienced them. They are familiar with the products or services they offer. They can easily relate to their buyers — and that is a key to successful sales.
As you search for your first or tenth selling job, consider B2C. Because most things sold to consumers have smaller price tags — except homes and cars — the pay is also lower. However, learning to deal with the public at the retail level can help you develop skills to represent larger-ticket items.
As you've learned more about sales and yourself in this book and your experiences, consider whether selling B2C best fits your needs and goals. For the majority of salespeople, it does.
In most situations, B2B sales offers greater income opportunities than B2C. For this reason, many people start their careers selling to businesses. This is especially true for those who have specialized knowledge needed to make the sale. Trained engineers become sales engineers. Medical students take up pharmaceutical sales. These and similar jobs are only partially about selling; the other part is about knowledge.
Not all B2B sellers represent products. Some sell services. For example, you may discover that your forte is offering accounting services to small businesses or becoming a business broker. Consider your own interests, goals, and training as you choose between B2B and B2C, and between products and services. Your objective is to get a great sales job, one that fits you.
Once you've decided on the field and type of sales job, where should you start your search? Look around your current employment to determine what selling opportunities are available. Look also in your neighborhood, your community, within your network of friends and acquaintances. It's easier to start a new career where you have some familiarity. If you frequent a local hobby shop, a bookstore, a large retailer, or other sales outlet, consider whether you can meet your goals working there.
If you have specialized training, consider how you can put it to work. Maybe you have automotive repair experience or have worked in construction. Your degree may be in architecture or computer science. Use this training as credentials for your sales career. Selling requires knowledge.
Think about the products and services that you are most familiar with to identify sales employment opportunities. Look in your own community, but also look at products and services that are sold from your community to buyers in other areas. A local manufacturer may be your next employer. Now that you understand sales, consider the wide variety of markets for your selling skills.
Once you've decided what selling job would be right for you, begin the transition toward it. For some, the move is simply to prepare a resume. For others, additional training or experience is required.
Maybe your career goal is to become a business broker, selling businesses to new owners. You can start from a variety of positions. You can begin working in retail and develop management skills and experience to better understand how businesses actually work. You can return to college and develop your business and accounting training to help analyze financial statements for business owners and buyers. You can apprentice to a successful business broker, learning the skills and technical information needed to represent sales. Or you may opt to become a licensed residential real estate agent and eventually transition into selling commercial real estate and businesses. You have many career paths toward an identified goal.
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