What are the best work from home sales jobs?

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 17% of U.S. employees were working from home full time. This number increased to 44% after the coronavirus outbreak because remorse work offered a solution for companies to continue operations once lockdowns and quarantine measures were enforced.
If you work in sales and want to shift from working in an office or you're on the hunt for a remote job, we've put together this guide for the best work-from-home sales jobs to help you choose what suits your needs and preferences.
In this article, you'll discover the benefits and drawbacks of working from home, the top sales jobs you can do from the comfort of your home, and the skills you need to qualify.
What exactly are work-from-home sales jobs?
Work-from-home sales jobs involve promoting and selling services or products without the extensive travel that traditional sales professionals have to do.
Your work tasks will be similar to those of a regular sales representative, but you'll have the option of performing them from home.
These tasks include making phone calls, holding video conferences, sending emails to follow up on leads, researching market opportunities, nurturing new sales clients, and collaborating with your company's marketing team.
The pros and cons of work-from-home sales jobs
Let's look at some of the benefits you'll enjoy and the setbacks you're likely to face when working from home as a sales representative.
Pros
Reduced commuting time. Most work commuters spend an average of 27.1 minutes of one-way commuting time. That translates into spending about one hour getting to and from work every day.
So you end up wasting seven hours on the road each week. Working from home allows you to spend this time more productively, such as preparing a healthy meal or getting extra sleep.
A sense of independence. Working from home as a sales representative provides access to a wide range of job opportunities regardless of your current location. You also have the freedom of choosing the kind of sales jobs you love or want to try out.
For instance, you can choose to find job opportunities as an insurance broker. If that doesn't suit your preference, you can turn to lead development or any other opportunity.
Cons
Reduced productivity. The advantage of setting your own schedule and time flexibility comes with the challenge of self-regulation. Working from home comes with its own sets of distractions.
Daytime naps, opting to spend time with family, house chores, and bingeing on a tv
series because no one is watching, lead to a dip in productivity levels.
Lack of community and teamwork. 20% of remote workers struggle with collaboration and communication. Even though video conferencing tools have helped boost communication with remote teams, there's still a sense of social isolation when working from home.
Sitting together to brainstorm ideas helps create a sense of community and not being able to create interpersonal relationships becomes a challenge.
The best work-from-home sales jobs
If you want to pursue a remote career in sales, the good news is that there are a variety of roles to do that don't need extensive travel. All you need is a computer with a reliable internet connection.
Here are the top five best work-from-home sales jobs:
1. Advertising sales agent
An advertising sales agent sells advertising space to individuals or businesses through advertising agencies, internet publishing, radio, or television.
As an advertising sales agent, you'll be:
Locating and contacting potential clients and offering advertising services
Providing estimates of the cost of advertising the client's products or services
Providing samples and available options
Preparing sales literature, media kits, sales contracts, and promotional plans
Recommending appropriate sizes and formats to a client
To become an advertising sales agent, you'll need a high school diploma for an entry-level position. Sometimes, a bachelor's degree is required. Advertising sales agents earn an average salary of $54,940 per year.
Check out our job board for current openings for advertising sales agents.
2. Financial services sales agent
A financial service agent sells a variety of financial services, including retirement income, banking services, life insurances, and mutual fund investments.
Some of the roles a financial services agent is expected to perform include:
Making sales calls to explain available services
Advising on the sale or purchase of securities to a client
Tracking financial markets and securities
Evaluating the cost and revenue of agreements
To become a financial services sales agent, you need to have a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in business administration for senior positions. Financial services sales agents usually earn a median annual wage of $64,770.
Browse for financial services sales agents roles here.
3. Travel agent
A travel agent guarantees that their clients have the best trip experience by:
Determining the best travel transport arrangements and attending to inbound calls
Organizing accommodation arrangements based on the client's needs
Providing travel packages from different resorts and cruise lines for a client
Calling airlines and rental companies to secure travel arrangements
Staying on top of weather conditions, travel advisories, and travel documentation for different destinations
Finding the best trip for business-related or personal purposes
To qualify, you'll need a high school diploma or relevant certification in the industry. The average annual pay as a travel agent is $42,350.
Check out our job board for travel agents positions.
4. Sales engineer
A sales engineer specializes in selling products or services that are scientifically and technologically advanced to businesses.
As a sales engineer, you have to show how your product or service adds value to potential customers and showcase the unique selling point over competitors.
Sales engineering tasks include:
Preparing technical presentations that explain the products or services
Collaborate with other engineers and customers to assess the viability
Collaborate with customer service teams to understand customer requirements
Modifying products to meet customer's needs and expectations
Researching and developing new products
Sales engineers require a bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field. Sales engineers typically earn a six-figure salary per year.
Browse for sales engineers job openings here.
5. Sales manager
A sales manager guides the sales team in an organization. They usually build sales plans and set sales goals and quotas.
Some of the responsibilities of a sales manager include:
Analyzing sales statistics
Overseeing local as well as regional sales
Tracking customer preferences to know where to focus sales efforts
Determining the profitability of products and services
Creating pricing plans and discount rates
Coordinating training programs for the sales team
Most sales manager jobs require a bachelor's degree and some sales representative experience. Sales managers also make a six-figure median annual wage.
Take a look at our job board for current sales manager job openings here.
What skills do you need for work-from-home sales jobs?
Product knowledge
Product knowledge is a very important tool in marketing any product to any potential customer or client. As a sales representative, you need to provide information about the different aspects of the product.
Customers are bound to ask various questions on how the product may improve their lives before they are convinced to make a purchase.
Problem-solving skills
As a sales representative, this is a vital skill. It helps you solve different challenges as they arise and helps maintain the quality of your work. Be open to new ideas and solutions as they help in curbing various situations as they arise.
Prospecting skills
Detecting a prospect is an essential skill to have as a sales representative. Early identification helps you save time finding the right leads.
Excellent prospecting skills will increase sales for the company and successfully increase company revenue.
Closing skills
Salespersons use this skill or technique when a prospect has checked most of the steps in the sales process but has not yet confirmed the sale.
Your ability to perfect closing skills will greatly impact whether you make the sale or not. The sale can only close when the deal is done and the customer has confirmed that they'll purchase the product.
Information-gathering skills
A good researcher will always find valuable information that will help in improving the company's sales and revenue. Information about competitors, market trends, current vendors, and potential customers will help make better decisions while marketing the products.
Information-gathering skills will help you qualify what type of prospect you're working with and the product they're interested in purchasing.
What tools will you need?
A computer with a reliable internet connection
Working from a home office requires reliable internet and updated computer equipment.
A reliable internet connection and computer will greatly improve the productivity of your work. You'll be able to send and respond quickly to emails and proposals of potential clients.
Headphones
Quality headphones are a must-have when you are sharing your working space with other members of your home. A comfy headset can act as a tool for noise cancellation while providing great music in your ears.
Use headsets to create a quiet space from distractions that can occur in a home. A good playlist may improve your concentration or motivation.
Ergonomic furniture
Creating a comfortable workspace should be a priority to enhance productivity and comfort. Ergonomic furniture is furniture designed to provide comfort in a working environment.
Make sure to invest in a supportive chair, desk, and other office appliances to enhance productivity and avoid future health problems.
A business phone plan
It's important to make sure your phone setup is appropriate for your needs. As a sales representative, you spend significant time pitching your ideas to a potential customer who may be a domestic or international client.
Therefore, make sure your phone plan is suitable for your needs to avoid huge bills.
Customer relationship tools
CRM software helps organizations build customer relationships and streamline company processes. You’ll need to understand any systems your company uses.
A video conferencing tool is important when working remotely as you can use it to market a product to a potential client. It gives a more personalized approach as you can interact with the client one-on-one.
Getting a work-from-home sales job
The sales industry has many lucrative opportunities if you want to work from home. All you need are the right tools and the ability to show how products or services genuinely solve a potential client's need.
As you've noticed, there are so many career options that you can do without having to travel or go to the office. Make sure to check out our article on 9 tips to ace your virtual interview to give yourself a good headstart on the job.
Are you ready to make a career out of work-from-home sales jobs? Check out our job board for sales opportunities and filter for remote-only positions.
Comments

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