Graduate Careers

IT sales representative

Main tasks
IT sales representatives promote the sale of IT services and computer hardware and software. They may perform the following tasks:

• communicate with clients and potential clients to determine their business’s hardware and software needs
• promote IT products
• inform customers of product developments
• develop sales proposals and negotiate price with clients
• manage delivery of products to clients
• maintain detailed knowledge of employer’s IT products.

Key skills

• strong communication and interpersonal skills
• an outgoing and confident manner
• strong presentation skills
• perseverance and persuasiveness
• willingness to continually update product knowledge
• ability to develop and maintain relationships with clients.

Salary
According to leading recruitment specialists, the starting salary for IT sales representatives is around $35,000. The average salary across this occupation is around $100,000. Experienced IT sales representatives and those in senior and managerial positions can earn in excess of $250,000. Commission and sales bonuses, which are in addition to base salary, are very common in this profession.

Employment prospects
According to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations’ (DEEWR) Australian jobs 2008, job prospects for technical sales representatives are currently good, however unemployment is above average. Future jobs growth to 2012–13 is expected to be moderate.

Main employers
IT sales representatives typically work for IT retail and wholesale companies, and for IT service providers.

Find out more
Australian Computer Society (ACS), www.acs.org.au
Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), www.aiia.com.au

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Media sales representative

Main tasks
Media sales representatives coordinate the sale of advertising space/time within the media industries. They may perform the following tasks:

• conduct research to determine appropriate potential clients to approach
• give presentations and encourage clients to purchase advertising space/time
• explain the benefits of the particular medium and product
• maintain a detailed knowledge of the products into which the advertising space/time is sold
• negotiate advertising prices with clients
• keep accurate records of sales.

Key skills

• strong communication and interpersonal skills
• persuasiveness and patience
• a confident and outgoing manner
• ability to develop and maintain relationships with clients
• ability to meet sales targets
• numeracy.

Salary
According to leading recruitment specialists, the starting salary for media sales representatives is around $40,000. The average salary across this occupation is around $75,000. Very experienced sales representatives and those in senior positions (sales managers and directors) can earn in excess of $180,000. Commission and sales bonuses, which are in addition to base salary, are very common in this profession.

Employment prospects
According to DEEWR's Australian jobs 2007, job prospects for the category to which this occupation belongs (general sales representatives) are currently average, and unemployment is average. Future jobs growth to 2012–13 is expected to remain relatively stable.

Main employers
Media sales representatives work in the media industries for publishers of print products, and for television, radio, and online media companies.

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Graduate profile: media sales representative

Katie Larsen, 27

Qualifications: Bachelor of Arts (Journalism), Graduate Certificate (Media Sales)
Tertiary institutions: RMIT, Monash University

Position: Key Account Manager, News Limited Metropolitan Newspaper Network (NewsNet)

I manage three key accounts within NewsNet, which was established to provide one point of contact for Victorian based clients looking to plan and buy media in News Limited metropolitan and national newspapers.

I oversee their media spends, work strategically to encourage incremental spend through creative ideas, assist in contract negotiations and manage day to day issues and problems.

There is a great opportunity to work with different divisions such as marketing, magazines and online. I enjoy the daily challenges and every day is varied so I am always learning and developing in different areas of the business.

In my key account role, I am required to build strong relationships with my client’s media agencies and the clients directly. It’s a great opportunity to develop an understanding about other industries and businesses and their priorities and challenges.

It’s quite difficult to get into the industry and I would recommend anyone trying to get into media sales, to seek out anyone they know in this line of work or contact employers directly. Once you are in the industry, it is quite transient and there are usually opportunities around, particularly if you have a good reputation!

I had completed a Journalism degree, but after a lot of work experience in that field I decided it wasn’t for me. I then worked some odd jobs for a while, before finding out about the cadetship at Monash through a friend. It looked great and I was very interested, but while I knew I loved the idea of working in media, I wasn’t sure about sales. I went and got a job in telecommunication sales and enjoyed it, so applied for the cadetship and was successful.

There are times when I am fairly stressed, but essentially I try to take it all with a grain of salt. It’s a competitive, fast paced industry but you have to keep a level of perspective on what we are doing i.e. not saving lives!

Fortunately, I work with people who can have a laugh about the situations that arise and that usually takes the edge off — along with after work drinks.

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