Online Sales Degree Programs and Retail Management Degrees

The field of sales focuses on the legal contract an exchange of goods and services exchanged from seller (or vendor) to buyer (or purchaser) for an agreed value and price. A sales degree prepares students to develop these skills. Sales degree programs tend to offer courses and training in communication, sales techniques, marketing, quality management, psychology, business law and business ethics, and developing sales plans. A sales and marketing degree can lead to various careers in sales including sales representative, retail sales associate, customer service representative and other sales and marketing careers. Marketing and sales is both an art and science. Hence, those professionals with talent and training in sales and marketing are sought after by employers.

Online Sales Degree Programs and Retail Management Degrees

• Bachelor's - Business Administration - Sales and Marketing

Capella University - Online

• BS - Retail Management

University of Phoenix

• BS in Business/Retail Management
• BS in Communication/Marketing and Sales Communication
• BS in Business/Small Business Management & Entrepreneurship

Jones International University

• BABC in Sales and Marketing
• BBA in Sales and Marketing Management

Art Institute Online and The Art Institutes

• Fashion and Retail Management

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Sales Education and Training

Some courses in an online sales degree or sales and retail management degree are sales techniques, communications, marketing, psychology, consumer behavior, business law, business ethics, creating sales plans, and quality management. Sales and retail management courses include:

• Sales Management Environment
• Sales Accounts Management
• Principles of Retailing
• Sales Techniques
• Principles of Advertising
• Internet Business Models
• E-Commerce

Sales and retail management degrees are related to marketing and additional courses that are often required are accounting, marketing, and management. Other sales master courses may include Introduction to Sales and Marketing, Accounting Essentials, Management Techniques, Personal Communications, and Organizational Behavior.

Sales Careers

Careers in sales have the potential to bring in a good income, especially those based on commissions. The skills needed are people skills, communication skills and the confidence to sell. Merchandising and retail sales jobs require you to collect money, open and close cash registers, make deposits, take inventory, stock shelves, and prepare shop displays.

As a manager with a sales masters degree you would also be responsible for supervising, ordering merchandise, and overseeing books. In many sales jobs, employees earn a base salary in addition to commission based on the sales made. Often the commission is a percentage of the sale. Sales can either be in products or services. A sales career requires one to have good sales techniques, people skills, confidence, techniques, and product or service knowledge.

Some careers in sales, for those with an online sales degree, are Advertising Sales Agents, Cashiers, Financial Services Sales Agents, Insurance Sales Agents, Product Promoters, Models, Real Estate Brokers and Sales Agents, Retail Sales Representatives, Sales Engineers, Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives, Securities and Commodities Sales Agents, and Travel Agents.

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that the demand for retail sales jobs to grow by 12% by 2016. Career growth for supervisors should grow by 7%. The employment of advertising sales agents is also expected to increase by 7% between 2008 and 2018.

The median annual income, including commissions, for advertising sales agents was $43,480 in 2008. The middle 50% earned between $30,750 and $64,320 annually. The lowest 10% made below $22,620 while the highest 10% earned over $93,600.

Those working in industries such as automobile and car parts, and building materials have in the past been amongst the highest earners. Supervisors in retail earn around $35,000 while general and operations managers make about $104,000 a year. Purchasing managers make close to $82,000 annually. Thus campus and online sales degree programs may be a consideration for professions with 'people skills'.