Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations
Focuses on the general process and techniques of direct wholesale and retail buying and selling operations and introduces individuals to related careers. Covers the principles of entrepreneurial economics, basic sales skills, the distribution channels for goods and services, and supervised practical application experiences.
Inside the major
Programs within this field
Colleges may offer this field under 5 more specific program names. The program you choose affects the courses you take.
- Sales, Distribution, and Marketing Operations, General
- Focuses on the general process and techniques of direct wholesale and retail buying and selling operations and introduces individuals to related careers. Covers the principles of entrepreneurial economics, basic sales skills, the distribution channels for goods and services, and supervised practical application experiences.
- Merchandising and Buying Operations
- Prepares you to function as professional buyers of resale products and product lines for stores, chains, and other retail enterprises. Covers product evaluation, merchandising, applicable aspects of brand and consumer research, principles of purchasing, and negotiation skills.
- Retailing and Retail Operations
- Prepares you to perform operations associated with retail sales in a variety of settings. Covers over-the-counter and other direct sales operations in business settings, basic bookkeeping principles, customer service, team/staff leadership and supervision, floor management, and applicable technical skills.
- Selling Skills and Sales Operations
- Prepares you to possess the skills associated with direct promotion of products and services to potential customers and to function as independent sales representatives and managers. Covers consumer psychology, image projection, public speaking and interpersonal communications, sales organization and operations, customer relations, professional standards and ethics, and applicable technical skills.
- General Merchandising, Sales, and Related Marketing Operations, Other
- Merchandising, sales, and related marketing operations not listed above.
Where it can lead
Careers this field can lead to
Explore related careers, starting with the closest connections and the occupations hiring the most people.
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers
- Median pay
- $48,520
- Hiring change through 2035
- −3.7%
- Job openings a year
- 113,500
To get hiredHigh school diploma or equivalent
Explore this career Growing with the economySales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
- Median pay
- $69,990
- Hiring change through 2035
- 2.7%
- Job openings a year
- 115,700
To get hiredHigh school diploma or equivalent
Explore this career ShrinkingSales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products
- Median pay
- $72,080
- Hiring change through 2035
- −0.9%
- Job openings a year
- 99,800
To get hiredHigh school diploma or equivalent
Explore this career Growing slowlyFirst-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers
- Median pay
- $87,520
- Hiring change through 2035
- 0.5%
- Job openings a year
- 21,700
To get hiredHigh school diploma or equivalent
Explore this career Growing with the economyParts Salespersons
- Median pay
- $38,630
- Hiring change through 2035
- 3.0%
- Job openings a year
- 30,000
To get hiredNo formal educational credential
Explore this career Growing slowlySales and Related Workers, All Other
- Median pay
- $48,280
- Hiring change through 2035
- 1.1%
- Job openings a year
- 13,100
To get hiredHigh school diploma or equivalent
Explore this career Growing slowlySales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products
- Median pay
- $104,920
- Hiring change through 2035
- 1.2%
- Job openings a year
- 23,600
To get hiredBachelor's degree
Explore this career Growing slowlyDemonstrators and Product Promoters
- Median pay
- $39,320
- Hiring change through 2035
- 0.2%
- Job openings a year
- 11,400
To get hiredNo formal educational credential
Explore this career ShrinkingAdvertising Sales Agents
- Median pay
- $64,820
- Hiring change through 2035
- −7.2%
- Job openings a year
- 7,800
To get hiredHigh school diploma or equivalent
Explore this career GrowingBusiness Teachers, Postsecondary
- Median pay
- $99,080
- Hiring change through 2035
- 5.9%
- Job openings a year
- 7,600
To get hiredDoctoral or professional degree
Explore this career Growing slowlyTravel Agents
- Median pay
- $50,160
- Hiring change through 2035
- 0.2%
- Job openings a year
- 5,900
To get hiredHigh school diploma or equivalent
Explore this careerAll work is projected to grow 3.5% between 2025 and 2035; read every hiring-change figure against it. The figures beside each career are the pay of that work, across everyone doing it. Graduates of this field earn $49,591 one year after completing the program, which is the start of a career rather than the shape of one.
Working style
How and where the work happens
Related careers can feel very different from one another. Compare the specific occupations to understand the work each one involves.
Few of the careers connected to this field are measured as substantially in-person or active work. Compare the specific occupations to see how much time each one involves with people, equipment, and movement.
College options
Where to study it
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