Marketing Careers

There are more opportunities in sales than in any other area of marketing. Sales positions vary greatly among companies. Some selling positions focus on providing information, while others emphasize locating potential customers, closing the sale or maintaining ongoing customer satisfaction. Compensation may consist of salary only or salary plus commission, setting few limits on the amount of money a person can make and offering great potential.

Professional selling requires training and experience. You must know yourself, your product(s), your customer(s) and your market(s). If you have a good understanding of people and enjoy working independently, sales will offer you many options. While many plan a career in sales, others will use sales as a stepping stone in their progress toward management. Management positions often require an advanced degree (MBA, M.S.). The NIU Professional Sales Program is mostly focused on B2B sales but B2C opportunities are also available and can be very lucrative.  Jobs can be either inside or outside sales, depending on the company and industry.

Retail is one of the fastest growing, most dynamic parts of the world economy. Careers in retail are people oriented, fast paced and exciting. Retailing is worth taking a good look at, particularly if you're interested in a service-oriented, entrepreneurial profession. Retail careers require many skills. Retail personnel select and order merchandise and may manage the sales force and other personnel. They are responsible for promotional activities, inventory control, store security and accounting. Large retail stores have a variety of positions, including store or department manager, buyer, display designer and catalog manager.

Market researchers figure out why, when, how often, and where people (who) buy certain products and services and help determine which will best serve customer needs.  Market researchers combine quantitative and qualitative data with their understanding of how markets work. They use tools such as statistical analysis packages, surveys, focus groups and new product tests to help achieve success for a product. Working as a market researcher is both interesting and potentially lucrative. The field is booming, and with ever-improving data from places such as scanners, cell phones, social media and the internet there is no doubt that this field has a bright future.

Marketing research requires knowledge of statistics, psychology, communication, and data processing and analysis. A large supplier firm such as the Nielsen company will hire entry-level employees in two primary areas, statistical analysis and client services. A postgraduate degree (MBA, M.S.) is a prerequisite for most corporate researchers at major companies (and, yes, grades are important!).

Product (brand) managers coordinate the activities required to market a product. Thus, they need to have general knowledge of all aspects of marketing. The range of a product (brand) manager's function varies from company to company according to the profit importance of the individual brand and the size of the company. Product managers are responsible for the successes and failures of a product and are compensated well for this responsibility.

The level of experience needed for a brand manager position is usually three to five years as a marketing assistant and/or assistant product manager. The most common route to a starting position in a brand group is via a sales or communications/advertising background. Most product (brand) manager positions will also require a postgraduate degree (MBA, M.S.).

Many organizations employ advertising specialists. Advertising agencies are the largest employers; however, manufacturers, retailers, banks, hospitals, insurance agencies, and radio and television stations all have advertising departments. Because the industry is so competitive, it's very difficult to enter. Compensation for entry-level positions in advertising is generally lower than other entry-level positions but increases substantially as one moves into management. In addition to experience, account manager positions will generally require an MBA degree.