RON KARAFIN/Courier-Post Kim Jackson, regional sales manager for Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc., stands in front of the company's headquarters in Burlington Township.

By EILEEN STILWELL
Courier-Post staff

Kim Jackson always had a knack for sales even during her college days when she sold vacuum cleaners door to door.

As a career, however, she thought teaching was more appropriate for a young woman because it was less nomadic, promised predictable paychecks and was easier on her back than hauling a trunk full of samples.

But something unplanned happened between graduation from University of Northern Iowa and the classroom. The English major and Spanish minor stumbled into the sales arena once and never left.

Today, the 32-year-old Medford resident is one of three regional sales managers for Franklin Electronic Publishers Inc., her fourth sales job in a decade.

She travels about 40 percent of the year to corporate headquarters of her major clients, including Wal-Mart, Costco and Office Max, and meeting with local sales representatives between Ohio and the West Coast. The rest is spent on servicing those clients from Franklin's home office in Burlington Township and forecasting future sales needs, so Asian-made products can be on retail shelves when they're needed.

The first quarter of the year, for example, is busy placing orders with summer arrival dates in anticipation of the back-to-school rush on Franklin's electronic reference books.

Thanks to technology, her samples all hand-held electronics fit into her briefcase.

A confident, articulate woman, Jackson chose sales for the same reasons most people in the field do: Money, opportunity and a lifestyle that includes travel, expense accounts and a slam-dunk for people-loving extroverts.

Her husband sells for another company, so his lifestyle is similar. They have no children.

“Commissions and bonuses will be down for the year because of the economy and 9/11; but the work remains the same,” said Jackson. “Even when your clients are not in a position to spend money, you have to keep reminding them about your product and keeping them up to date on improvements. If you don't, the competition sure will.”

The best salespeople are not always the best schmoozers, said Jackson.

“I've seen people at the top of their game when they act like they could sell anybody anything. But if they're no good at follow-up and all the work that comes before and after the actual sale, they don't last.”

James Marino, director of Rutgers University's Career Center in Camden, said sales jobs are nearly recession proof.

“Commissions may be impacted by shifts in certain sectors of the economy, but a company's sales force is its most critical link with its consumers. Even in the worst of times, sales jobs are the last to go,” said Marino.

People with champagne tastes, he said, frequently are drawn to sales.

“If somebody tells me he or she wants to earn a lot of money and doesn't want to be stuck in an office, I'm likely to suggest sales.”

Other traits include assertiveness and good communication and time management skills because sales people frequently set their own schedules.

Even if they don't make sales their life's work, Marino said it's a fertile training ground.

“Sales is part of almost every profession. Sales people tend to move up the corporate ladder because they've learned to sell themselves. Once you learn how to do that in one environment, you can do it anywhere.”

While a college degree may not be essential for a sales job, major companies, like General Mills, Bloomberg Financial and the pharmaceutical industry, which frequently recruit at Rutgers Camden, don't target high schools.

“They can be plum jobs because the major companies offer intensive training and plenty of room for advancement,” he said.

Sales and marketing, though frequently lumped together, are not synonymous, explained Marino.

Sales is a communication between two or more parties that results in an exchange of a product or service with some form of compensation.

Marketing, on the other hand, is the strategy behind the sales that is used to heighten brand awareness.

Michael Willmann, owner of Elipsis Marketing Communication in Haddonfield, said the recession has cut deeply into corporate marketing budgets.

“The impact has not been too dramatic locally. But what I am seeing is a lot of very seasoned people from Philadelphia and New York agencies looking for jobs,” he said.

Creative talent and the ability to interact well with clients are the major qualities he looks for in a new hire.

Job experience and internships in a variety of work places are more important to him than academic credentials.

“Marketing is a very popular career. It is fun and the depth of learning isn't remarkable. That means employers have a wealth of people to choose from, so being able to fit into the creative din in an agency is what it takes,” Willmann said.