Sales Analyst Job Description–Roles and Responsibilities

The role of a sales analyst is to analyze company, industry, and competitor data to identify trends, present findings, and make recommendations to increase sales for a company. You’ll find sales analysts in a range of businesses working in collaboration with marketing and supply chain teams to develop campaigns and ensure the sales pipeline at the company runs efficiently. 

Examine the sales analyst job description and learn the core responsibilities, essential skills, education, and experience you need to make a start in this career. 

Core responsibilities of a sales analyst

Sales analysts support companies to improve sales revenue-making decisions backed by data. This position includes responsibilities ranging from competitive analysis to creating forecasts and interpreting findings to working with teams to use data insights to inform sales and marketing strategies. 

The exact duties and responsibilities may vary depending on where you work, but in general, you can expect your sales analyst job description to include the following tasks:

• Analyzing internal and external sales data to find trends and patterns

• Using data to prepare sales forecasts

• Creating sales reports

• Tracking performance metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs)

• Working closely with the sales and marketing teams

• Working with stakeholders to understand sales objectives

• Monitoring pricing strategies

• Providing actionable insights for data-driven decision-making

Types of sales analysis 

Depending on your sales analyst role and the needs of the business, you’ll find three core types of sales analysis you can utilize:

Sales forecasting: Predicting future sales activity by analyzing historical data to determine and prepare for top sales periods and understand how to approach quieter times.

Sales management: Using analysis to monitor sales, ensuring they’re in line with sales targets, and optimizing performance. 

Sales reporting: Transforming sales data and presenting it to management to inform data-driven business decisions.

Essential skills for sales analysts

As a sales analyst, you need a range of both technical and workplace skills. Data analysis requires specific analytical abilities. You’ll also need skills to make you effective at working with others and communicating insights to business leaders. Examples of skills to work on include:

Technical skills

• Sales forecasting

• Statistical modeling

• Statistical software knowledge such as Excel and NetSuite

• CRM platforms

• SQL

• Presentation software such as PowerPoint and Keynote

• Sales reporting

• Data analytics 

• Data visualization

Workplace skills

• Communication 

• Collaboration

• Analytical thinking

• Time management

• Problem-solving

Sales analyst salary and job outlook

Salary expectations for sales analysts are good. According to Glassdoor, the average annual base salary is $75,210, rising to $98,881 with bonuses and additional payments [1]. Analysts, in general, are highly skilled with good career options. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), management analysts can expect a job growth increase of 11 percent between 2023 and 2033, which is much higher than average [2].

Qualifications and experience requirements

To qualify for a sales analyst role, start with a bachelor’s degree, which is generally the minimum requirement. According to Zippia, 77 percent of sales analysts have a bachelor’s degree, with a further 11 percent continuing studies to master’s degree level [3]. Consider majors in relevant subjects such as business, marketing, finance, accounting, data analysis, statistics, or computer science. 

If your degree is a business major and isn’t technical, you can supplement your degree with online courses and certifications. Technical skills are a requirement for the role, so studying for relevant certifications is an excellent way to stand out to employers. Some possible certifications to consider include:

• IIBA Entry Certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA)

• IIBA Certification in Business Data Analytics (CBDA)

• AAPM Certified Marketing Analyst (CMA)

• PMI PBA Professional in Business Analysis 

Employers typically look for candidates with two to five years of experience in a business intelligence, sales, or sales analysis roles. To build experience, consider taking an internship as part of your degree program and gaining experience in analyst entry-level roles.

Types of sales analyst roles

Sales analyst positions can be further broken down into specialist roles focusing on a particular aspect of sales. Each has distinct features that might appeal to you:

Demand planner: You’ll use analysis and forecasting to predict the demand for a product to manage supply chain inventory and operations. 

Pricing analyst: You’ll set prices for products and services by analyzing market data and trends to find a fair and competitive price point.

Sales operations analyst: You’ll support the sales and marketing team by using data analysis to improve the sales operations process.

Market research analyst: You’ll analyze data to understand customer behavior, preferences, market trends, and what makes people buy a product. 

Example sales analyst job description

A sales analyst job description will vary depending on where you work and whether your role is focusing on any specific area of sales analysis. Use this job description as a guide for a general sales analyst role:

The sales analyst will analyze sales data and research consumer trends and sales performance to provide recommendations for areas to improve sales. This role will involve the use of sales forecasting, managing progress, and presenting actionable data insights to management teams to inform decision-making. The sales analyst will have excellent communication and collaboration skills in order to work with sales teams and propose a sales strategy. They will also possess strong analytical skills with high technical proficiency and excellent data visualization skills. The ideal candidate will hold a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and have at least two years’ experience working in business or sales roles. 

Career path and growth opportunities

Sales analyst experience can help you access similar and advanced analyst positions. You may move on to the job of senior sales analyst, which may involve more complex data analysis or management of staff. You might also move into analytics positions such as business analyst or finance analyst, more specific sales analyst jobs, or management roles like marketing or sales manager. 

Take steps to become a sales analyst with Coursera

Sales analysts work with businesses to analyze sales data to optimize performance and revenue. If you would like to work in this field, a great place to start is with some online courses or professional certificates to enhance your business and analysis skills. Check out the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate or the IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate, both available on Coursera.