Sales Rep Certification: 5 Credentials to Maximize Your Career Potential

Sales representatives are responsible for encouraging prospective buyers to purchase a product or a service. As a sales rep, you may complete your tasks by reaching out to consumers via different forms of communication, such as phone, email, or social media. By earning your sales rep certification, you can enhance your sales skills and expand your understanding of how to be successful in the sales industry.

Explore five sales rep certifications, how to earn them, and how they may help you advance in your sales career.

Understanding sales rep certification

Sales rep certifications aim to prepare you for a successful career in sales. Each sales representative certification has different requirements, prices, and specific areas of knowledge it covers. To discover which sales rep certification is right for you, consider exploring each certification’s modules and course overview in more depth.

Benefits of being a certified sales rep

With a sales rep certification, you may qualify for more sales roles, earn a higher salary, and gain more knowledge of the sales industry. Some of the skills you may gain by completing a sales rep certification program include:

• Product knowledge: When selling a product or service to someone else, it’s important that you can answer any questions that come your way. Customers may be less likely to express interest in your product if you seem unsure or have limited information regarding what you’re selling, so ensuring you know what you’re talking about helps you act as a resource to clients.

• Communication: One of the biggest assets of a career in sales is strong, effective communication skills. Knowing how to talk to customers and get them to respond to what you’re selling is crucial in meeting your sales quotas. Forming meaningful, empathetic connections with customers ensures that they trust you and what you’re selling.

• Customer relationship management (CRM) software: As a sales professional, you must have knowledge of CRM software for analyzing customer data and tracking your sales performance. Certifications may be a great way to expand your knowledge of CRM software and continue to grow as a sales rep.

• Time management: As you look to meet specific sales quotas in a timely manner, you must be able to manage your time wisely as a sales professional. This may include focusing on tasks that will help you meet your goals and spending time pitching customers who seem to take more interest in your product or service.

5 sales rep certifications

You can explore a sales rep certification as an entry-level or experienced sales professional. Discover your certification options to determine which program may be the best fit for you and your career.

1. Certified Professional Sales Person (CPSP)

Requirements: No prerequisites. To earn this certification, you must complete all modules and pass the final exam with a score of 80 percent or higher.

Cost: $795 [1]

The Certified Professional Sales Person (CPSP) certification, offered by the National Association of Sales Professionals, aims to help you increase your sales performance as a sales representative. The six-week course is designed to help you reach your sales goals faster and enhance your skills for closing sales.

2. Certified Sales Executive

Requirements: No prerequisites. To earn this certification, you must complete the three modules and pass the final examination.

Cost: $1,139.70 total for certification (includes courses, book, and exam fee), plus $95/year to renew (free for Executive members) [2]

The Certified Sales Executive certification, offered by Sales and Marketing Executives International, Inc. (SMEI), takes you through three modules as you embark on advancing in your sales career. If your goals include learning how to be a leader in sales and advancing to senior-level sales positions, this certification may be a good fit for you.

3. Salesforce Certified Sales Representative

Requirements: Six months to three years of sales experience. To earn this certification, you must score 70 percent or higher on the exam.

Cost: $200+ [3]

The Salesforce Certified Sales Representative certification encourages sales professionals to strengthen their skills and connect with customers through developing trusted relationships. This certification course explores methods and strategies for better communicating and connecting with clients.

4. Customer Service and Sales Certified Specialist

Requirements: No prerequisites. At the end of the self-paced course, students complete an exam to demonstrate their knowledge.

Cost: The exam starts at $55, courses at $65, and bundles at $115 [4]

The Customer Service and Sales Certified Specialist certification, offered by the NRF Foundation, focuses on skills-building to help you advance in your retail and sales career. Designed to help you understand customers on a more personal level, this certification focuses on problem-solving techniques and strategies for closing sales and communicating with clientele.

5. Sales Management Certification

Requirements: This certification is exclusively for professional sales managers.

Cost: $2,895 (non-members), $2,595 for American Management Association (AMA) members, $2,478 for government service agencies (GSA) [5]

The Sales Management certificate program, offered by the American Management Association (AMA), prepares recently appointed sales managers for success by exploring techniques for strengthening communication, interviewing new hires, and leading a team of sales professionals.

Career opportunities with sales rep certification

With a sales representative credential, you could advance to roles like sales manager, a career that has a projected employment growth rate of 6 percent between 2023 and 2033, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics [6]. Sales representative roles have an expected growth rate of 1 percent over the next decade, which translates to 149,900 openings each year [7].

Explore potential roles to pursue once you’ve completed your sales rep certification:

Sales representative

Average annual US salary (Glassdoor): $66,891 [8]

Requirements: High school diploma or bachelor’s degree, depending on the position

As a sales representative, your role involves encouraging consumers to purchase products or services. You may connect with consumers who already have an interest in what your company offers or engage in cold calling, in which you try to persuade unfamiliar individuals to purchase your product or service. In this role, you often need to meet a quota of sales each month or quarter.

Sales manager

Average annual US salary (Glassdoor): $76,695 [9]

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree

Sales managers lead a sales team and help encourage their team to increase their sales performance. In this role, your tasks may include finding new clients, leading your team by communicating effectively and often, and training new hires.

Sales executive

Average annual US salary (Glassdoor): $84,440 [10]

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree and sales experience

As a sales executive, you are a goal-oriented leader. Your responsibilities include hiring new sales team members and helping them reach their sales goals. Your team members may look to you for guidance and advice as they embark on their sales careers.

Getting started as a sales rep with Coursera

To advance from entry-level sales rep roles to managerial positions, consider earning a sales rep certification. 

Enhance your sales skills by pursuing Professional Certificates and courses available on Coursera, such as the Salesforce Sales Operations Professional Certificate, designed to help you strengthen your sales development and general sales skills.