1. Check whether your personality fits sales
Successful salespeople share some common traits: they’re competitive, resilient, hard-working and confident. Think honestly about whether your personality is the right fit. You will be working under pressure and towards targets every month or quarter.
2. Set your goals
Think about what you want to achieve in your career and personal life. Sales is a money-driven environment, and big plans can motivate you daily. If you’re happy with just a basic salary, it will be hard to hit those targets.
3. Choose the right industry for your sales career in Germany
Sales can look very different from one industry to the next: software sales, hardware sales, recruitment and so on. It also helps a lot if you believe in the product you’re selling. Software is a popular starting point, and Germany’s SaaS companies regularly hire junior sales staff. You can see the kinds of positions we work on under Roles We Recruit For.
4. Find the right boss
Especially in the early stages, your manager will tell you where to focus your time and help you reach your goals. A good sales leader gets the best out of you and helps you grow, so ask about the team lead during your interviews.
5. Know what to expect from a sales job in Germany
A few things are specific to building a sales career in Germany:
Language. Most roles selling to customers in the DACH region require fluent German. English-only sales roles exist, mainly in international teams, but there are fewer.
Contracts. New employees usually start with a probation period (Probezeit) of up to six months, and notice periods in sales roles are often longer than the legal minimum. Factor this in when planning a move.
Compensation. Sales packages are typically split into a base salary and a variable bonus tied to your targets, together known as OTE (on-target earnings).
Work permits. If you’re coming from outside the EU, check the visa and permit options on the German government’s official portal, Make it in Germany.
6. Land your first sales job in Germany
Most people start their sales career in an inside sales, SDR or BDR role focused on generating leads. It’s a “learning to walk before you can run” approach, and people who do well here often become strong Account Executives later on. You learn work ethic and how to succeed in a target-driven environment. Most of the successful salespeople I know started in a role like this.
When you’re in that job, give it your all
Learn from the top performers and work hard. If you don’t want any regrets, make sure you at least gave it your best.
And you’re not alone. At TechSalesNetz we help candidates find the right sales job in Germany and guide them through the interview process. Submit your application and we’ll match your profile to our live vacancies, or speak to a consultant directly.
