Tech sales is one of the highest-paying, fastest-growing career paths in 2026. Companies are hiring globally for BD & Sales roles, especially junior positions (internships and graduate programs). With the AI boom and shift to SaaS business models, demand for sales talent has never been higher — and most roles offer remote/hybrid flexibility, equity compensation, and rapid career progression.

Key Subsectors:

• SaaS & Cloud: Salesforce, HubSpot, Snowflake, ServiceNow
• AI/ML: OpenAI, Anthropic, Scale AI, Databricks
• FinTech: Stripe, Revolut, Adyen, Klarna
• HealthTech: Doctolib, Teladoc, Oscar Health
• Cybersecurity: CrowdStrike, Palo Alto Networks, Okta

💡 Pro Tip: Use the product before you apply. Most SaaS companies offer free trials — sign up, explore, and reference your hands-on experience in your application. Connect with tech sales professionals on LinkedIn (IE alumni are especially helpful). Check out the careers pages below and use search filters (keywords: business development, sales, graduate, SDR, BDR).

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & SALES IN THE FINANCIAL SECTOR

Finance sales is about building trusted relationships to help clients achieve their financial goals: whether managing wealth, executing trades, or accessing capital. This sector offers high compensation, prestige, and long-term client relationships. In 2026, the FinTech boom has created a bridge between traditional finance and tech-style selling, opening new pathways for early-career professionals.

Financial sales roles require deep product knowledge, regulatory awareness, and exceptional relationship-building skills. Clients range from high-net-worth individuals to large corporations, and sales cycles can span months or even years, but the deal sizes and commissions reflect that investment.

Some subsectors in Finance to consider if interested in Sales & Business Development roles:

Breaking Into Finance Sales

Networking is everything. Many finance sales roles are filled through referrals rather than open applications. Start early:

• Attend finance conferences and IE Finance Club events
• Reach out to IE alumni working in the sector — they're often willing to help
• Consider certifications that demonstrate commitment: Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC), CFA Level 1, or Series 7 (for U.S. roles)
• For FinTech, use the products you want to sell — sign up for Revolut, explore Stripe's documentation, test Ramp's platform
• Finance sales is meritocratic once you're in — but getting in requires intentional networking and credential-building.

Check out the careers pages of the companies listed above, filtering by: business development, sales, graduate program, analyst, relationship manager, wealth advisor.

Industrial sales offers high-value B2B opportunities with long-term client relationships and substantial deal sizes. These roles combine technical product knowledge with relationship management, making them ideal for students with STEM backgrounds or strong curiosity about how things work. In 2026, traditional industrial sectors are undergoing digital transformation (IoT, AI-driven manufacturing, Industry 4.0), creating new opportunities for tech-savvy sales professionals.

Sales cycles are typically longer (3–12 months), deals are larger, and the focus is on consultative selling to technical stakeholders (engineers, procurement managers, plant directors). Roles often include travel and face-to-face relationship building.

Breaking Into Industrial Sales

Technical background helps but isn't required. What matters most: curiosity about how things work, ability to quickly learn complex products, and strong relationship-building skills. Many companies offer extensive training programs on technical product knowledge.

Focus on demonstrating:

• Problem-solving mindset
• Comfort with B2B sales cycles
• Interest in the specific industry (follow industry news, attend trade shows, connect with professionals)

Check out the careers pages of the companies listed above, filtering by: business development, sales, graduate program, key account manager, commercial manager, technical sales.

Business Development & Sales in FMCG

FMCG sales offers the opportunity to work with iconic, household-name brands that millions of people use every day. It's a fast-paced, competitive environment with clear career progression and strong graduate programs from companies like Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and L'Oréal. In 2026, the sector is evolving rapidly with e-commerce, direct-to-consumer brands, and retail media networks creating new sales channels beyond traditional retail.

What FMCG Sales Look Like

FMCG sales roles are B2B — you're selling to retailers, distributors, and wholesalers (not directly to end consumers). Here are the main functions:

• Field Sales / Territory Management: Visit retail stores (supermarkets, pharmacies, convenience stores) to manage stock levels, build relationships with store managers, secure shelf space, and execute merchandising plans. Entry-level roles often start here.Key Account Management (KAM): Manage relationships with major retail chains (Carrefour, Tesco, Walmart, Amazon) — negotiate pricing, promotions, shelf placement, and annual contracts. High-stakes, strategic role.Trade Marketing: Support retail partners with point-of-sale materials, in-store promotions, merchandising strategies, and shopper insights. Bridge between marketing and sales.
• Key Account Management (KAM): Manage relationships with major retail chains (Carrefour, Tesco, Walmart, Amazon) — negotiate pricing, promotions, shelf placement, and annual contracts. High-stakes, strategic role.Trade Marketing: Support retail partners with point-of-sale materials, in-store promotions, merchandising strategies, and shopper insights. Bridge between marketing and sales.
• Trade Marketing: Support retail partners with point-of-sale materials, in-store promotions, merchandising strategies, and shopper insights. Bridge between marketing and sales.

Key Trends for 2026

• E-commerce as a major retail channel: Amazon, Instacart, and online grocery are now major accounts requiring digital Key Account Management skills — you're still doing B2B sales, just to online retailers
  Direct-to-Consumer (D2C): Brands like Glossier, Warby Parker, and subscription services bypass traditional retail entirely, creating partnerships and growth roles rather than traditional sales
  Retail media networks: Brands buy advertising on retailer websites (Amazon Ads, Walmart Connect), creating new commercial opportunities
• Direct-to-Consumer (D2C): Brands like Glossier, Warby Parker, and subscription services bypass traditional retail entirely, creating partnerships and growth roles rather than traditional sales
  Retail media networks: Brands buy advertising on retailer websites (Amazon Ads, Walmart Connect), creating new commercial opportunities
• Retail media networks: Brands buy advertising on retailer websites (Amazon Ads, Walmart Connect), creating new commercial opportunities

  🏢 Key Subsectors & Top Companies

  Core FMCG categories and major players

  🍔

  Food & Beverage

  • Nestlé
  • Coca-Cola
  • PepsiCo
  • Danone
  • Mondelez

  💄

  Personal Care & Beauty

  • L'Oréal
  • Unilever
  • Procter & Gamble
  • Estée Lauder
  • Henkel

  🧼

  Household Care

  • Procter & Gamble
  • Unilever
  • Reckitt Benckiser
  • SC Johnson
  • Henkel

  💊

  Health & Wellness

  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Bayer
  • GSK
  • Reckitt
  • Haleon

  🍼

  Baby & Childcare

  • P&G (Pampers)
  • Kimberly-Clark
  • Nestlé (Gerber)
  • Danone (Aptamil)

  📊 Career Progression in FMCG

  Steady, meritocratic growth in consumer goods

  Entry Points

  Graduate Programs

  Rotational schemes with structured training and mentorship

  Internal Sales Roles

  Direct entry into field sales or trade marketing positions

  Typical Career Path

  Field Sales Representative

  →

  Key Account Manager

  →

  Sales Director / Head of Sales

  What FMCG Rewards

  Performance, commercial instinct, and relationship-building skills drive advancement in this sector.

Breaking Into FCMG Sector

Hands-on retail experience matters. Many successful FMCG sales professionals start with field sales internships, merchandising roles, or even part-time retail work during university. FMCG companies value energy, resilience, and commercial awareness — often more than academic credentials.

Consider applying to graduate programs early (applications often open 12+ months before start dates). Companies like P&G, Unilever, and L'Oréal have highly competitive rotational programs with structured training. Many IE students have successfully entered FMCG through these programs — check out Ana Ibarra's journey towards a Sales Graduate Program for a real example.

Check out the careers pages of the companies listed above, filtering by: business development, sales, graduate program, field sales, key account manager, trade marketing.

PRACTICAL ACTIVITY I - GET TO KNOW THE MARKET

Now that you have learned more about the job role of Business Development & Sales, make a list of the Top 10 companies you would like to work at. This is the minimum number of companies you should have under your radar, as getting a job is a job itself and you need to really work on it to get the best opportunity!

To do so:

• Check out the company website to get some insights on how their business works
• Chek out their LinkedIn page and start following them
• Speak with at least 3 Alumni working in your area(s) of interest.

For all the companies on your list, identify the following:

• The subsector they belong to
• Two potential roles you would like to apply to: search in the IE Career Portal, Company Web Page, JobTeaser, and LinkedIn.
  Tip for LinkedIn: save your searches in order to receive notifications for new openings!
• One industry trend applied by the company (this will be super helpful when preparing for the application process)
• Research the interview feedback for your target companies, via Glassdoor or Wikijob.

Once you have the target list, expand your research. You can download this spreadsheet and fill it out! This will help you get started on your internship/job search and start preparing for the application process, by tracking all the opportunities you are going to apply for.

DESIRED STUDENT PROFILE

🌟Good news: You don't need prior sales experience or a specific personality type to succeed in BD & Sales. What matters most is curiosity, resilience, strong communication skills, and a willingness to learn. Sales is one of the most meritocratic fields — your performance and potential matter deeply. Companies hire for attitude and aptitude, then train for skills.

Your IE education provides a strong commercial foundation — now it's about developing the specific capabilities that drive revenue.

CORE SKILLS FOR SUCCESS

HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR OWN SKILLS

• Commercial Skills: Participate in sales simulations, take negotiation courses (LinkedIn Learning, Coursera), read foundational sales books like The Challenger Sale or SPIN Selling.
• Interpersonal Skills: Join IE clubs, practice public speaking (Toastmasters, class presentations), conduct informational interviews with professionals in your target industry.
• Technical Skills: Get free certifications (HubSpot Academy, Salesforce Trailhead), experiment with CRM demos, explore AI tools like ChatGPT for sales use cases, practice video messaging with tools like Loom.
• Mindset: Set personal stretch goals, track your progress, seek feedback early and often, reflect on failures as learning opportunities.

WHAT YOU DON'T NEED

• A business degree — Any major works. Tech, humanities, science backgrounds are all valued.
  To be an extrovert — Many top salespeople are introverts who excel at deep listening and thoughtful questioning.
  Prior sales experience — Most companies have structured training programs and expect to develop you from scratch.
• To be an extrovert — Many top salespeople are introverts who excel at deep listening and thoughtful questioning.
  Prior sales experience — Most companies have structured training programs and expect to develop you from scratch.
• Prior sales experience — Most companies have structured training programs and expect to develop you from scratch.

WHAT COMPANIES ACTUALLY LOOK FOR

When hiring for BD & Sales roles, recruiters prioritize:

• Coachability — Willing to learn, adapt, and take feedback
• Curiosity — Asks great questions and genuinely wants to understand the customer
• Resilience — Bounces back from rejection without losing motivation
• Clear Communication — Articulates ideas concisely and compellingly
• Results Orientation — Driven by goals, metrics, and measurable outcomes
• Customer Obsession — Focused on solving customer problems, not just hitting quota

Remember: Sales is a learnable skill set. The best salespeople aren't born — they're developed through practice, coaching, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

PRACTICAL ACTIVITY II - CV CUSTOMIZATION

This is the moment to apply the knowledge acquired in the previous sections and boost your applications!

1. Tailor your CV using the keywords and key insights from the previous sections. Use the IE CV Template as your base. You can introduce the keywords mainly in the professional summary, although you can use the following sections as well: "Relevant Subjects", "Thesis Project", "Relevant Experience" and "Extracurricular Activities".
2. Review the description of your experiences mentioned in your CV. Make sure you rephrase them using keywords from the specific sector of the company and from the job description.
3. Upload your CV as a one-page PDF format to the Career Portal, so you can use it for your applications. We have direct connections with lots of good companies, so don't miss out the opportunity of applying to what they publish in the portal.

STEPS OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Application is usually done online, on the company’s website (check first with your Career Advisor if you can have a referral before you apply)

WHERE TO APPLY

1. Build Your LAMP List (The 2-Hour Job Search Strategy)

Based on Steve Dalton's The 2-Hour Job Search, use the LAMP method to prioritize your target companies:

LAMP = List, Alumni, Motivation, Posting

How to build your list:

• Start with a handful of dream employers (5-10 companies from the Tech, Finance, FMCG, or Industry sectors in this guide)
• Use AI to generate similar companies: Ask ChatGPT or Claude: "I'm interested in [Company X, Y, Z]. Suggest 30-35 similar companies in [sector] that hire for BD & Sales roles."
• Give feedback and refine until you have around 40 total companies
• Score each company on a spreadsheet:A (Alumni): Do they have IE alumni? (Check LinkedIn, IE Alumni Directory) — Y/N
  • A (Alumni): Do they have IE alumni? (Check LinkedIn, IE Alumni Directory) — Y/N
  • M (Motivation): How interested are you? (Rate 1-3)
  • P (Posting): Do they have relevant job postings? (Rate 1-3)

Focus your outreach on the Top 6-10 companies with the highest LAMP scores.

Why this works: AI cuts LAMP list creation from 40 minutes to 10 minutes, and scoring helps you prioritize strategically rather than applying randomly.

2. Company Careers Pages

Use the lists from the sector sections above (Tech, Finance, Industry, FMCG). Check their careers pages regularly and set up job alerts.

3. LinkedIn — Your Most Powerful Tool

• Follow target companies and engage with their content (like, comment thoughtfully)
• Connect with recruiters and sales leaders — personalize connection requests
• Set up job alerts for specific roles and companies
• Build your personal brand — Share insights, comment on industry trends, showcase your learning
• Research before applying — See who works there, what they post about, what the company culture is like

4. Graduate Programs

Structured 1-2 year programs with rotations, training, and fast-tracked progression. Top programs: P&G, Unilever, L'Oréal (FMCG), Google, Salesforce (Tech), Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley (Finance). Apply 12-18 months before start date — deadlines often fall in October-December. Find them on company careers pages or sites like graduatejobs.com.

5. Referral Programs

Many companies (especially in Tech and Finance) have referral programs that reward employees for recommending candidates. Reach out to IE Alumni working at your target companies for insights and potential referrals. Important: Apply through official channels first unless the company explicitly encourages referrals before application.

6. IE Career Portal

Upload your CV and apply to opportunities posted by T&C. IE has direct relationships with many companies, giving you an advantage.

WHERE TO APPLY

GRADUATE PROGRAMS
A fast-tracked 1-2 or even 3-year career pathway for a specific organization or industry. Usually, you are offered industry-specific training, professional development, and networking opportunities.

Many graduate programs also offer the opportunity to perform multiple roles in an organization on a rotating basis, giving you more exposure to a range of different jobs within your chosen field. These programs usually start in September, and the application process can be started up to one year beforehand. For example, Graduate Jobs & Schemes.

Remember about Resources from Talent & Careers:

• Talent Forum and other specific recruiting events organized virtually or on-campus.
• Talent & Careers Weekly Newsletter: E-mail sent by Talent & Careers every week (events, competitions, internship opportunities, graduate programs etc.).
• Career Portal: Talent & Careers’ job platform where you upload your CV and apply to opportunities.

Make sure to check all Talent & Careers communications in order to see more options how to gain experience.

WHAT ABOUT INTERNSHIPS IN SALES AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT?

Carrying out an internship in order to gain more experience in this area will be a plus. It can be an internship in sales, customer services, public relations, business development, or other related areas.

You can start applying to internships as soon as your first year of studies (but remember to check the calendar of Internship Periods with your Academic department first).

Take into account that companies usually offer long-term internships internships to penultimate or last-year students.

That is why it is important to gain more experience through extracurricular activities, virtual internships (like those mentioned above) or look for summer or part-time internships in smaller companies or startups during your first years of studies.

Here you have your To-Do List of actions to strengthen your professional profile:

• Join IEU Clubs, and make sure you’re active.
• Complete at least 1 virtual experience.
• Attend at least 5 sector-specific events per year/Attend the IE Talent Forum or sector-specific recruitment events.
• Network with at least a couple of IE alumni working in your sector of interest.

OTHER GUIDES:

• Client Service Managers
• Sales Engineers
• Sales Managers
• Sales Representatives