If someone asks how many sellers exist in Spain, finding a precise answer isn’t straightforward. A reasonable starting point is the country’s population from the latest census, which stands at 48,345,223. Building a serious career in sales is a choice grounded in professional commitment. It demands formal training, ongoing learning, and a specific set of skills that set successful salespeople apart.
Trade Day will be celebrated on October 1, and Adecco Group, a global leader in human resources and expert on this profile, is presenting an initiative called Sales House.
Through this community, Adecco Group aims to ensure the profession receives proper recognition and to address the country’s trade skill gaps by creating a Sales House site. This hub will offer content created by and for salespeople, covering good and bad practices, practical advice, development paths, training options, and tips. It is a place where sales professionals can feel at home.
To better understand the sales profile, Adecco Group conducted a survey of 10,000 professionals focusing on key aspects such as professional recognition, the nature of the profession, essential skills, and the benefits of a sales career.
Work on this project is credited to Shutterstock in related materials.
Value the sales profession
When asked about professional recognition, only 23 percent of those working in sales feel the role receives the recognition it deserves, whether a lot or enough. A substantial 77 percent believe the profession lacks the prestige it should have and suffers from limited acknowledgement. This gap helps explain why there are many open commercial roles, despite sales being one of the most in-demand fields in the Spanish labor market.
Another striking finding from the survey shows that 22 percent of sales workers view their decision to pursue this field as vocational. By vocational, the respondents mean that their exposure to business, sales, and negotiation happened early, even before entering the profession. They feel a strong natural affinity for the work.
The remaining respondents fall into two main groups: 41 percent say they entered sales after exploring other roles, seeking a dynamic, exciting field with growth potential; nearly 30 percent report pursuing sales for personal gain or the opportunity to secure great deals. They are drawn by the development, career paths, and possibilities the sales world offers.
Because of this, while it may not be the top option for many, sales remains a viable path worth considering after testing the waters and weighing the development opportunities and future prospects. It is a fascinating profession that reinforces the idea that advertising is built, not born.
Related visual content supports this narrative from Shutterstock.
The importance of soft skills
The sales field is a professional track where formal education, while helpful, is not always essential. About 60 percent do not hold a university degree, while 40 percent do. Most respondents have completed vocational or similar training, across various disciplines. The overall profile shows strong adaptability, with true value lying in practical skills.
Consensus exists on the core competencies for this role. Two out of three salespeople highlight communication and empathy as essential tools. While less unanimous, goal orientation and planning are also critical for a successful sales career.
With communication and empathy at the forefront, professionals focus on serving clients effectively. Nearly 70 percent say that dealing with customers is the best part of the job. Learning, sharing knowledge, providing solutions, and acting as a reliable partner for customers often drives motivation for those who dedicate themselves to sales each day.
Returning to the opening question, the profession still does not carry the prestige of some others, which underscores its importance. Only 46 percent of survey respondents view sales as their ultimate profession. The remaining 54 percent anticipate transitioning to other roles eventually, contributing to talent rotation and increasing the demand for recruitment and training. For companies, the challenge is to protect this valuable sales talent.
For readers seeking a deeper understanding of the Sales House initiative, Adecco Group has published a study that comprehensively examines the sales profession — from the current profile, to the past and future of sales, to common myths surrounding the field. [Citation: Adecco Group study on the sales profession]