Career Opportunities
Marketing graduates are well prepared for careers in a broad business area. The Marketing Department at UW-Whitewater is proud to count among its graduates many sales executives in leading Wisconsin and Fortune 500 companies.

These careers may include the following:

• Sales and sales management
• Retail management
• Advertising/direct marketing
• E-marketing
• Database marketing
• Product management
• Marketing research
• Marketing planning and strategy
• International marketing
• Services marketing
• Purchasing and distribution management

• Wallace Computer Systems
• Pfizer Pharmaceuticals
• Levi Strauss
• Xerox
• Wal-Mart
• Hormel Foods
• M&I Bank
• American Airlines
• Mueller Sports Marketing

Possible Paths
General Marketing
Marketing is a very broad field that can prepare students for many different careers. As students take more classes, they may become interested in specific areas within marketing, but some may choose to remain generalists, most especially if they are interested in working for small businesses or nonprofit organizations where a breadth of experience would be especially useful. A common entry-level career for a general marketing student might be a marketing analyst, someone who can look at data and determine trends and characteristics and then make decisions regarding marketing actions or strategies. Good math skills as well as the ability to think critically, write well, and communicate verbally are all important. A sampling of different areas of marketing such as sales, retailing, consumer behavior, promotions, and business-to-business marketing will help students narrow their career options or give them a breadth of experience.

Business-to-Business Marketing
There are many business-to-business (industrial) marketing positions with both small and large leading companies available. People interested in business-to-business (industrial) marketing careers can go into sales, purchasing, service, product management, marketing research, marketing communication, and so on. The course deals with the unique aspects of marketing goods and services to organizational buyers rather than household consumers and introduces theories of product, promotion, place, and price in business marketing. Students are exposed to areas such as customer and supplier relationships, conflict management and resolution, product design and management, competitive bidding, negotiation, leasing, inventory control, JIT, professional selling, manufacturing, and so on.

Recommended Electives:

• (Marketing 349)
• Promotional Policies & Strategies (Marketing 350)
• Product Policy And Strategy (Marketing 400)
• Personal Selling & Sales Management (Marketing 429)
• Marketing in Service Organizations (Marketing 432)
• Purchasing andMaterials Management(Marketing 436)
• Logistics (Marketing 442)
• Direct Marketing (Marketing 444)
  

International Marketing
International marketing deals with the complexity of marketing goods in international settings. Typically, a student would begin preparing for an international marketing career by choosing to work in an organization that has operations in other countries. After the new marketers have proved their expertise domestically and learned about the company's marketing approaches, they could be moved to international settings to assist with marketing activities. Learning at least one foreign language would be helpful in this career as would a study abroad experience. Internships with companies that have international operations would also prove useful.

Recommended electives:

• Student Exchange In International Programs (Marketing 346)
• Promotional Policies & Strategies (Marketing 350)
• Internet Marketing (Marketing 351)
• International Marketing (Marketing 361)
• Product Policy And Strategy (Marketing 400)
• Business to Business Marketing (Marketing 412)
• Consumer Behavior (Marketing 420)
• Personal Selling & Sales Management (Marketing 429)
• Logistics (Marketing 442)
  

Marketing Research
Marketing Research provides information used to identify and define marketing problems; generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions; monitor marketing performance; and improve understanding of marketing phenomena and processes. There are opportunities in marketing research for people with a variety of skills including human-relations, communication, conceptual, and analytical skills. Careers with specialized research firms are increasing in addition to traditional profession paths with companies that have market research divisions A typical career path is Junior Analyst Senior Analyst Asst. Dir. Mktg. Research Dir. Mktg. Research.

Recommended Electives:

• Marketing Research (Marketing 321)
• Internet Marketing (Marketing 351)
• International Marketing (Marketing 361)
• (Marketing 410)
• Business to Business Marketing (Marketing 412)
• Consumer Behavior (Marketing 420)
• Direct Marketing (Marketing 444)
• Database Marketing (Marketing 445)

Promotions Management
Including advertising, direct and Internet marketing, and database marketing careers. The promotions field is broad and expanding. The Department of Marketing has a variety of courses to prepare students to compete in this field. Graduates can be employed in advertising and public relations agencies, in direct marketing firms (such as catalog marketers or Internet companies), and in organizations that use database strategies in developing sound customer relationship management programs. Students can focus their studies by completing the Direct and Internet Marketing Emphasis. Successful graduates should have strong oral and written communications skills as well as having the ability to implement strategies to meet customer and business needs.

Recommended electives:

• Consumer Behavior (Marketing 420)
• Retail Management (Marketing 337)
• Promotional Policies & Strategies (Marketing 350)
• Direct Marketing (Marketing 444)
• Database Marketing (Marketing 445)

Retailing
Retail organizations are one of the largest employer groups in the United States. Diverse retailers including discounters, national chains, department stores, and direct response merchants hire many college graduates each year. Advancement can be, and usually is rapid. Recruiters prefer students who have had some retail experience - either an internship or employment. They also favor students who understand math and how it relates to retail practice; who possess effective oral and written communication skills; and who have the ability to think critically.

The two primary career tracks in retailing are merchandising and store operations. The merchandising track relates to all aspects of planning, acquiring, and selling merchandise assortments. The store operations track relates to all aspects of running the physical store, including scheduling employees, maintaining facilities, etc. The two tracks are equivalent in prestige and pay; there are, however, more opportunities in store operations.

Recommended Electives:

• Retail Management (Marketing 337)
• Internet Marketing (Marketing 351)
• Consumer Behavior (Marketing 420)
• Marketing in Service Organizations (Marketing 432)
• Logistics (Marketing 442)
• Direct Marketing (Marketing 444)

Sales/Sales Management
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov), there are 15.7 million people employed in sales jobs in the U.S. Outside of the U.S., the number of sales positions is increasing in most industrialized countries as well. There are many types of sales positions, ranging from retail sales associates to sales representatives for manufacturers and wholesalers, to technical sales engineers. Chances are good that a sales position exists that will match your interests, talents and ambitions.

Salespeople play an important role in sustaining the growth and profitability of their companies. It's true that "nothing happens until somebody sells something". From a personal and economic standpoint, selling can be a very rewarding career. Careers in sales offer financial rewards, recognition, autonomy, and opportunities for advancement more so than do most other marketing occupations. An entry-level sales representative can expect to earn $36,800 to $42,800 (Manning & Reece, "Selling Today", 8th Ed. 2002) in their first year. Unlike other marketing jobs, the amount earned by salespeople is generally tied to their performance and the amount of effort put forth. This effort is often triggered by commissions, bonuses, incentives, and other rewards.

Professional salespeople today practice "relationship" selling, as they work to build long-term, mutually-beneficial relationships with their customers. While the stereotype of the pushy salesperson may still exist today, the real thing is rapidly disappearing. The true role of the salesperson is to help the buyer make an intelligent buying decision.

Sales managers direct the firm's sales program. They assign sales territories, set goals, and establish training programs for the sales representatives. Generally, a promotion into sales management comes after a person has worked five to ten years in sales.

To prepare for a career in sales/sales management, the following courses are recommended as marketing electives:

• Personal Selling & Sales Management (Marketing 429)
• Business to Business Marketing (Marketing 412)
• Consumer Behavior (Marketing 420/620 )
• Logistics (Marketing 442)
• Promotional Policies & Strategies (Marketing 350)
• Marketing in Service Organizations (Marketing 432)
• International Marketing (Marketing 361/561 )

Other non-business electives that complement the sales/sales management curriculum are courses in psychology and communications.

For more information on sales and sales management careers, including the nature of the work, working conditions, employment, training, job outlook, and earnings, click here.

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