What Is a Sales Data Analyst, and How Do I Become One?

A sales data analyst, also called a sales analyst, uses data to increase a company's sales revenue. Rather than be directly involved in making sales, you’ll analyze patterns and trends and devise and implement strategies to increase sales efforts. You’ll play a significant role in driving the company’s growth and revenue, but you'll focus on suggesting steps to improve sales performance for your internal team.

Continue exploring this role, what it entails, as well as salary information and career progression options to start your career.

Read more: What Is Sales Analytics and How Does It Benefit My Business?

What does a sales data analyst do?

As a sales data analyst, you’ll collaborate closely with the sales team, marketing team, and product development department, depending on the industry and company you work for. Sales data analysts work intensively with data using competitive analysis to suggest improvements, new initiatives, and strategies to increase revenue over time. You'll work closely with financial aspects, using data to forecast and plan budgets and see where you can increase revenue and reduce overspending. 

Duties and responsibilities of a sales data analyst

The duties and responsibilities of a sales data analyst vary according to the organization you work for and their goals and sales strategies. In general, you might be responsible for the following: 

• Collecting and analyzing data 

• Looking for trends and patterns in previous sales data and within the industry

• Compiling reports to present to management teams

• Presenting suggestions for improvements based on data

• Developing strategies to boost company sales and revenue

• Working collaboratively with marketing, sales, product development, and finance teams 

Where do sales data analysts work?

Sales analysts work across all industries in any business that relies on sales to make a profit and usually find roles in large organizations where strategy and growth are essential. It plays a critical role in today's marketplace, characterized by sales derived from multiple channels and platforms, underscoring the critical nature of understanding sales data. This means you might have various options when choosing an employer.

Sales data analyst skills

Working as a sales data analyst means you must master a range of technical and workplace skills, as this role means you must be highly analytical and have the ability to communicate and consult with members of internal teams. Sales data analyst skills include both technical and workplace skills:

Technical skills

• Data analysis

• Presentation

• Excel

• Business acumen

• Research

• Salesforce

• Customer relationship management

• SQL

Workplace skills

• Communication

• Strategic thinking

• Customer service

• Attention to detail

• Problem-solving

• Time management

• Multitasking

Career outlook for a sales data analyst

The career outlook for both sales and data analyst roles is good. Although you’ll find no specific data available for a sales data analyst, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the job growth rate for data scientists, in general, is 35 percent between 2022 and 2032, a figure far above the national average across all industries [1]. 

Sales data analyst salary

According to Glassdoor, the estimated total pay for sales data analysts in the US is $90,043 per year. This figure includes an average base salary of $69,709 and $20,335 in additional pay [2]. Additional pay may represent profit-sharing, commissions, or bonuses. Keep in mind your salary may be influenced by factors like location, years of experience, and industry.

How to become a sales data analyst

To begin your career as a sales data analyst, you’ll need a certain level of education, experience, and mastery of relevant skills. For many, this involves degree-level education and industry experience. 

1. Get educated.

The minimum requirement for a sales data analyst is often a bachelor’s degree with a relevant major such as business, accounting, finance, or marketing. You may consider further study with a master’s or even a doctoral degree to stand out against your competition and earn the highest salaries. 

2. Gain experience.

Starting out in entry-level roles in data analysis is a great way to gain experience, as employers generally expect some experience before hiring you as a sales data analyst. Working in a business setting is also practical experience as a sales data analyst needs a good grasp of how businesses work.

Read more: Entry-Level Data Analyst: What They Do + How to Get Started

3. Build skills.

Formal education and professional experience help you to build the skills you need for a career as a sales data analyst. However, these aren’t the only ways to hone your skills, and if you can develop your skills further through personal projects, practice, self-learning, mentoring, and online courses, you’ll have something extra to add to your resume. You might consider an online course like Introduction to Data Analytics For Business.

4. Get certified. 

To further bolster your resume and put you ahead of the competition, you might consider studying for a certification or Professional Certificate. You’ll find many business, sales, finance, and data analytics options. Some examples include the following: 

• Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)

• Certified Marketing Analyst (CMA)

• Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate

• IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate

Career progression 

The career advancement for a sales data analyst is promising, with many jobs to consider. Below, you’ll find some options to progress to as you gain experience, with associated average annual base salaries.

• Senior sales analyst: $114,057

• Financial analyst: $79,154 

• Business systems analyst: $105,378

• National account manager: $101,577 

• Sales operations manager: $91,176

• Technical product and program manager: $153,308

• Finance director: $150,358

• Director of sales operations: $134,550

*All salary information is from Glassdoor, October 2024 and does not include additional pay, such as commission and benefits.  

Next steps

As a sales data analyst, you'll use data to help organizations grow their revenue. You'll need an analytical mind, a desire to work with numbers, good communication skills, and excellent business acumen.

If you haven’t already earned a degree, an online degree course could offer an excellent starting point for this career path. Take a look at the University of North Texas’s Bachelor of Science in General Business or a Master of Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. If you don’t want to pursue a full degree, consider building a foundation and honing your skills with a course, such as IBM’s Introduction to Data Analytics or the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate—all available on Coursera.