Sales Career Guide and Counseling

Question: Registered for Texas sales tax, do I have to charge for private transactions? I am registered for sales tax in Texas for a small mail order retail business. Am I obliged to charge and pay sales tax for sales I make which are not part of this business, for example, reselling my own household items on ebay or craigslist? In theory should every private person making these kind of sales be charging and paying sales tax? I know most people do not.

Answer: If you are selling your personal items, Texas proabaly has a casual sale rule regarding sales tax. However, you better keep your business accounts and your personal accounts separate. If you start comingling funds, if/when you get audited, you will have a lot of explaining to do.

Question: What types of sales materials to provide commissioned sales people? I would appreciate if someone experienced with outside commissioned sales staff could tell me what types of sales materials should be provided to them? Such as flyers, portfolios, multimedia presentations, etc. Also what about business cards? Should I give them business cards with their name and title of "Sales Representative" on the cards? Thank you in advance

Answer: You need to provide them with everything you've got. It's up to them to use the materials wisely. Give them everything, and try to be responsive to their requests for new things. They're out there and should know what materials are best to help them sell. Business cards with their name and position are a must--so provide them. Get feedback from the about the materials you provide. If a brochure doesn't seem to be working, don't waste any more time and money having them re-printed. Find out what works for them, and provide the entire sales force with those "tips and tricks." If you don't have any materials developed yet, start off with a combination of everything you mentioned, and don't have too many made. That way you can test out what works best.

Question: How many garage sales are held each week in the United States? Having trouble locating an accurate figure of how many garage sales are held in the US each week or weekend? Some estimates say 10,000 a week, others say a million.? if there are 106,000,000 households in America what percentage is having a garage sale this week? Are there any states that dont have them? Are you more familiar with the term garage sale or yard sale? Do they mean the same to you?

Answer: check you local paper and use the number as an average against the population in your town then transfer that% to 106,000,000 garage sale yard sale, the same estate sale now that usually means good stuff

Question: What industry pays its sales people the best and what companies in the industries have the best sales training? I'm a college student and want to get into sales. Which industries have the highest earning potential and which companies within these industries have the best sales training programs. Please be very specific. Thanks!

Answer: Technology sales is very lucrative and very challenging. However, as a student you must start from ground floor in it. The challenge is to find a company that will train you, compensate you for your level of experience and not just throw you to the wolves. You must show a common thread of past interest and experience in order to get into the business. You must decide whether, software, consulting services or Hardware sales is your comfort level. Please check this site for a start - www.SoftwareSalesJobs.com Good luck.

Question: What is the statewide sales tax in Ohio? I understand that the sales tax varies by county. However for those selling online, no matter what area in the state the sales tax remains the same. What is the statewide sales tax in Ohio, or are these websites simply charging 7.5% and taking care of their taxes that way?

Answer: No, for those selling online, the sales tax rate is that of the county in which the goods are delivered.

Question: What is the best sales and marketing company in orange county? I live in orange county and need a somebody to help my business sell more. I don't know why but my sales are so down lately. I don't know if it is my sales process, the target audience or just the general economy. I have decided to hire some professional help. Can somebody recommend me a good candidate to help me boost my sales and productivity?

Answer: I think that my company would be a good choice for you. We are in Newport Beach and we service fortune sized clients. We specialize in solutions for large distributed clients, companies that have many offices spread out in many different locations. Better to follow our logo, call today, sell more tomorrow. Here's our info: The Peterson Group 180 Newport Center Drive, Suite 270 Newport Beach, CA 92660 http://www.go4tpg.com

Question: Does a sales tax license need to be renewed? I live in Louisiana and I am wondering if a sales tax license needs to be renewed. I don't think it does, but just want to make sure. Also, what all is needed to be legal doing online sales on eBay?

Answer: Sales tax licenses are regulated by each individual state. Generally, they do not have to be renewed. I couldn't find anyting on Louisiana that indicates they expire. To sell on eBay, you don't need any kind of license. You are supposed to collect sales tax to the people in Lousiana who purchase your goods, and for that you need a tax number. You then must turn that tax over to the state treasurer by filing a sales tax return each month. Of the many people I know who sell on eBay, none of them collect sales taxes. If you are a corporation selling on eBay, then you collect taxes from anyone who purchases your merchandise and is also in a state in which you have a business presence.

Question: Is a sales tax as fare to those who barely make a living, as an income tax? With no sale tax those with high incomes and no income tax have it made. A $10 sales tax hurts low income people making say 6000 a year. But what is it to those making 50,000 or 100, 000 a year. So you think if every poor person 'puts their nose to the grind stone' they too can make that kind of money. Ha!

Answer: Sales tax is sort of a choice... You don't HAVE to buy some of those things that are taxed, and many poor people do not buy them. Rich people buy more things that cost more, so they pay more sales tax than a poor person. Because it is a personal choice to buy a car, a big screen TV or a yacht, then it is not a burden on someone who does not buy the item... Food is not taxed.. but unfortunately shoes, clothes and diapers are... It does cost everyone... but it is how we keep this country running... At least we don't pay TV tax (if we don't have paid television) and we don't have to pay to sit in a park....

Question: When a sales consultant approaches you, what are somethings that you experience and feel afterwards? Hi I am a sales consultant for at&t, and i and trying to figure out what are somethings that customers are thinking when they see one of us( generally thinking for all types of sales consultants). What are somethings you hope to expect in your experience? generosity?truthfulness? welcomness?loyalty? I need to know these things. share some stories and let me know i would really appreciate it. Thanks!

Answer: I am a Director for Tupperware and I applaud you for taking the time to find out how to be better at your job. If you are ever interested in a flexible business of your own just shoot me an email or give me a call and I will get you all the information and training you need. To answer your question, there is a lot of psychology in sales. Certain words can trigger negative responses even when your product is awesome. There are bunches of books out there that give a lot of insight into this. (I can send you a list if you like to read.) As far as expectations, I think it is important to be upfront with your clients and not try to trick them into thinking there is a sale or a limited time. Be honest and they will respec that. Also, customer service is so poor with most companies these days that if you provide just good service you will stand out. Put yourself in their position and ask how would I be wowed by service from this person.

Question: How do you figure out the sales tax when it is included in the sales price? Example: Sales Price with sales tax included is $98.95 and the sales tax is 5%.

Answer: good question

Question: Is the sales tax I paid on a vehicle purchase in Texas deductable from my federal income taxes? I recently became a Texas resident and paid sales tax to Texas on a car I purchased. Is that state sales tax deductable from my federal income taxes (Texas has no state income tax)?

Answer: Yes, on your Schedule A, which means you would need to itemize to receive the deduction. If you don't itemize, your standard deduction might be greater than your itemized deductions. You may want to contact a tax professional for your state taxes, as there are additional schedules you will need to file for the tax paid, as well as resident and nonresident state tax returns.

Question: Can a company charge sales tax on free products? I hosted a party at my home and was able to earn so much in free products depending upon sales from my guests. What I don't understand is that the party rep is trying to charge me sales tax on the full cost of the items that I chose as my free gifts. Is this legal? How can I pay sales tax on something I am not even buying?

Answer: That's governed by State law. Some states levy sales tax on the net sales price, including free goods, meaning you'd pay nothing. Others levy on the normal selling price before the application of any price reductions, coupons, or freebies. The one thing that you didn't ask, but I'll provide it anyway is the income tax treatment of the free products you received. They are taxable as ordinary income at their normal retail value, less the sales tax that you paid. This is treated as Self-Employment income so you report it on Schedule C when you file your tax return. If the net profit is over $400, you need to attach Schedule SE to calculate the Self-Employment tax. If the value of the free goods was $600 or more you should receive a Form 1099-MISC for it, however even if you don't receive one you still must report the income as noted above.

Question: How to determine expected unit sales in a sales budget with a first year business? I'm working on an assignment and I need to come up with the sales budget for my company I just made up. How do I calculate this number if I have never been in business before and I don't know how much sales to expect?

Answer: Do you have the past sales records? Incase same is not available or your product is new in the market, then you may have to base your assumptions on the market demand. Incase you have details of market demand for this particular product, do a quick analysis of existing competitors, their strengh and their percentage sale. then you can determine how you are going to position yourself and how much sale you can expect. based on above assumptions, you can set a realistic estimate. you may say that first two months, you will have no sale( blank calls). then you may assume 5% sale in the third month. then you may try for growth on each quarter based on the SWOT analysis done by you. Incase you need my help you may mail me good luck to you

Question: What kind of Sales Opportunities are available that do not require any cold-calling? I'm looking for a sales career that has people coming to or calling me. I've been in outside sales for awhile now and I don't know how much longer I can cold call. Any suggestions?

Answer: It really depends on what type of sales you want to do. You can do Retail Sales and there is no cold calling at all...the customers come to you. You can do "inside sales" for a business and they will provide qualified leads for you. This means that there is calling required but usually it is not a "cold call". Outside sales is where you will do cold calling. I would direct you in the direction of "Inside sales" to get started.

Question: What are the sales tax rules on software sales? If a company develops and sells software to all the US States as well as overseas, the software is delivered electronically, what are the sales tax rules to follow? Where can I see these rules? Is there a different rule for each state or is the company governed only by the State rules it is located in? What if the software is sold on a CD, does that change the rules?

Answer: Each state would have its own rules. You have to check each state's department of revenue/ taxation website.

Question: What would be the best sales position for someone with experience in sales but no college? I have 8 years of retail sales management as well as 5 years of retail investment sales. I am told I am very good at selling, and am looking for the best possible position to harness this, any suggestions.

Answer: If you can deal with the long hours & small paychecks in the beginning, auto sales. My husband has been doing it for 8 years & makes $80,000 & I don't have to work. He's only in his 20's & has had no college. But he's not home very often!