An interest in computers and a good knowledge of the products being sold is important, as very often the end user will need guidance and advice when making a purchase. Good communication skills are therefore essential.

One only has to take note of the increasing number of products on offer in the technology sector to see that a career in IT sales has a lot of potential. There are various recruitment agencies that specialise in hiring staff for the IT sector. One such company is Rescon IT, which supplies full-time, contracting and outsourced staff for its clients.

David Burke, senior recruitment consultant with Rescon, says 15pc of its recruitment business is in the area of IT sales. "We have seen a rise in the past few years. There is more out there to be sold, " he says.

Sales jobs in the IT area include technical sales, telesales, telemarketing, business development, sales management, area management and software sales.

Burke says IT sales is a maledominated area , , approximately 85pc of Rescon's workforce are men.

The training and qualifications needed to work in this area depend on the level of the position that is on offer.

"Ideally, for telesales or internal sales, you need some kind of telesales experience.

A technical background would also help. These would be junior positions. For other positions we would look for a strong IT background.

Traditionally people will have [experience in] technical support. For managed services you would expect a technical background, " says Burke.

"For a more senior position you would have to have worked in an IT sales role such as account management or as a business development manager, generally in a big organisation. For software sales, you would need sales experience, " he adds.

The future is bright for the IT industry as an increasing number of companies are setting up offices here. This bodes well for a career in IT sales. "When the market slumped there was no money put into the development of new products. Confidence is now returning to the market and more money is being spent on development; in the past three years it has been returning to former levels, " Burke concludes.