Sales is fundamentally important to any business, regardless of whether you’re selling physical goods like food or cars, services such as musical performance or financial planning, or digital products like apps or websites. And, while every product or service is unique, many aspects of the art of sales remain the same across all industries: know your customer, present them with solutions that meet their needs, handle any objections, and then close the deal.

While these essential aspects of sales remain unchanged, the digital era has created new ways to get to know your customer as well as new models for reaching them. Digital marketers can use services like Google, Facebook, and Twitter to identify sales prospects according to specific demographic factors, interests, and buying habits, allowing them to make precisely targeted digital sales pitches. The digital era has also dramatically raised the profile of inbound marketing strategies, which seek to attract sales prospects by creating appealing content tailored to their interests.

At the end of the day, selling is about having great communications and negotiation skills, but it also requires a systematic sales strategy that leverages the latest tools to helps you use these skills effectively. Thus, today’s most successful sales professionals often seek to combine traditional sales techniques with digital marketing savvy.

A background in sales is applicable in virtually every industry, but specific positions often depend on your educational background and expertise. If you’ve got a talent for selling but a limited formal education in this area, you can still find work in retail sales, advertising sales, real estate sales, or other sectors that offer industry-specific training. If you have a bachelor’s degree in more specialized areas such as science and technology, you can make a higher salary as a wholesale or manufacturing sales representative that sells directly to businesses and other organizations instead of consumers.

Experienced sales representatives in any industry can work their way up to the position of sales manager, responsible for directing organizations’ sales teams, including creating sales strategies, developing training programs for representatives, and setting and tracking sales performance goals. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, sales managers make a median annual salary of $126,640 per year, and often have an education in management, marketing, or other related areas in addition to sales experience.

Yes, regardless of whether you want to learn traditional sales techniques, pick up the latest digital marketing methodologies, or get the management skills you need for a promotion, Coursera has online courses and Specializations available to meet your needs.

And, because you can take sales courses from top-ranked schools like Northwestern University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, you can learn online without sacrificing the quality of your education.You can also complete these courses on a flexible schedule, allowing you to pick up the skills you need while continuing to work at your current job.