Everyone should have a job in sales for 1 month. Just a month, not a day more not a day less. Trust me, it’s an experience unlike any other. My 2 month foray into the sales world was unique and unforgettable. There were days I loved and was amped to hit the phones, days I hated and didn’t even feel like getting out of bed in the morning, days I was like ehhh, and days I can’t even talk about.
I was never the worst sales rep or account executive as we would call ourselves, nor was I best, I was straight down the middle of the road average. I hit my quota, hit my pitch commit, hit my talk times requirements (most of the time), my manager liked me and my teammates did as well. The reason why I stopped working in sales was because I realized after a couple of months that this was not something I wanted to do as my career.
In order to succeed in sales you have to do a few things.
First: sip the Kool-Aid, inject it, snort it, sleep with it, eat it, shower in it, have some in a flask in your back pocket. You NEED to believe in exactly what you are selling or else you won’t last a week. Enough people didn’t.
Second: Have an awesome manager. Seriously you can have the best sales skills but if you don’t like your manager or vice versa it’s going to be a bleak day in the office. You may think “well duh having a good manager is always important”, but in a sales role where it’s a numbers game and everything is performance based, you need that strong relationship with your manager where there is trust and you know they have your back. Working in sales isn’t glamorous so when you wake up at 6am everyday to be on the phone from 8am to 5pm with people who for the most part don’t like you, it helps to know you have someone motivating you every second of the day.
Third: Have thick skin and no emotions. People will say some real mean things to you but you have to keep your composure and under no circumstances take things personally. Here is a sample of some of the things my callers said to me on the phone.
- You are a detriment to my life and my existence.
- My life is not a joke like yours.
- Never call me again or I will sue you for everything you are worth.
- Get a real job.
- I never want to speak to you again.
- I hate what you stand for.
- I hope you have a lawyer.
- Fuck off (personal favorite)
Fourth: Trust the process. The people training you are the ones who have succeeded in the same seat you sat in and on the same phones. Trust and you will succeed.
That all being said, I had a great time working in Sales. My coworkers were all pretty much my age with similar personalities: friendly, outgoing, energetic and down to earth. Since we were all green when it came to sales we celebrated our successes together, motivated one another, helped each other out and weren’t cut throat about getting ahead. Fridays were spent getting raucous at the bars and weekends everyone wanted to hangout. It was like being in college yet you get paid, have health insurance and a 401K.
At the end of the day I walked away from my experience in sales having learned a lot! Being able to tell when people were lying and calling their bluff became second nature, as did convincing people to do what they didn’t want to do five minutes ago. I got to speak to people from all different walks of life and professions in different states across the US, from plumbers, roofers, dentists, chiropractors, zumba instructors, private nannies, marijuana dispensary owners, and life coaches. I made friends with dozens of secretaries, personal assistants and “marketing managers” all while mastering the art of the voicemail. In fact somewhere on the island of Oahu there is a fashion designer’s assistant who I still owe a drink.
If you are fresh out of college and have no idea what you want to do in life (I had zero clue) then give sales a try while you figure it out, there’s nothing like that rush you get when you hang up the phone after closing a deal. You never know, sales may be the right career for you.
justanotherbrownguy 