Sales is an Easy Low Paying Job

I was sitting at lunch the other day with a friend when the topic of business came up. He is an accountant for a small firm and started asking me what it is like to be in sales. I knew the conversation was going to be interesting when he said: "it is just sales, how hard can it be."

At this point, I realized that people who have never been in sales, really have no idea of what it is like.

Sales is either the "easiest low-paying job you ever have, or the hardest high-paying job you ever have".

My friend proceeded to tell me how great it must be that we get a base pay plus a commission. He said, "if you do not close anything, it is not like you do not get paid."

In theory, sales reps control how much money they make. However, that is usually where the control ends. Sales reps typically don't manage marketing, pricing, product delivery, and a myriad of other aspects of the sales cycle, which can create problems for customers that sales reps have to deal with.

After having this conversation with him and thinking about it, I decided to come up with a few reasons why sales is one of the hardest jobs in the world.

Pressure - If you want to have a long and stress-free life, do not get in sales! Most people just can't handle this kind of pressure.

Every 90 days, you are basically signing a new contract.

You have the burden of hitting your number to get a paycheck; you also have the pressure from clients who want the best service for the lowest price. Not to mention competitors who are trying to beat you in every deal and steal your clients.

I think Freddy Mercury said it best, "Insanity laughs under pressure we're breaking."

The Rejection - Many people have a hard time dealing with rejection when it is a daily occurrence for a sales professional.

Let's look at an example of your average inside sales professional. They typically have to make anywhere from 50 - 80 phone calls per day. It usually takes 30 calls before you get a hold of someone who wants to talk to you and hear what you are selling.

That is a lot of hearing the word no, before hearing a maybe.

If you hate getting shot down and fear rejection, maybe sales is not the right business for you.

You Have to be the Quarterback - Sales is all about being able to manage the process. From working with the client and figuring out their needs, to finding the right engineer to work on the project.

There are typically a handful of people involved with any sale and your job is to make sure they are all in line and doing the right thing. Think this sounds easy? Just ask any professional quarterback.

You Must Motivate Yourself - Sales is a contact sport. You have to deal with the fact that you will get punched in the face, figuratively, and lose a deal. You must continually deal with the possibility that all your sales efforts could turn out to be in vain through no fault of your own. And you must keep on going in spite of this because your profession of selling requires it.

For those who are reading this who are in sales, I think you would agree with me on most of these. For those who are reading this and considering a job in sales, remember, it's a hard job.

You are going to be told no, and you are going to lose deals. In the end, there is nothing more rewarding than working with a customer and fixing the issues they are trying to resolve. It might not be as rewarding as a heart surgeon, but in my opinion, it's pretty darn close.

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Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sales-easiest-low-paying-job-hardest-high-paying-you-ever-mcguire

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