what's best about sales?

[jkennington]

I'm looking for a variety of opinions what is the best thing about having a career in sales?

Why should you be proud of being a sales person?

why would you recommend other people to look into a sales career?

Are you ever a little reticent about saying "I'm in Sales"?


Just so you know, I am in sales myself and I think it is a great career even with it's ups and downs.

I'm looking for ideas to use when I talk to my team in our regular sales meetings.

I'd appreciate your input

thanks, Joe

[lrobertson0207]

I think that you should be proud of whatever you choose to do. I think that if you aren't happy with your current career you should find a new one. However to answer your question,

"Why should you be proud of being a sales person?"

I would have to say because done right a salesperson is really a problem solver. People come in your store or office looking for assistance because they are in need it is up to the salesman to help them find what it is they are looking for or need.

If you approach sales in that sense it is truly fulfilling. The best part is talking to the prospect later and finding that they are happy with your product or service...the feeling is great.

smiles,

[AudiMan]

the the best thing for me is the thrill of getting that big sale, especially if it's at the end of the week!

[ashleydrollinson]

yes never forget the excitment of earning your first commision, however small! big buzz!

Its like a drug though.... you need bigger and bigger hits to satisfy you!

haha

[MoneyMaker]

I would have to say money and putting food on the table. Inorder to achieve these i have to care about people, and have a drive that is unmatched by anyone.

[Skip Anderson]

Originally Posted by jkennington

I'm looking for a variety of opinions what is the best thing about having a career in sales?

Many things: ability to earn above-average income; in many positions, a freedom of schedule and freedom from strict office hours; a feeling of accomplishment; opportunity to interact with others.

Originally Posted by jkennington

Why should you be proud of being a sales person?

As the old saying goes, nothing happens in a company until somebody sells something. The revenue created by sales pays the paychecks of all company employees; it also pays for marketing initiatives, electricity, the phones, benefits, etc.

Originally Posted by jkennington

why would you recommend other people to look into a sales career?

If you're results-driven, sales is one of the best jobs you can have.

Originally Posted by jkennington

Are you ever a little reticent about saying "I'm in Sales"?

Never!

Skip Anderson

[Neil Warren]

Might be a bigger question than you intended huh jk? Similar, really, to what's best about a career in the army. Might be anything from shooting guns to building bridges!

Selling is a very big career option, stretching from a retail environment, across a variety of roles on the telephone (inbound, outbound etc.) through to field sales, and then different levels of "management", where "area", "account" and "territory" tend to imply managing yourself and your customer(s) whereas regional, national etc., infers a team of employees, right up to Sales Director - implying board-level responsibilities. So point 1 is that you've got a lot of options to try and maximise your own personal skills and ambitions. And, personally, I don't think anyone should even be allowed to run a company as MD, unless they have some substantial sales experience.

Point 2 - why sales or selling as opposed to finance or engineering? Easy - if you were going to have developed a passion for numbers or widgets (the old sort) you would have done, by now, so assuming that you do at least have a passing interest in people and business why not maximise the pleasures of human interaction by spending your time talking to them, and solving their problems? If that process in itself turns out to be your biggest reward, you'll probably go far, but even getting your buzz out of being paid for it is probably more rewarding than being paid for stacking shelves.

Proud about sales or reticent about mentioning it? Yes. And, once upon a time, most definitely (it was "publishing" first, then "advertising" and finally "sales"!) - but I'm out of the closet now. It really all depends on how well you and our fellow sales professionals perform in the future. If significant numbers of us remain as dodgy barrow-boy types, out for a quick buck at the punter's expense, then we'll keep any "snake-oil" associations we deserve. But if enough of us really do try to maximise our roles as trusted advisers and problem-solvers, then we'll get increasing levels of respect, pride, value and so on.

And finally - recommend it? Absolutely - my son's going great guns with a telco, for example, but I think we should be tracking this back into schools and universities to try to get selling recognised as a genuine, separate, commercial activity, worthy of study, standards, qualifications and so on. That would make it less of a dustbin for those who fail and something else, and more of a serious option for those with the right inclinations.

It is a lot of fun, too!

[shinningstar]

I feel glad to be a part of Sales Industry. The most exciting part for me is gathering new friends, customers and VIP people. In addition, it also feels good to receive commissions and salary increase.

[ozzie]

The thing I like best about selling Avon is that I can work the hours I choose....to a degree, depending on when people are at home. I'm not sure if that is true with other companies.

I think you have to want it pretty badly to succeed in sales because the harder you work, the more you sell, supposedly. Sometimes my customers call me without my having to do anything except hang a brochure on their door knob.

[bubble]

The best thing about sales for me is that you get to interact with people on a daily basis, and not every day is going to be the same, some sales will certainly provide more of a challenge than others.

I also like the fact that you can bring your own personality into the equation, and are not bound by so many company rules and regulations when building a customer relationship. How many other jobs can you pick up the phone, call a client and spend half an hour discussing the weekends football results before getting down to business.