A few days ago, I was standing in a line at an office supply store.
I overheard one of the woman behind the counter tell a customer that he could not return his printer ink cartridges because they had already been opened.
The man in line calmly said, “OK, no problem, I understand” and turned around to leave the store.
However, just as the next customer was walking forward, the man turned back around.
“Let me ask you a question,” he said to the woman, “What type of printer do you use here at the store?”
She told him.
“How much do you buy the ink for?” She asked her manager and she told him.
“I’ll sell you this printer ink for five dollars less,” he told her.
Everyone in line watched in awe that he came to such a conclusion as the store manager actually bought the ink back from him.
I walked up to him in the parking lot and asked what he does for a living.
“I’m in Sales,” he said.
The Negative Connotation
Being in “Sales” has a negative stigma attached to it. The Sales people hound you, push products onto you that you do not need, and hang on even after you’ve said “No”.
This can be true, but those sales professionals make a living only by receiving a “Yes”. In the face of defeat, rude answers, and being shoved off, they must to to keep going and stay motivated in a world full of rejection.
Why Should I Work in Sales?
Working in Sales can provide you with a set of skills that many other professions lack. People do not like hearing “No”, they don’t like to be shot down; it’s just a fact of life. With other occupations, a “No” is taken with a blow to one’s ego–one that leaves you still mulling over the details at the dinner table with your spouse.
In Sales, you learn to take the “No’s” and keep fighting to change someone’s mind. You learn to not let others defeat you on a personal level when receiving negative feedback. In the corporate world, that skill is what makes you great: pushing your ideas forward and not letting a few strike-downs stand in your way.
Another advantage of working in Sales is that can open up your personality and can allow you to see opportunity in every situation.
At networking events, often times business professionals are timid. They do not approach people where they do not see an obvious benefit. But those in Sales will be the first people to approach anyone in the room because they know that somewhere along the way, they will acquire a positive outcome.
Working in Sales is a fantastic way to obtain incredible social skills and to learn how to find value in each and every person. Those in Sales see the world as their network, and today–where most jobs and connections are found online–most people are lost in the shuffle.
