Careers in Sales - You Can Sell

Selling is Essential

Our economy is and has forever been driven by sales. All commerce involves sales transactions being made. If sales were suspended the day-to-day business world as we know it would grind to a halt. All employment, in any category, is created and supported by sales revenue. No sales = no jobs for anyone. That makes salespeople pretty important and absolutely necessary to business and industry.

Workers in the blue and white collar workforce deliver the products and services sold to end users by salespeople. These people work for companies and fill positions for the purpose of fulfilling sales contracts. All workers are trained either formally or on the job to do their part to get the job done.

There is Another World Out There

Many workers are unaware of the parallel universe, an army of others, who sell what they produce or sell products or services to them in support of their jobs. Accountants buy accounting software, computer hardware, business forms, and books, attend classes, and require support services for their systems. There are dozens of different jobs that support accounting and accountants. On the other hand, public accountants sell their services to other businesses. Likewise, there are many similar opportunities in health care, engineering, government, manufacturing, distribution and in all other categories of business and industry. There is no end to opportunities for employment in sales.

It's a Very Big Space

For example, there are a large number of sales transactions that are made, in the manufacture of an automobile…before cars leave the showroom. The actual sale of an automobile is the climax of a string of sales that can be traced back to the real estate salesperson who sold the land to the mine that dug up the iron ore that eventually became steel for the car’s frame. Think it over. Every raw material, transportation, tool, process, facility, every sales transaction that happened in the process of manufacturing an automobile could number many hundreds. There are probably more sales made than can be documented. The great news is that as part of every sale a salesperson was involved and compensated.

Just Talk the Talk

So, there are hundreds of thousands of sales jobs that sell to people like you, companies like yours. Who fills those jobs? People like you, with the knowledge and skill set like yours, sell to people like you. If you are a medical laboratory technologist, there are dozens of people who sell to you. Salespeople in this space know their customer’s job…they can talk the talk. They can easily discuss reagents, photometers, culture media, and the hundreds of other categories of supplies and equipment that support a medical laboratory. Guess what? Every product or service has multiple vendors for each and they all employ dedicated salespeople.

Sales Jobs Go Begging

You can sell. Sales jobs are out there looking for people. Companies are hiring ambitious people who understand their products or services and are willing and able to learn their sales processes. There are many different types of sales jobs and different ways to conduct day-to-day business, but in every case the high level goal is to call on customers and prospective customers, uncover their needs, fill their needs, and while doing so, make sales transactions.

Top Earnings Potential

Successful salespeople are highly compensated. Because selling is a career that offers no practical limits salespeople can advance to “professional” status by learning how to behave and by working hard. Think about people you know who are in sales. The good ones do pretty well financially. The great ones earn great money and live like other professionals…doctors, lawyers and business owners and executives.

Not Too Hard...In Theory

Selling is not too complicated. In a very basic way sales jobs require you to meet new friends and get to know them and their needs. Salespeople fill the needs of their customers. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale said: “Find a need and fill it.” That is simple enough. Another great definition of the sales process came from Mark Thelen. Mark noted that “Selling is activity based on a fair exchange of value. After the transaction, both parties are better off.” What could be a better way to spend a career than fairly exchanging value with nice people who need your products or services?

Consider A Sales Career

Anyone who is out of work, displaced and searching for a new career should consider a career is sales. There are many types of sales positions in various categories, but they all offer opportunities for unemployed or under employed to get a fresh start and earn a good to great living.