5 fun realities of working in SALES.

Before we jump into the 5 fun realities, here’s a quick story on the hard realities of working in SALES.

I have a young family. My daughter recently turned 4, and my son will be turning 1 in the next 60 days. It’s tough to travel, for SALES, or any job, with a young family. Shout out to my amazing wife and partner who helps manage the homefront when I have to be away! Fortunately, I’m only on the road for a few days each month; nothing crazy.

So, we try to make it fun!

The picture above is from a recent business trip I was on. Shout out to Delta Airlines (the best in the biz). But more importantly, my daughter wanted to see me in the airplane, so I took this picture and sent it to my wife to share.

Smart devices and technology have certainly made travel, and communications, easier, however, it’s never “easy” when you’re away from your young family.

Have a picture to share of your travels? I’ll have a tweet thread posted on Monday (when this blast is published) where you can share your fun(ny) travel pictures with the rest of the Sales Homie community.

_{Do you follow Twitter? If not, I’ll post my “Sales Tweets of The Week” below, for more thought-provoking ideas, trends, or stories. Check them out below!}

It’s all about growth, baby!

Whether you saw my above tweet from last week or not, there are a lot of great things that come from working in a SALES or revenue-generating job.

Here are my 5 fun realities of working in SALES.

Great incomes.

Perhaps this is the obvious one to many, however working in SALES affords most professionals an above-average, or well-above-average income to help support themselves or their families.

We’ve spelled out in previous Sales Homie blasts how you can earn $150,000/year or more working in SALES.

Schedule flexibility.

Before the COVID pandemic, the majority of us went to work at an office. For those working in SALES, the ‘remote work’ lifestyle has always been part of our day-to-day.

• You leave a meeting with a customer or prospect and need to grab lunch - no problem, you’re already out and about!

• You plan to stop at the store on your way to a meeting to grab something you need around the house later that night - no problem!

• Your kids have an event late afternoon - no problem, get your work done beforehand so you can attend and support your kids!

Some SALES professionals had an office to go to before COVID, some did not. Some SALES professionals worked out in the field 80% of the time, or further, traveled via air to their destinations each week.

Working in SALES provides massive scheduling flexibility that many who are confined to their cubes, or desks, do not.

Continuous Training.

I’ve worked in four (4) different industries over the course of my 20+ year career thus far. And in each industry, I was the recipient of wonderful training programs designed to increase sales acumen from multiple companies.

If you can identify organizations that invest heavily in their sales reps, you not only will increase your current company’s product or service acumen (which will lead to great selling success!) you’ll learn lessons to take with you as your career progresses into new roles and/or industries.

I worked for Paychex for five (5) years, selling payroll and human resource services to small and medium-sized businesses. They continue to be ranked as one of the highest credible training organizations, today.

Learned Business Acumen. 

This is an extension of the previous item, however, it can be expanded into other sides of each industry, or business.

Yes, I learned and understood the traits and nuances of the telecommunications industry, selling for a company called TDS Metrocom out of college.

But what I really took away from that experience was:

• How integral it was for businesses to have the proper communications infrastructure to succeed and grow.

Yes, I learned and understood the traits and nuances of the security staffing industry, selling for a company called AlliedBarton first, and my current firm, American Security.

But what I really have taken away from these experiences is:

• Financial and P&L (profit and loss) controls; learning and understanding growth formulas. Managing others, learning how to hire, fire, and propel people on your team to as great of heights.

Endless Career Advancement.

As I began my career in my early 20s, I learned quickly that a career in SALES means options.

During the financial crisis of ‘09, the majority of the jobs that were NOT furloughed or eliminated from organizations were SALES positions.

And because SALES professionals can hop from one industry to another almost more acceptably than other professionals, the experiences allow for massive acumen growth!

I’ve worked in direct selling roles, sales support roles, management roles, and executive roles. And each in one way or another has prepared me for the next jump, or opportunity.

The moral of the story? SALES professionals and jobs in a selling career certainly have their challenges. However, focusing on the fun aspects, or the rewarding aspects of the job, will help outweigh the negatives.

It’s not always about the money. It’s not just about having a flexible schedule. But when you can turn one job and experience into the next, and the next. That’s when you start to see real growth. Both in your career and in your bank account.

Sales Tweets of The Week!

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