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Why Everyone Should Work In Sales At Least Once


A few days ago I was standing in line at an office supply store.

I overheard the woman behind the counter tell a customer that he couldn’t return his printer ink cartridges because they had been opened.

The man in line simply said, “OK, no problem, I understand” and turned to walk out of 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 a superior and she told him.

“I’ll sell you this printer ink for five dollars less,” he said to her.

The others in line watched in awe that he came to such a conclusion as the store manager bought it back from him.

I asked him in the parking lot what he does for a living. “I’m in Sales,” he said.

The Negative Connotation

Being in “Sales” has a negative association. Sales people hound you, they push products onto you that you don’t need, they hang on long after you’ve told them “No”.

Many times, this can be true. However, those Sales professionals make a living only by receiving a “Yes”. In the face of defeat, rude retorts, and being shoved off, they keep going and stay motivated in a world full of rejection.

Why Should I Work in Sales?

Working in Sales provides you with a set of skills that most other professions lack. People don’t like to hear “No”, they don’t like to be shot down; it’s just a fact of life. With many other occupations a “No” is taken with a blow to the ego, one that leaves you still mulling over the details at the dinner table with your spouse.

In Sales you learn to take those “No’s” and keep fighting to change someone’s mind, and to not let others defeat you on a personal level after 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 how it can open up your personality and allow you to see the opportunity in every situation.

At networking events, often times business professionals are timid, they don’t approach others where they don’t see an obvious benefit. However, those in Sales will be the first to approach every person in the room, because they know that somewhere along the way they will acquire a positive outcome.

Working in Sales is a great way to obtain incredible social skills and to learn how to find the 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.

Read more posts by Thomas La Vecchia, sales expert. Thomas blogs for JenningsWire.