Is A Career In Sales Right For You?

How would you like a job with enough autonomy to make you feel that you are your own boss… right out of college? How would you like to determine how much money you can make in your first year on the job? How would you like a career that lets you learn something new every single day? That's what a career in sales can offer you!

As Michael Van Grinsven, Director of Field Recruitment for Northwestern Mutual says, "Many leading sales professionals are motivated by the three I's (Impact, Independence and Income). Some choose the profession for the Impact they have on their community, their clients or their families. Others choose it for the Independence and, yet for others, it is the Income potential (getting paid what you're worth). Whether it is one of these reasons or another reason, sales professionals ultimately have great more control of their lives, personally, professionally and financially."

Every company has a salesperson, even if it is the company owner. As a famous salesperson and national motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar, once said, "Nothing happens until someone sells something." As a salesperson, you are in the enviable position to make something happen. Marissa Weaver, Director at Harley-Davidson, offers that "Sales prepares you for a large portion of executive positions. Understanding the basics of selling provides you with a skill set that you need for interviewing and every aspect of your career that follows."

The best part of a career in Sales is that it is undefined. It is hard to describe your typical day as a salesperson because every day is different. One day you are on the Internet researching prospective clients and, along the way, learning a great deal about a company and, perhaps, a new industry. The next few days may be spent calling these prospective clients and then an entire week may be in face-to-face sales calls. On other days, you are writing up sales-call reports and preparing proposals for clients. Some sales positions allow you to work out of your home office, others require traveling, and still others will allow you to do both.

There is such a range of sales positions that it would take all of the pages of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine to describe all of the possibilities. You can choose from selling tangible products to individuals to selling multi-million dollar contracts to Fortune 500 companies. The latter type of sales is called business-to-business or "B2B" and includes pharmaceutical, health-care, insurance, all types of manufacturing and services. Some large consumer products companies such as Procter & Gamble, Pepsi and Newell Rubber- maid, hire graduating seniors to call on accounts at Wal-Mart, Target and major grocery chains, for example.

Sales is actually the process of problem solving for a potential buyer or enhancing his/her business. Salespeople develop the skills to discover needs and solve problems. Contrary to the viewpoint often held by people who don't understand selling, the most successful salespeople sell by asking questions, not delivering a "spiel" or "talking someone into something they don't need." The old cliché is that a good salesperson can sell sand in the desert. However, the successful salesperson doesn't follow this mentality, but will walk away from a potential order because her product/service doesn't help the potential buyer. Good salespeople sell what customers really need.

The payoffs in a career in Sales are staggering. We have seen first-year sales people make six figures and work a 40-hour workweek. Sales is one of those careers that depend on how smart you work, not on how many hours you work. Of course, that is not to say that the career is not challenging. Sales requires a lot of listening to the client, paying attention to details, and following up. This means doing what you say you are going to do. If you don't follow up, you will never make the sale. But, a personal sense of accomplishment along with the satisfaction of knowing that you solved an individual's problem makes the hard work worthwhile.

One last piece of advice for you! When you go on an interview, don't be a "know-it-all." You don't know it all. What do you know is that you have potential, and you have a unique gift to share with others. You are willing to learn, to contribute, and to work as a team member to help the company grow and reach their mission objectives of sales and market share.

Enjoy yourself! Don't ever settle for less than you can be, and make sure that you create a balance between your professional life and your family needs. Remember the adage: "Why climb the mountain if you don't stop along the way to enjoy the view?"