Sales Jobs That Don't Suck

[floridaorange]

Anyone have any positive experiences they care to share? I have been running my own business now for 10 years and am looking to get back into sales. I have a few resume's I have sent out.

Just wondering what industries some of you have thrived in?

I did commercial real estate sales after college and loved it, up until the recession which brought that to a hault, only because I was in Southern Cal and had gone through 2 yrs of insane work schedule and little to no pay. My listings that I had gotten became overpriced over night and sense lending had ended, I decided to pivot.

I also did Life Ins Sales, and although it wasn't terrible by any means, if a client chose to cancel their policy in the first yr, the company took back your bonus, which sucked.

[Murf the Surf]

Nothing legal.....might be the rum talking.

[Tyga11]

There is something like a 90% washout rate of life insurance reps...unless you have a very wide circle (doctor's, lawyers, professionals) I would not consider that.

I'm a retirement plan wholesaler (sales) and it's a very tough industry. I try to make 50 cold calls a day. It's very mundane and I find myself burnt out once a month.

I would think a good sales position would be working for a tech company...seems like there is a lot more money in that industry.

What positions have you reached out for?

[Alfisti]

50 a day?Fuck me you're an animal.

I am in Market Research, industry is small and I get by because I know the ops and execution side inside out. It's tough winning new customers, people are scared to switch vendors to say the least.

[zx10guy]

Didn't you have a thread about this before?

I'm in IT sales. Made the pivot from being a Government contractor. I can't say too much from the full on account executive side. I do have some insights from working with various AEs. While I'm sales focused, I'm also the technical/engineering resource.

I personally think you tend to be more successful selling a product/service when you either have knowledge of it or have some passion around it.

[floridaorange]

Originally Posted by Tyga11

There is something like a 90% washout rate of life insurance reps...unless you have a very wide circle (doctor's, lawyers, professionals) I would not consider that.

I'm a retirement plan wholesaler (sales) and it's a very tough industry. I try to make 50 cold calls a day. It's very mundane and I find myself burnt out once a month.

I would think a good sales position would be working for a tech company...seems like there is a lot more money in that industry.

What positions have you reached out for?

Totally true regarding ins, I had a nice boost with some big sales handed to me from contacts.

It was once I started selling to the entire Gov’t of Oklahoma that the sales began to get cancelled / again at the height of the recession.

50 a day was our target in RE, it was tough, no two ways about it.

I’m looking into a few positions with warm leads where I just go close. Working with a developer.

[ASAP]

kind of depends what sort of sales you are looking at...

the high tech ones i've seen are somewhat stressful but pay insanely well as long as you are selling the right product... a friend of mine made 400k last year

some luxury product sales are good too... but the good jobs are harder to find

typical old school services or goods i would imagine would be terrible

[2000cs]

I’m guessing from the thread title that vacuum cleaner sales is out.

[CTinline-six]

Sales in general is a shitty field. Yeah you can make good money, but you will always be pushed harder by whoever you work for to sell more than last quarter. It's not as bad if you really enjoy the products you sell, or work for a more laid back company. I have several vendor contacts in the IT field, and even the ones who are extremely successful often question if the compensation is worth the time spent away from their families and hobbies and constantly being on the road.

[KowalskiBMW13]

Substance abuse treatment sales. The hardest demographic to persuade but simultaneously the most fulfilling. Can be tough but rewarding financially.

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by 2000cs

I’m guessing from the thread title that vacuum cleaner sales is out.

have you ever seen breaking bad?

[2008M36MT]

Aerospace BD seems like a lot of fun if you’re into traveling. The BD guys I negotiate the contracts for are always traveling around the world. I used to do a lot of that, but I worked in global customer service at the time, before transitioning into contracts. I used to work in commercial, but now in military so not much travel.

[floridaorange]

I’ve got a friend reccomending a pharma sales position with one of the top companies. Evidently they like former athletes. I’m hesitant to go that route - any thoughts?

[2000cs]

Originally Posted by ASAP

have you ever seen breaking bad?

Actually, no. But I’m old enough to have had several Kirby salespeople come to the house to sell vacuums. Encyclopedia sales too. And Fuller Brush. Pretty much all gone now.

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by 2000cs

Actually, no. But I’m old enough to have had several Kirby salespeople come to the house to sell vacuums. Encyclopedia sales too. And Fuller Brush. Pretty much all gone now.

I think thats the point...

the business was solely a front for another illegit business by a certain individual

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

Sales in general is a shitty field. Yeah you can make good money, but you will always be pushed harder by whoever you work for to sell more than last quarter. It's not as bad if you really enjoy the products you sell, or work for a more laid back company. I have several vendor contacts in the IT field, and even the ones who are extremely successful often question if the compensation is worth the time spent away from their families and hobbies and constantly being on the road.

I've coined the annual quota increase as the "Success Tax". It really depends on the company how egregious it will be. Also a lot of it depends on your manager. One of the past companies I worked for in sales, my then manager had a lot of discretion on how the overall team quota was distributed to the individual engineers. While this is nice to help out those that are facing a tough budgetary cycle with their territory, it can fall into being totally unfair due to the specter of favoritism. As an engineer, I've had an individual number I was responsible for and now I'm on a team quota. I prefer the team quota as it promotes collaboration among team members to help each other out. While I won't potentially make as much as if I had an individual number, I'm ok with that. Also, bumping up ones quota has been a method of forcing out a person that in the view of the company has become expensive.

Money in sales isn't about just straight commission payout either. All companies have a concept of accelerators where each dollar of commission pay out above your quota is paid out at a multiple. The one company I worked for paid out 2x from 100 to 125% of quota, 3x from 125% to 150%, and 1x after 150%. I made a ton of money during my time at this company but as stated, the work life balance wasn't worth it. Then there are the special bonus programs called SPIFFs which can also add significantly to your yearly payout. I had pulled in one SPIFF bonus where I was paid out about $30k if I remember correctly.

Sales also has a lot of flexibility which you won't get from a normal butt in seat position. I have tons of flexibility with my work schedule where I can set meetings when they're more convenient for me. I work from home. Any travel expense to visit clients or partners is paid out such as mileage, tolls, parking, etc.

Again, it's about finding the right company to work for. I'm over the moon with my current employer and have no desire to go anywhere.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by 2000cs

Actually, no. But I’m old enough to have had several Kirby salespeople come to the house to sell vacuums. Encyclopedia sales too. And Fuller Brush. Pretty much all gone now.

My dad sold Electrolux door to door when I was a kid. I remember going on some sales calls with him and sitting quietly while I watched him stand on the vacuums, dump dirt on people’s carpet to vacuum it up, etc. I also remember he made $100 commission for each one he sold. I thought it was an incredible amount of money back then (1970s), but when I got older, I wondered how he survived financially.

Aside from vacuums, he has sold class rings, cameras, Apple computers (when they were first available), home heating oil, cars, furniture and I’m sure some things I’ve forgotten. Always a grind and always looking for a better opportunity. Tough way to make a living IMO unless you are exceptionally motivated, willing to work all the time and, of course, good at selling.

[AWDtoRWD]

Is there a chance you can consult for the industry you're in? Contacts? Issues within the industry that you can solve?

What is 'Life Ins Sales'?

[gtr2M3]

I thought I was terrible at sales…. until I started selling stuff that I was passionate about.

Clients you really want can smell bullshit from a mile away, but they can detect when you truly love what you’re “selling”

After 30 years I’m still doing the same thing

[2000cs]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

My dad sold Electrolux door to door when I was a kid. I remember going on some sales calls with him and sitting quietly while I watched him stand on the vacuums, dump dirt on people’s carpet to vacuum it up, etc. I also remember he made $100 commission for each one he sold. I thought it was an incredible amount of money back then (1970s), but when I got older, I wondered how he survived financially.

Aside from vacuums, he has sold class rings, cameras, Apple computers (when they were first available), home heating oil, cars, furniture and I’m sure some things I’ve forgotten. Always a grind and always looking for a better opportunity. Tough way to make a living IMO unless you are exceptionally motivated, willing to work all the time and, of course, good at selling.

I really admire people with that much determination, grit and perserverance.

[chassis]

Originally Posted by floridaorange

Anyone have any positive experiences they care to share? I have been running my own business now for 10 years and am looking to get back into sales. I have a few resume's I have sent out.

Just wondering what industries some of you have thrived in?

I did commercial real estate sales after college and loved it, up until the recession which brought that to a hault, only because I was in Southern Cal and had gone through 2 yrs of insane work schedule and little to no pay. My listings that I had gotten became overpriced over night and sense lending had ended, I decided to pivot.

I also did Life Ins Sales, and although it wasn't terrible by any means, if a client chose to cancel their policy in the first yr, the company took back your bonus, which sucked.

General comment: your personal network + a "good" market = good salesperson income. Real estate during the GFC is an example of a bad market. Building (construction) products for the past couple of years is an example of a decent or good market. Timing plays a role in this.

If you are an average sales person in a bad market, income will be poor. If you a good to great sales person in a bad market, income might be OK. Sales is tough as mentioned many times.

Long selling cycles sometimes come with more salary and less commission, because the number of "sales" (executed customer orders) per year is low. An example of this is the capital machinery market. Customers spend months, sometimes years, figuring out what they want, then sign a multimillion dollar contract. During the months-years process, the salesperson needs to keep giving the customer what they want in terms of information, pricing, customizations, etc.

Business development in my experience is not strictly "Sales" but is the step prior to Sales. I have seen BD roles generally with salaried compensation, not commission compensation. This is for highly technical, high dollar-per-order products. The BD person networks, makes connections, qualifies leads, identifies a need, and either becomes the "Sales" person or passes the lead to the Sales team. It is a more creative and white space role, for example if a company wants to enter a new market (geography or product - space ) . You need chutzpah and presence to convince a client/employer that they can trust you with their money (your salary) in a less-defined role.

Summary: go with your network and products/services that feel right to you. Hopefully the market is good.

[Joe T]

Originally Posted by 2000cs

I’m guessing from the thread title that vacuum cleaner sales is out.

I'm kinda in this industry.. we distribute janitorial supplies/food service packaging, equipment ( including vacuums), chemicals, and industrial packaging. I've transitioned from sales to a sales support role managing a group of over 40 about a year ago.

It's not sexy, and many in the field are "aging out" and young people don't seem to be drawn to the industry.

A LOT of repeat business, relationship based. And the average rep makes bank. The top ones make close to 7 figures (maybe actual 7 figures)

Not bad for toilet paper and paper towels...

and we have branches in FL