What Is It Like Being A Salesperson? An Honest Interview

Have you ever considered working in sales? By that I don’t mean retail, I mean proper sales. Sitting in an office cold calling businesses or consumers, pulling out all of the tricks to sell a house or a car, stopping passers-by in the street in a bid to sell a makeup collection. There are so many different roles in sales, but note, they all require you to have certain characteristics.

Do you have the power of persuasion? The talk of the gab? Extra thick skin? The ability to push on even when things are going wrong and you’ve had hours of rejection? If the answer is yes, sales could be for you. Sales requires you to work hard, push the boundaries and meet (sometimes ridiculously high) targets. It’s a very rewarding career and can earn you a lot of money if done right.

Job roles in sales includes: Sales/Telesales Executive, Sales Manager, Field Sales Executive, Estate Agent, Car Salesperson, Recruitment Consultant, Fundraiser (technically sales), etc.

I got into sales in January this year. It was way harder than I anticipated, so I thought I’d include it in my Career Posts and give you an insight. Depending on where you work, you will probably have to work long hours. Most of the time is spent on the phones if you are working in an office (or from home). Keeping with the interview theme, I decided to have fun and interview myself.

Why did you become a Sales Executive?

I was exploring possible different career paths. My college lecturer thought I’d be good at sales so I gave it a go.

So what did you like most about being a Sales Executive?

It pushed me to become more tenacious and forceful in a way. I am an introvert, not the least bit pushy. In sales you have to work towards your goal and make sure the word No doesn’t become an obstacle. I used what I learnt during the summer to get those sales I wanted. I did door to door fundraising and had 3 days of intense training. It was extremely useful.

What’s the biggest challenge you had to face?

Rejection! Rejection handling is key and not taking anything personally. Some people can be really cruel both in person and over the phone, so you have to be able to shrug it off and move on to the next possible sale. I also found it hard to keep cold calling for hours straight. It felt too repetitive for me; I need change.

What were your main duties?

Cold calling was the main part of my job. I made repeat calls to secure sales, updated the company software, visited some of the businesses to talk to them face to face and researched a lot.

What do you think it takes to succeed in the industry?

Motivation firstly. You need to be tenacious, not afraid to go after what you want, be able to take rejection and confidence. You need to have a good telephone manner as well.

Would you go back into sales?

Probably not. It wasn’t for me. I’ve done it again since but I just don’t find pleasure in calling hundreds of different people a day trying to sell something. I really don’t like door to door and field sales; I lose motivation quickly. I've wanted to be an estate agent for a while though, so I'll never say never.

Okay, so in conclusion, do you have any advice for aspiring salespeople?

You don’t have to be an extrovert to be successful. Many great salespeople are actually introverts like me, but they know how to persuade someone into a sale. Remember as well that it takes time to master the perfect sales technique.

So, do you fancy the challenge of turning that third No into a Yes?

I will still be interviewing other people to learn about more careers and jobs, but I will also include my own experiences. I’ve tried loads of different jobs so keep posted to get an insight into modelling, waitressing, retail, tutoring, door to door fundraising, etc. I will also do a post on what it’s like to run a small business.

TTFN

Shanice x