Is sales the most soul crushing job alive?

[BBSLM]

Originally Posted by swaggerisaliability

Most soul crushing job = investment banking, especially at entry levels

i take it you speak from experience? why do you say that?

 

[swaggerisaliability]

Originally Posted by BBSLM

i take it you speak from experience? why do you say that?
Working 80+ hours a week, sometimes getting to 100, is not exactly fun.

 

[texas_jack]

Originally Posted by swaggerisaliability

Working 80+ hours a week, sometimes getting to 100, is no exactly fun.

I'm not disputing you but long hours does not equal soul crushing. It's just tiring. I worked 18 hr shifts in a fish processing plant in Alaska and I was ******* tired all the time but I didn't question humanity. Having people spend all day trying to make you go away is soul crushing.

 

[Bring The Noise]

Originally Posted by texas_jack

I'm not disputing you but long hours does not equal soul crushing. It's just tiring. I worked 18 hr shifts in a fish processing plant in Alaska and I was ******* tired all the time but I didn't question humanity. Having people spend all day trying to make you go away is soul crushing.

this

 

[FidelCashflow]

Like other people have pointed out, it all depends what you're selling. If you're trying to sell people something you don't believe in and they don't want, that would be soul crushing. But if the opposite is true, it could actually be enjoyable (provided you're the type of person who's a good salesman) In high school I worked on commission at retail stores selling sneakers and track pants and stuff like that. I was one of those kids with the attitude of "just buy something expensive, I really don't care why" so obviously I did pretty crappy in terms of commissions.

In first year university I became a cashier at Zellers (like a Canadian K-Mart.) The pay was crappy, but that was pretty easy. The only hassle was I always got in trouble for not going through this whole routine of "do you want to put this on your Zellers credit card? Do you want to use you zellers rewards card? do you want to sign up for a zellers credit card? Do you want to sign up for a zellers rewards card? (if they say no to everything, tell them how many zellers points the COULD have earned)." for every single customer, even if they were buying just a can of coke.

 

[Pantisocrat]

I had worked as a clerk at the local gas stations. It's a lot more soul crushing than anything out there. I've wondered why they don't just automate the process so I don't get this "rush" every time I see an unsavory character entering the storefront.

 

[swaggerisaliability]

Originally Posted by texas_jack

I'm not disputing you but long hours does not equal soul crushing. It's just tiring. I worked 18 hr shifts in a fish processing plant in Alaska and I was ******* tired all the time but I didn't question humanity. Having people spend all day trying to make you go away is soul crushing.

Oh, I misinterpreted the thread. I would have to agree with your statement. In the spectrum of jobs, telemarketing would probably come in dead last for me.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

Sales people who like what they're selling and do a good job of representing themselves and their products are commendable.

If you're getting a lot of bad feedback you're probably doing it wrong.

 

[Journeyman]

Originally Posted by SpooPoker

I love sales. And I **** you not, I sold sunglasses to a blind man. True story.

I don't know if you're joking or not, but it's actually pretty easy to sell sunglasses to blind people as most blind people wear them.

Selling refrigerators to eskimos, however - that's real sales ability!

 

[BBSLM]

Originally Posted by Journeyman

I don't know if you're joking or not, but it's actually pretty easy to sell sunglasses to blind people as most blind people wear them.

Selling refrigerators to eskimos, however - that's real sales ability!

Ive sold popsicles to women in white gloves, and bubblegum to people in the lockjaw ward at Bellevue.

 

[rnoldh]

Sales is both the highest and lowest paying job that there is. 100% Commission sales at least.

I've had some incredibly wonderful and some extremely poor years at sales.

If I had one tip it would be to quickly forget rejection.

Someone could MF you and really get you down but immediately forget it and visualize your next lead ( appointment, cold call ) as your best sale ever.

I have noticed that as I've gotten older I guess I'm less hungry and I tend to give things away or work on ridiculous margins. But I wasn't like that in my 20s.

 

[rnoldh]

Originally Posted by willpower

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Mamet's absolute masterpiece ( to me at least ).

"You see this watch"

I wear a Seiko. I have friends in Tanglewood and River Oaks ( good sections of Houston ) that wear Casios!

Sales can be fun and not always be this brutal.

 

[texas_jack]

Originally Posted by rnoldh

Mamet's absolute masterpiece ( to me at least ).

"You see this watch"

I wear a Seiko. I have friends in Tanglewood and River Oaks ( good sections of Houston ) that wear Casios!

Sales can be fun and not always be this brutal.

Yeah, Honestly I've been pretty lucky in sales to not have any terrible products or psycho managers. I've had some psycho regional managers but I don't have to see them much. If I had to deal with the above I'd probably go work for someone else.

 

[Master-Classter]

Thanks for the ideas in this thread folks. I just started working in sales and it's occured to me that I only somewhat actually believe in the product and would never pay retail for it, hence me alway pointing out the problems and referring people to what's on sale. Alright, attitude adjustment in the works.

 

[johnshaw]



I love sales with a passion. There is something brilliant about taking money from someone, for something they don't need and them still thanking you for the pleasure. I started out in telemarketing in school, then moved to Fine Art during a gap year and now I'm working as a salesman for a high-street retailer. Once you can sell over the phone, you can sell anything. Once I realised I could do it my life turned around. You can ask any girl you meet out for a drink, you can wrap any sales clerk around you little finger and talk your way out of almost any trouble. Learning to talk to people in a way that makes them want to give you their life savings is possibly the best skill a man can have. Keep plugging away at your Telesales job, its bloody hard work, but once you've learned the skill, the world should be your oyster.

Awesome post. How does one learn to talk to people like you have described. I'm in sales too! Look forward to your response very much!