Ask the average person walking down the street about sales.
Chances are they’ll tell you that sales is cut-throat. It’s difficult to make a living in sales. It’s even a dead-end career. After all, people fear what they do not know.
I tell them to sit in on a sales call with me.
Just one call… with me or any of my salespeople.
And there’s a high likelihood they’ll experience a thrilling roller coaster ride of push and pull. There’s a challenge to overcome, a relationship to build, problems to solve, and real-life people to help.
Now imagine a full day filled with this. A full year… A full life!
Needless to say, sales is a career that will feed you for decades to come. It’s a career you can hang your hat on. And this isn’t even to mention the fortunes that can be made when you master the craft.
So without further ado, here are the 6 Reasons Why Sales is the Best Field in 2024 and beyond.
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1. Sales is a Meritocracy
This is my favorite thing about sales. It’s a meritocracy — totally based on merit and merit alone. If you book calls or close deals, you win. If you don’t book calls or close deals, you lose. It’s simple and straightforward. There aren’t any politics to navigate like there are in the average corporate role. There aren’t any you-know-whats to kiss. Your maneuvering and upward mobility is accomplished with every dial you make. There is a direct positive correlation between effort and reward. If you’re crushing calls and booking meetings (SDR) or closing deals (AE), then your boss is happy, you’re making money, you have plenty of stability, and you write your own ticket to your future. What more could you ask for?
2. Countless Ways to Grow and Challenge Yourself
When you first start out in sales, you might book a meeting for every 100 outbound calls you make. If you stick with it, and seek to understand and improve, then you will soon be booking 2-3 calls out of 100. Keep learning, and you may book 4-5. The only limit is the limit you put on yourself! Same goes for closing deals, building lists, emails opened, etc. etc. No matter the KPI or sales metric, there are tangible ways to improve at every aspect of sales. This is another fascinating principle of sales. If you seek growth and challenge yourself, you will rise to the top (the cream always rises!).
3. Actually Help People
Doctors and nurses help people. Teachers help people. And scientists help people. But do salespeople help people? You bet! If your product or service is in alignment with what the market wants and needs, then each deal you close is a partnership toward success. If your product is capable of helping a company, then that company will benefit financially, which equates to more jobs, better working conditions, you name it. This might sound like a stretch, but months down the road real people might be able to feed their hungry kids because of the meeting you booked today. Think of sales like an ecosystem in this way — everything is interconnected. Everything trickles down or ripples out. Everything matters.
4. Global Opportunities
Ever want to architect a big deal in Beijing? How about build relationships in Buenos Aires? Or sell software in Seychelles? You get the idea. Sales opens up a world of opportunities if you’re willing to try something new. Native English speakers have a huge leg up in international markets, and sales is growing all throughout the developed world. So once you build a foundation of a career stateside — especially in tech and software, finance, construction, and logistics/transportation — you’re absolutely golden in foreign markets. And if you’ve ever been to exotic locales like Dubai or Singapore, Japan, or many cities in China, you know they are just as developed as America. So there’s opportunity to make loads of money and see the world while you’re at it. What other career promises this?
5. Job Security… Forever
Sales isn’t going anywhere. As the economy goes topsy-turvy, salespeople are in demand. When we’re in a recession — or even a depression — salespeople will be in demand. This reminds me of the opening scene from Django Unchained, where the traveling dentist is selling his services in a post-apocalyptic world. So don’t count it out! You might be selling ammo and MREs if World War 3 happens, but guess what, you’ll be able to feed your family and survive. Of course, chances are you’ll be selling advanced AI applications in 10-20 years. But my point still stands… no matter the state of the world, your sales skills will matter and earn you a great living.
6. You’ll Get All the Ladies
Of course I say this tongue-in-cheek. What I mean is that you’ll have the self-confidence to speak to anyone about anything. After a few years in sales — maybe even a few months — you’ll be chomping at the bit to engage with other people. This will help you in the dating world, in your local community, and even in your personal relationships with your family and friends. The confidence and negotiation skills that you’ll gain from sales is irreplaceable. And if you ever decide to leave the sales world, you can do practically anything with these skills and they will take you to great heights. You’ll also learn how to properly reframe the once-dreaded word “No.” (Remember, every tentative “No” is a starting point to negotiations. And a final/resolute “No” is a necessary waypoint on the journey to “Yes.”)
Final Words
Of course, sales isn’t for everyone. If you’re an introvert and don’t enjoy talking to people, then get a job in data or stacking books in your local library.
Actually, I take that back. If you’re an introvert and afraid to put yourself out there, get a sales job and you’ll learn to love people. You’ll learn to stretch yourself and overcome challenges. And you’ll gain the confidence and people-skills needed to successfully navigate the world. Again, what more could you ask for?
You’ve got this.
Until next time…
Johnny-Lee Reinoso