What are the pluses and minuses of being in sales?

Question

What are the pluses and minuses of being in sales?

Answer 1

I have been a full time sales rep for 10 years.  I think the best part of a career in sales is the ability to set your own schedule & income level.  I am now in medical sales.  My commission is directly related to the effort I put in on a daily basis.  I cannot image working in a cubicle hoping for a 4% raise at the end of the year.  I'm just not that disciplined!  

The toughest part is managing your time & resources.  You have to decide what prospects/opportunities to devote your effort every day.  I compare it to having my own business without the financial risks & overhead.  There isn't anyone watching you every minute telling you what to do.  Sometimes that is a blessing and a curse.  I do recommend anyone interested in sales give it a try.  The best way to be successful is to be the kind of sales person you would want to do business with yourself.  Call people back, be HONEST, under promise & over deliver.  These things sound cliche but it is the foundation for my success.  Loyalty from customers is the reward for doing the right thing even when it wasn't the easy choice.  After 10 years, I have been able to sell different products/services to several of the same customers.  They know they can believe what I tell them and count on me to fix things when the inevitable problems happen.

I am also a single mom and have been able to attend almost every school function throughout my 9 yr olds life.  When she is sick, I work from home.  In the summer, she makes calls with me most of the time.  It is a great way for me to make the amount of income it takes to give her a great life & still have enough time with her to enjoy it together.  

The negative is that you never really "clock out".  You think about commission, quota, managers, competitors and "what ifs" 24/7.  Customers still count on you regardless of when you are sick or on vacation.  I took my laptop to Disney World and handled customer issues while my daughter took a nap.  I felt guilty for working on our vacation.  On the other hand, how many jobs would pay enough for a single mom to take her kid to Disney for a vacation?  It is definitely a trade off.  All in all, I still would not want to do anything else.  

People are so interesting and diverse that sales guarantees zero boring work days!  Good luck in whatever you decide!   =)

Answer 2

The Plus: the plus's would be that you usually make alot of money upwards of $3000 a month part time depending on the hourly and commission. Also the work is easy because all your doing is talking to people.

The Minuses: Usually horrible managers that harass you about numbers and put you down about every other day, Currently bad economy so sales are down which means no money for us.