Have you ever thought to yourself, “Is working in sales right for me?”

Then please continue reading because I wrote this useful article to help you discover why working in sales might be the best career choice you’ve ever made.

But first, I’d like to share with you my own personal journey into sales.

How I started working in sales

A little over 7 months ago I faced a major crisis in my life.

My previous ventures into social media consulting and professional restaurant cooking were a bust.

I was broke, depressed, washed-up, unemployable, and destined for one thing: failure.

My friends and colleagues had long ago surpassed me in seemingly everything, from personal wealth to happiness.

I had nothing and I thought I would never be anything.

Until one day, I had a crazy idea: I was going to try working in sales!

I figured I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Afterall, worst comes to worst, I’d just go back to working in a food truck or making pizzas.

I scoured all the various job websites and applied to as many inside sales positions as I could find.

And then…nothing.

Nobody was willing to give me a chance due to my lack of real sales experience.

I was frustrated and ready to quit. I was a failure at sales before I even had a chance to start.

Wait…they want to talk to me?

Then one day I found a job posting for a company called Cangrade.

They’re a Software-as-a-Service (Saas) company based in Cambridge, MA that helps employers predict which potential new hires will be successful.

I saw they were looking for an inside sales representative, so I applied. As part of the job application, I had to take the Cangrade personality assessment.

This online test only takes about 12-15 minutes to complete. However, the valuable information and predictive insight it provides regarding every potential new hire is an absolute game-changer for companies looking to make better hiring decisions.

The most important test I’ve ever taken in my life

Developed by Harvard psychology researchers, the Cangrade personality assessment analyzes every job applicant across 40 different personality traits, such as trust, precision, multitasking, ability to handle pressure, and the desire to lead.

Without even looking at a resume or conducting an interview, the tool instantly provides human resources and hiring managers with an in-depth look into the personality of everyone who applies to the job.

But more importantly, Cangrade makes an actual prediction for who will be successful in the job, based on their personality traits.

The result: better quality candidates and better quality hires, leading to better business outcomes and lower employee turnover.

Here’s a brief 90-second video that explains how Cangrade works and why it’s such a valuable tool for finding good job candidates:

 

Eventhough I had not previously worked in sales, the Cangrade personality assessment showed that I had the personality traits, characteristics, and potential to be a successful, high-performing salesman. That test was the foot in the door I needed to prove I was the right hire for the sales job.

I did my interviews and impressed management with my strong commitment to achieving greatness in sales.

A few weeks later, I got the call I’ve been waiting my whole life to hear: I finally had my chance to work in sales!

A new path to success

Working in sales has helped me discover my new path in life. And now, I want to help others who are struggling to find theirs.

I hope that by sharing my personal story with you, you’ll be inspired to try working in sales to see if it’s the right path for you.

If you’re still not sure is a selling career is right for you, then here are:

 

5 surprising reasons to consider working in sales

 

5. You will overcome F.E.A.R.

F.E.A.R. is simply an acronym that stands for “False Evidence Appearing Real.”

Fear is what prevents us from trying to improve our situation because we think we might fail.

Fear exists in our minds because that’s where we create it.

Working in sales will help you push past your fears. And when you push past your fears, then you will find success.

If you work in sales, you will be talking to strangers and trying to help them solve problems. Sounds easy, right? That’s because it is. (The talking part…the selling part takes work.) But fear prevents a lot of people from even trying it.

If you fear selling activities like cold calling, then you will be able to overcome this simply by doing the thing you fear.

This is what’s known as “systematic desensitization.” Basically, you do the thing you fear over and over again until you’re no longer fearing the thing.

In other words, you exhaust the fear until it withers and dies, and only YOU are left standing.

If you are nervous about public speaking, asking for money, or being held accountable for your actions, then guess what?

Sales will help you smash these fears because you will be doing these things everyday.

The more you do the things you fear, the less these things will hold you back from achieving your true mission in life.

4. You will learn how to run a profitable business.

Everybody working in sales should consider themselves “entrepreneurs within an enterprise.”

That’s because salespeople are solely responsible for bringing in new business and generating more revenue to keep the business growing.

Afterall, a business can only exist if enough revenue is brought in to pay the bills, compensate employees, and finance the costs for producing the product.

And that’s precisely why working in sales is the perfect education for owning your own business. It will teach you the exact blueprint you need to become a successful entrepreneur.

Look at the backgrounds of most CEOs and business owners. A vast majority of them have at least some sales experience.

That is no accident.

If you ever dreamed of running your own business, then you can have no better education than working in sales and learning what it really takes to grow a company from the ground up.

3. You are already selling everyday.

Ever try to help somebody solve a problem?

How about trying to communicate a great idea you had?

Chances are, you’ve answered “Yes” to both questions.

Well, guess what, amigo…you’ve done sales!

Sales is everywhere and everyone is a sales person. Most people just don’t even realize they’re selling.

Of course, not everyone is actually asking for a signature on a contract worth millions or negotiating a long-term real estate deal.

However it’s the communicating of an idea or transference of a feeling to another person that is the true essence of sales.

So if you’re already doing this and enjoying some level of success, then don’t you think you can do this on a professional level and achieve your goals?

2.You will increase your job opportunities.

Every company needs salespeople. Visit any career website, such as CareerBuilder, Indeed, or SimplyHired, and do a search for “sales”.

Chances are you will find dozens upon dozens of open sales positions that can provide you with a good income, health benefits, vacation time, 401(k), and lots of other perks.

But don’t be fooled.

Sales is definitely NOT a cushy job.

The top performing salespeople work hard to get to where they are. Success in sales is never an accident.

This means showing up early, staying late, working through lunch, making cold calls, networking, going to sales training seminars, and constantly filling your pipeline with fresh leads to ensure you never run out of opportunities to help people with your product.

Replicate the same practices that the best salespeople do, and in time you will join their ranks at the top of the sales profession.

1. You will earn more money.

Almost everybody working in sales makes a commission, or a percentage of the price of the goods sold, for every deal they close.

This means that the more you sell, the more commission you take home.

And since commissions are typically uncapped, then there is no limit to how much you will earn per year.

I’ve worked in both salary as well as hourly low-wage positions.

In these non-commission jobs, if I worked hard and did more than what was expected of me, I would still be paid the same amount.

However, in sales, you can expect to be rewarded for your efforts.

In fact, it’s not unheard of for top-performing salespeople to earn more income than the CEO or owner of the company.

If being compensated handsomely for your hard work and efforts sounds fair to you, then you must strongly consider the possibility of working in sales.

Conclusion

Sales is the hardest job to get rich and the easiest job to get poor. Just like in life, you get out what you put in.

But here’s the good news: All sales skills are learnable.

If you simply commit to learning how to be the best salesperson you can be, then you’re halfway to achieving tremendous success working in sales. (The other half involves actually doing the things you’ve learned!)

If you are sick and tired of not earning what you truly feel you deserve, or if you are looking for an exciting challenge in your life and career, then I encourage you from the bottom of my heart to give sales a try. You really have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

In the end, you may find that, like me, you are a born salesperson who just needs the right opportunity to excel.

Could this be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for your whole life to finally discover your true path to financial success and happiness?

Have you been thinking about working in sales?

What is stopping you from pursuing a sales career?

Are you currently working in sales right now?

Leave a comment below and share with the world your thoughts about working in sales!