5 Ways a Sales Stint Is Exceptionally Rewarding For All Professionals

When most white-collar professionals think of sales, they picture an exasperatingly persistent person in tacky clothes trying to sell an insurance policy or something against people’s will. 

Unsurprisingly, most parents don’t want their kids to grow up to become salespeople. Consequently, when these kids grow up, they look down on sales as disreputable, low-paid positions.

In reality, though, sales differ wildly from its unfortunate public perception, particularly after how technology has transformed it in the last decade or two. 

So whether or not you want to pursue it as a career, here’s why a sales stint can add immense value to any professional.

Every Professional Is a Salesperson—So Why Not Dab into It?

Whether or not you’re directly selling your product or service to a customer, every job is essentially a sales job at some point or another, particularly as you climb up the ladder. 

An investment banker sells deals to potential clients; an advertiser sells campaigns to clients or companies looking for advertisements. A content marketer sells products or services using writing as a device to persuade prospective buyers. 

In tech, for instance, an aptitude for sales in addition to technical knowledge is likely to help catapult to senior managerial roles. 

The most successful lawyer can best sell their clients’ innocence to the judge or jury. 

But, most importantly, even before you get a job in the first place, you have to “sell” yourself and your skills to any potential employer at a job interview to get hired…

So you see, even if you think your job is far from sales, you’re are still essentially selling at some end. And there is no way around it. 

Hence, sales knowledge can help you get a job and advance your career in any field you can think of, thanks to the various other skills you’ll pick up in the process. 

Here’s how it works:

1. Sales improves ‘people skills’

Sales is a people job, period. Your success as a salesperson will depend heavily on your ability to quickly build a rapport with your customer and make them realise that you are looking out for their best interests, not yours, when you sell them a product. 

So, if you’re not already the most sociable or extroverted person, a sales job is sure to turn you into one. After all, interacting with dozens of unique new customers every day leaves little room for shyness or reticence!

Among the skills you’ll master in a sales stint are being a great listener who makes the speaker feel heard and asks all the right questions. In this way, you’ll forge real connections with people in short periods—the rare yet essential art of persuasion and, most importantly, building trust.

2. Sales help learn to deal with rejection

Many high-achievers who did well effortlessly in school or college stumble when they enter the professional world because they must suddenly deal with competition from equally successful peers and sometimes even failure or rejection.

For a salesperson, though, a rejection is not a sign of personal incompetence. Instead, it is simply a routine occurrence and a learning experience. 

So, previous sales experience can help you see that being passed over during a promotion is not a reflection of your worth rather an opportunity to reflect on what, if anything, you can do differently to make it work next time.

3. Sales make a quick learner who can think on their feet

To convince a customer that they could benefit from your product or service, you first need to understand the product in great detail. This may involve understanding subjects entirely outside your realm of knowledge and comfort zone in relatively short periods. 

Any job that involves constantly working with strangers will also need you to master improvisation to keep up with them, and sales are no exception. 

Whether it’s dealing with a hot prospect suddenly going cold or a fickle-minded customer who doesn’t seem to know what they want, sales experience will teach you how to deal with problems and crises in real-time.

These two skills together are a formidable combination that can prepare you to tackle anything thrown to you at work, no matter where that work is.

4. Sales teach the art of negotiation

Money is still undeniably a taboo in our society; so most of us shudder at the thought of having to discuss it with strangers. But discussing money is an essential part of sales. 

Therefore, experience in sales can teach you how to talk money and negotiate, politely yet firmly, without a hint of awkwardness or embarrassment.

Did you know that one of the most significant causes of the wage gap is that women tend to negotiate their salaries much less than men? In addition, 60% of women say they’ve never negotiated their pay at all. 

Due to various reasons, sales are often seen as a man’s job, and there are disappointingly few women in the field. But a sales stint can do wonders for your confidence when it comes to negotiating salaries.

5. Sales allow making a real impact right from the start

At most entry-level or even mid-level jobs, it can be challenging to see the tangible effects of your work, making it feel insignificant or a waste of your time to you and potentially your employers. 

Not so in sales. 

You might not double your company’s sales in your first two years. Still, your efforts' quality and quantity will reflect upon your commissions or bonuses. 

Aside from your increased earning potential, the simple satisfaction of knowing that you are performing well can be an incredible motivator.

Learn to Think Like a CEO

All of the skills discussed above and more translate well to management and leadership positions in all industries. Hence, it’s unsurprising that sales and marketing are some of the most common starting points for the CEOs of Fortune 100 companies.

If you’d like to learn how these great business executives, from Warren Buffett to Mark Cuban succeeded, think and work, then kickstart your career in sales. 

Juno School’s online sales courses could do wonders if a student is looking for a sales career or just wants to enhance their skills. We offer interactive online teaching classes covering everything sales—students are ready to launch their sales career in just eight weeks! 

The best part? Our deep industry tie-ups open up promising professional opportunities as they learn from the best in the industry. Apply today!