Sales Experience?

[Anonymous No.681734]

Started a job last week with a marketing company. New in town and living with grandparents currently (23 BS in Marketing) so no rent/low monthly payments.
I worked at a call center doing tech support which was super easy, but a dead end job at best.

Took a chance.

Posting was for exec MGMT. Aced interviews, got offered the job and took it with little research what-so-ever. The company does sampling/demonstrations throughout the metro area in which I live (I demo'd pillows). They said everybody works up to the manager position in 6-8months/you set your own pace etc.
1st day I walked in and it's high fives all around, lots of chanting and hand clapping. Thought I might warm up to it. I was getting people to buy at the demo booth, but not nearly as much as my 'mentor'. Boss basically pre-fired me yesterday. Came in today and quit after realizing that there is a pyramid sales-force but more because of my genuine dread of the high-pressure cultist scene there.

Are all sales jobs like this? Share your stories from sales ITT please. from retail to high-end machinery. What did you sell? What was your experience at the company like?

[Anonymous No.681774]

>>681734
I worked at a telemarketing company and there was this one superior who had read too many books on self improvement. He obviously took what these books said to his heart and did everything they said. Needless to say, everything about him sounded extremely fake. Even his "thank you" to the cashiers had something unusually fake about it.

Anyway he tried setting up this cult mood amongst workers by yelling loudly and being this hyperactively happy guy. Dunno if it was his fault or the inherent autism of nordic people but others didn't really go along with it.

Well. That's my experience.

>Are all sales jobs like this?
Probably most. The more prestigious the company the less so, I'd assume.

[Anonymous No.681793]

>>681774
thanks for sharing anon
Yeah the fake-ness is real (no pun intended) and that's probably the hardest thing for me. I get it when dealing with customers (excitement, white lies and so-forth). The training felt more like consented brainwashing so that's why I decided to leave. What do you do now?

[Anonymous No.681794]

Sales and marketing jobs fall into 1 of 2 categories for low end jobs and 1 of 2 categories at the executive level.

There are the companies like how you described. The happy cult. They are all about teams, positive mood, and almost new age self-help style management. I interviewed at one company who listed a daily 10 minute meditation break and 3 times weekly in office yoga instructors.

The other kind is generally referred to as a boiler room. You sit in a cubicle forest and managers walk up and down the rows watching/yelling at you. You sell or you are fired. No matter if you are a 2 week employee or a 10 year employee. Your job is ALWAYS on the line, every second of every day.

The high end companies tend to blend these 2 together leaning slightly toward the boiler room category.

Execs will fall into either slightly better paid boiler room workers or nearly Mad Men style martini lunches. In sales however I will say that not many make it to work those executive level jobs. You would be talking about 10% of the 50% who made it past 2 years

[Anonymous No.681806]

>>681793
>What do you do now?
lol absolutely nothing even vaguely related to selling.

I'm just in it so I could build the capital for investing. Telemarketing has far too unstable income for my plan of investing monthly a specific sum.

[Anonymous No.681852]

>>681734
>What did you sell?
Timeshare. Still do. I'm the taxidermy fox guy.

>What was your experience at the company like?
Great. I love it. It's a stressful, sell or be fired environment, but if you're competent, it's fun as hell. We still have some degree of cult shit. We watch motivational movies some mornings in our daily brief. We always get hyped up during the morning with a speech from one of the managers or director, but for the most part, the people selling and succeeding know it's crap. It's all pageantry. The idiots at work think we really buy all this shit and they're above it all; the really stupid ones actually buy it. The irony is that the ones who actually buy it will luck into a sale every now and then. The people who think it's cool to be aloof can't sell a thing.

[Anonymous No.682014]

Was selling business management software to SMB's (startup), product wasn't amazing but the founder started at Bain & apparently they have additional products lined up
Some catered lunches, paid employee nights, stocked fridge and snacks. I was basically cold calling all day on.an autodailer

Just interviewed at 2 places today, 1)call center outsourcing to startups. This has decent pay, I scout and qualify my own leads then send them to account execs, the people that interviewed me have solid backgrounds, good MBA's. Interview went veey well imo
2) ecommerce for used auto parts. I'd be cold calling and qualifying, then closing myself. Very nice startup office suites. Hardvard amd Stanford founders. Interviewed well but I doubt I'll get it, didn't connect very well and I have no automotive background


Quit looking to MLM's and, if you expect to get hired, learn how to do due diligence
Your degree is fucking worthless btw

[Anonymous No.682016]

>>681734
Not all sales jobs are like this, but the world is over saturated with shitty pyramid schemes luring in people with "sales jobs".

Some more legit than others.

The Financial Representative at Northwestern Mutual is a shitty pyramid scheme. They have you go in and try to sell their insurance to all your friends/family. Then once you can't meet the quotas you're kicked out, higher up guys take your clients and they move on to the fresh crop on desperate college grads.

They use their name to lure people in thinking they'll have a good opportunity.

[Anonymous No.682019]

>>681852
Your original thread inspired me to get into sales and has subsequently bettered my life, so thanks for that

Go into what you mean by the attempted brain wash

[Anonymous No.682073]

>>681852
Thanks for sharing anon.
>taxidermy fox guy
A little context please? Also, it sounds like you're pretty good at what you do. What's the best advice you could give somebody who is on the fence about making a career out of sales?

>>682014
Interesting. Good luck with your new opportunities! Any strategies for scouting out companies that aren't full of shit (MLMs, shady practices)?
>your degree is worthless btw
yes i realized this by the end of junior year I only finished out because being a college dropout would've been painful for my family.

[Anonymous No.682209]

>>682019
>Go into what you mean by the attempted brain wash
Nothing too crazy. Motivational movies from YouTube in the morning. Meant to psyche people up to sell. I come from an athletic background, so it always makes me feel like I'm in the tunnel waiting to take the field and fucks up my headspace for work. It's funny really. Then the usual, "We're selling dreams here" stuff. It's not bad; just sort of cliché. I pretend to enjoy it.

>>682073
>A little context please?
I do sales threads every now and then to help people out. I use that shit taxidermy fox as an OP picture.

>Also, it sounds like you're pretty good at what you do. What's the best advice you could give somebody who is on the fence about making a career out of sales?
Be persistent and expect it to suck at first. You will get out what you put in, though. So it definitely rewards hard work. You will not just coast by. If that's what you're looking to do, forget sales.

[Anonymous No.682228]

>>682209
Do sales people do a lot of drugs? Im entering a sales field that demands 12 hour days, and i have a lot of cocaine on hand because I party. are drugs common?

[Anonymous No.682231]

>>682073
Look the companies up
You should already be doing this for your cover letter

>>682209
Out of curiosity, post one

It disillusions you from the very company you're working for and, by extension, the product you're selling. I get how it would mess with you

Easier said than done but you should consider forming an inside team with a few pros and new guys. Being actual salesmen you could probably form your own productive mini-culture

[Anonymous No.682235]

>>682228
Your job is to get decision makers drunk and you always have to be on. What do you think?

[Anonymous No.682240]

>>682235
I think caffeine is necessary, and maybe some cocaine every now and then
Im curious what you guys spend your money on, doesn't sales always make more than average for their demographic?

[Anonymous No.682250]

>>682231
probably a lot of stuff like this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pzL6Of_VsY

[Anonymous No.682264]

Not op
Ill be taking a sales position in a really small company soon managing a number of accounts and out trying to make new ones. I find myself being the least social or extroverted person I know, though i dont have issues carrying a coversation or an interview. I have a lot of phobia regarding sales and it is a valuable skill in my industry. How do I better approach sales?

[Anonymous No.682302]

>>682228
>Do sales people do a lot of drugs?
We drink a lot. I need to cut back as I just got my second DUI the other night. Tired of paying my fucking attorney. Don't do coke to keep up with work. It fucks your brain chemistry up too hard in the long run.

>>682231
>Out of curiosity, post one
http://youtu.be/flKP4Te8L94

>Easier said than done but you should consider forming an inside team with a few pros and new guys. Being actual salesmen you could probably form your own productive mini-culture
This already happens naturally in any sales environment. The winners stick together and hang out. People that show promise are mentored from a distance. After they've stuck it out, they're accepted wholly by the group. People who "neg you out" are always avoided.

[Anonymous No.682375]

>>682264
OP here (in this board there are IDs btw)
> being the least social or extroverted person I know
I'm in the same boat only I was in a company that was a small branch of a huge parent corporation (I made some sales but hated the company culture so much I left before I had set foot on the proving ground).

That said I'm probably not the best person to give advice advice here but I'll give it a shot.

I always found talking to people in a business environment easier than outside the office. Here's why...

You have to find common denominators. If your up north keep up with hockey (basically whatever is a big thing that many people are interested in your town/territory).

More importantly, and this was mentioned earlier, phrase it in your mind and existing/potential clients psyches that your product/service will actually help them and is something that they definitely NEED (not want).

Also have a generalized interactive pitch memorized, smile, eye-contact and all that good stuff.

[Anonymous No.682470]

Being good at sales is all about being good with people. If you're good at picking up chicks, you can go to clubs and consistently get phone numbers and so forth, you'll find that a lot of that will translate to sales skills... just being able to talk to people and get them on your side.

[Anonymous No.683159]

>>681734

Did sales for 6 months. I was fired on Monday.

Most sales jobs are I'm afraid.

The few that aren't have a product so helpful and good, that a person doesn't need to fake their enthusiasm for selling it.

[Anonymous No.683161]

>>681794

> The other kind is generally referred to as a boiler room. You sit in a cubicle forest and managers walk up and down the rows watching/yelling at you. You sell or you are fired. No matter if you are a 2 week employee or a 10 year employee. Your job is ALWAYS on the line, every second of every day.

I know this feel.

[Anonymous No.683205]

Worked in floor sales for 10 months. The only reason I lasted that long is my manager was super chill and kept making excuses for me to the people upstairs because he's all about giving people a thousand second chances.

Sales just isn't my thing. I hate being sold to and felt straight up skeevy doing it to other people. Every single person I talked to instantly treated me like I was trying to swindle them. I never once tried to upsell anyone on anything, was nothing but polite and accommodating, and still got treated like dirt. I guess I just don't have that ~oomph to convince people to buy shit from me.

I hate sales with a passion. I'd rather become a fat housewife than work another sales gig.

[Anonymous No.683310]

>>683161

Why don't the workers just revolt?

[Anonymous No.683322]

>>683310
Because they'd lose their jobs even faster?

[Anonymous No.683367]

>>683310

Because they want a paycheck. The company could honestly care less. They can fire you at 3pm and have a fresh warm body in your seat at 7am the next day.

Big marketing and sales firms have hundreds of resumes sitting in their database. If they make it all the way through that, post an ad on CareerBuilder and have hundreds more.

I applied for a mid level sales job on career builder last year and at the end career builder tells you the competition for the job...2600 people had applied for it in 6 days

>>683205

Pretty much this. Sales is all about selling your soul for 50 dollars. Half the time you know the product is the least useful thing for the person and you still need to push it.

Short story, I worked in a call center/boiler room during college making 9 dollars an hour and 1% of the sale. Our job was to cold call little old ladies for a mail order pharmacy and get them to transfer all their meds from their local pharmacy. I shit you not this is how half the calls would go half way through

B b but hooow did you get my information?

Maam, maam, maam, we are already past that, I just need your medicare number (their social security number but almost none of them knew that)

h eeere you go, but I dont understand why cant I just go to walgreens?

Maam, is that the Walgreens at (make up random address)

nooo, its the one at blah blah blah (now I know where to transfer your scripts from)

ok great, I have all your shipping and insurance information, you should get your meds from the new pharmacy delivered to your door when their are due for a refill

but wait, I

Have a great day maam

And that is how I paid for my first 2 years of college. Bullying little old ladies out of their social security numbers and life saving medications that we knew 9 times out of 10 would be delivered at best, days after they ran out, worst case, weeks after they ran out

[Anonymous No.683386]

I'm in a similar position in that I enjoy selling products which I know bring value to a customer or business, but a massive percentage of sales positions involve selling complete garbage to customers who'll regret it shortly after.

I get calls constantly from graduate recruiter-to-recruiter businesses, but the entire thing feels like a racket. I know the money is good in recruitment but I cannot for the life of my understand why any medium+ sized company can't hire a dedicated internal recruiter who can build their own network. In the graduate jobs market in the UK, at least 50% are in recruitment, the turnover is that high.

--

Anyway, I've done a number of sales jobs (face to face and telesales) over the years. The worst one was a product which essentially involved getting the elderly and unemployable to sign up to something which they thought was free, but if they forgot to cancel would cost them (the equivalent of) $105. Absolutely horrible company, but I made 2-4x the money I would've done doing a shitty cashier job.

I'd love to work in sales, but unless I can find something to sell that I genuinely believe in I know I'll just quit after a few months regardless of the cash - not a career move.

[Anonymous No.683436]

>>683205
> my manager was super chill and kept making excuses for me to the people upstairs because he's all about giving people a thousand second chances.
love these people

> Every single person I talked to instantly treated me like I was trying to swindle them. I never once tried to upsell anyone on anything, was nothing but polite and accommodating, and still got treated like dirt

that's what so crazy about it is the "nice salespeople" cant sell and get treated bad, but the oily snakes get all the sales and everyone treats them like rockstars. Its sad thats how it is, but it is.

[Anonymous No.683438]

>>683310

because entrenched wealth. and capitalism.

[Anonymous No.683450]

>>681734
Appco?

[Anonymous No.683560]

I was a sales rep in a persian-owned medical imaging technology supplier.

needless to say, it was a pretty odd corp culture to begin with, but the sales area was encased in a glass room which we all called the sharktank.

there was a somewhat enjoyable gallows humor between all the sales folks, since we all knew we weren't long for the job unless we sold fucking displays (some of which could go for 30k, pic related)

I was at least spared the drama of competitive territory and poaching of sales since I was in charge of Canada exclusively, but considering I was operating in direct opposition to our supplier's policies (we were only authorized dealers in the US) it was a miracle I managed any sales at all.

I recommend doing some sales at some point in your career, it will make you appreciate any other kind of job you have down the road. It will also teach you some basic skills that you will be able to draw upon in interviews, presentations and project proposals further down the road.

[Anonymous No.683576]

>>682073

Dont listen to the dumbass who said your degree is worthless. Thats just STEMfags touting their bullshit bc it's the only thing that they have to cling on to in order to feel better than others. Marketing is a viable degree bc every company needs it, no exceptions.

[Anonymous No.683582]

>>683560

Dude, semi funny story. I was shooting the shit with my CDW rep over drinks one night. Casual stuff, and I said that my wife wanted to buy a 3k monitor. He giggled and said that is nothing... then told me about the ins and outs of black and white, beyond ultra resolution displays... I was fucking shocked.

It is just beyond my frame of reality that a 24 inch widescreen monitor... I dont give a shit what it does, can run anywhere between 20-80K

Just imagine selling 15 80k monitors in a phone call... thats fucking 60,000 dollars for you in 45 minutes work at most. It was then I realized why I always got my drinks paid for, and he had no problem geeking out with me for 2 hours about the newest Cisco shit even though I was buying 2 WAPs and a switch

[Anonymous No.683592]

>>683560
> I recommend doing some sales at some point in your career, it will make you appreciate any other kind of job you have down the road. It will also teach you some basic skills that you will be able to draw upon in interviews, presentations and project proposals further down the road.

So so true. Jobs I feel like every person should do at least once:
- some form of sales
- some form of teaching
- work in a restaurant (you'll never complain about less than perfect service again)

[Anonymous No.683749]

>>683582
>CDW
ugh, lost so many sales to those guys
cant say I blame them, anything that wasn't in stock would usually get bought from them and re-labelled before final shipping

such a shady outfit

[Anonymous No.683764]

>>683592
I've done all of these and I agree. Especially if you're on the shy/introvert side like I kinda was. I wanted money so I didn't give a fuck. I might even add customer service to that list. It's almost like a mesh of all three. Angry customers aren't fun though, at least not until you're at the job long enough to know how to fuck with them.

[Anonymous No.683768]

I sell home improvement products in the DC metro area, mostly Northern Virginia and the wealthy parts of Maryland. Lots of money to be made, brother. You just gotta dig in and really be passionate about what you do and the way your products improve the lives of your customers. The other side to it is the grind. What are your results going to be like if you pitch 50 people vs 150 per day? We're all gonna make it

[Anonymous No.683856]

>>683592
>- some form of sales
>- some form of teaching
I currently do both these things and love it.