When people say they work in sales, the response is often something like, “Sales?! I could never spend all day talking on the phone to strangers!”
However, depending on the company and industry, working in sales means many different things, and regardless of the field you want to go into, getting serious sales experience under your belt is an awesome start to your career.
Don’t believe us? Here are five amazing things about working in sales that the vast majority of people don’t know.
(And if you want an incredible sales job, good news: UPS is hiring inside sales people in Greenville, Phoenix, and San Antonio on WayUp right now!)
1. You Listen More Than You Speak
You may think that working in sales means being able to talk a lot, but in fact, sales is about listening intently to client concerns and thinking critically about how you can best address any questions they have. Great salespeople don’t just pitch a product; they also listen to what a potential customer needs and tailor the pitch to that specific person.
If you’re a great listener, sales could be the perfect career to put those skills to the test while also learning how to speak well to clients.
2. You Improve Your Memory
Working in sales requires you to keep track of everything from important client information to interpersonal tidbits that help you keep close client relationships. Being able to ask a client about the vacation she just took is just as crucial as being able to recall the assets you sold to a brand.
If you have a knack for remembering key conversations, facts, and events, you’ll thrive in a sales position where you can use those skills every day.
3. You Cultivate Real Relationships
Clients aren’t just people you’re selling a service to; they become strong professional contacts and people you’ll thoroughly enjoy catching up with. Sales is more than talking to strangers on the phone; at the end of the day, it’s about making sure you’re able to continuously connect with people to form a beneficial partnership.
4. You Build Extremely Transferable Skills
Don’t exactly know what you want to do yet professionally? Sales can be a great department to start off your career because you get to learn so many transferable skills that apply to virtually any job in any industry.
In a sales role, you’ll get to learn so much, including (but certainly not limited to):
- Pitching. You’ll persuade others to follow your line of thinking.
- Operations and organization. Salespeople find leads, organize their contacts, follow up with existing leads, and track their progress along the way.
- Public speaking and presentation. You’ll be creating decks and other presentations left and right to show to prospective and current clients alike.
- Problem-solving. Whether it’s trying to land an amazing new client or troubleshooting issues with an existing one, sales forces you to come up with unique solutions to challenging problems. There’s never a typical day or dull moment.
- Settling goals. Many people think setting a sales goal simply entails coming up with a random number and trying to meet it. However, the smartest goals are those that challenge you while not discouraging you. Knowing how to set your sights on bigger targets without draining morale is important no matter what you end up doing.
5. You Work in a Team-Oriented Environment
While you may be the one making an individual sale, no man (or woman) is an island when it comes to working in a sales department. Your team will have overall goals it’s trying to meet, and there will always be people you can turn to for advice and mentorship.
For instance, want to run your pitch by a co-worker before you take it to an important potential client? Your colleagues are there to help, and you’re all in this together.
Sales teams are not only smart and engaging, but they can also be a great place for young people trying to figure out what they want to do going forward.
And if you’re looking for an amazing job in sales that’ll kickstart your career and give you the skills and mentorship you desire, remember that you can apply to work for UPS as an inside sales rep in Greenville, Phoenix, and San Antonio right now on WayUp.
