Sales (as a job)

Does anyone else think sales jobs suck, or is it just me? I mean, the constant bs, the 4/6/8 hrs a day in the car is like solitude and I think rots the brain.

Plus the market I’m in at the moment (civil, environmental engineering) is sooooo slow.

I need a new job!

You need to ringfence the unicorn, get all your ducks in a row, then sharpen your pencil.

Hth

most salesmen (or women) are the spawn of the devil.

It only sucks if no one wants to buy your stuff.

Nah, been a salesman for many years & enjoy it. I’ve made a couple of my bosses into millionaires, but sadly not myself.
Selling is a calling, where would the oldest profession be if not for the pimps?

Left my sales role after driving a 1000 miles a week and purchased a business from one of my retiring clients! Best move I’ve done in years!

If you’re selling something decent how is their constant bs? I mean there must always be some piss-taking going on financially, but is bs-ing around an actual engineering product successful as an approach?

Just going by the people who try and sell me scientific equipment for my lab. They’re a pretty steady bunch by and large – stereotypical sales patter would kill any sale in about 5 seconds.

Garry, The sales techniques involved are usually lies to your clients to get them to place orders, like estate agents always telling you that someone else is looking at the house your interested in. They are called closing techniques and are nearly always lies.

Then there is the constant pressure from above.

Also there is nothing analytical, I can’t remember the last time I used my brain, thus why I said in my op about my brain ‘rotting’.

I’ve been doing it for 3 years now, time for a change I think!

It depends on the industry and company. I have been in construction based sales for ten years or so. Current role is very varied, one call sat with an architect getting our products specified for huge projects, the next call could be looking at our products on a small site. We don’t sell direct, so I also get involved in a lot of account management with our resellers. Not really an ‘Always Be Closing’ sort of sales role.

Lots of construction is booming at the minute, my biggest problem is a shortage of product, too many houses being built. If you are in an engineering based sales role, it is generally fairly easy to move to another engineering based sales role even if the product is different.

What type of Civils stuff are you selling?

I works in Civils and things are really starting to gather pace in a lot of sectors, highways, water etc.

I started selling for Yellow Pages in the 90’s and it was quite full on TBH now I sell interesting high value software and services to nice people and it couldn’t be more different. I still love cold calling though, I am a bit weird I suppose as most hate it.

Overall sales has been very good to me, I like it.

Sounds like you need a new role.

I like it in the main but then I can (just about) manage my diary to fit in life

it’s about 30-50% of my job currently but not the sort of stuff your doing, we are in very low volumes so it just means chasing lots of people with not much return. On the plus side there is not much driving.

Everyone is selling something.

Currently working in sales in civils/geotechnical field. Certainly couldn’t sell our product unless it worked. Civil engineers are a cynical bunch!
I was previously in Construction /facades though and am about to move back. I rode have to say the prospect of a much smaller area and less driving played a major part in that decision.
I’ve always found plenty of variety in Construction sales.

The sales techniques involved are usually lies to your clients to get them to place orders, like estate agents always telling you that someone else is looking at the house your interested in. They are called closing techniques and are nearly always lies.

Either you’re a bad salesman or working for a bad company with a bad product. A lie is not a close, it’s a lie. I suggest you change role, or get some decent training and examine your business ethics.

Moses – Member
The sales techniques involved are usually lies to your clients to get them to place orders, like estate agents always telling you that someone else is looking at the house your interested in. They are called closing techniques and are nearly always lies.

Either you’re a bad salesman or working for a bad company with a bad product. A lie is not a close, it’s a lie. I suggest you change role, or get some decent training and examine your business ethics.

+1

I moved into Sales from professional services in March. I’ve learned a lot, especially how hard our Salespeople works to earn the percieved glory they get. I’m enjoying the challenge, and the variety from working in the same ol’ office day after day of client meetings during the day. Plus I’m a coffee lover so this gives me loads of <insert coffee house here> opportunities. Only 25% of my target to go…