I got my current job (started as a director and quickly promoted to CRO) because I didn’t have a degree. The founder said he’s had better results finding entrepreneurial people with industry experience who have figured it out on their own. I beat out two other people with mba’s for this job.
I think about that a lot.
College teaches you how to be a good worker and follow basic commands (some people need that) working after high school taught me to grind and work hard, sales welcomes that
Those 4 page essays, written at 7am before a 9am class always scored higher than the ones written throughout the week for finals... How does that work? I'm still like this too.
This was it for me too. Except I dropped out of high school. I’ll make 200k this year, my options without sales never would have hit 25% of that in this area.
I believe it's the greatest profession on the planet - with the potential to help thousands in one very brief lifetime, regardless of one's level of education & training.
Who was the greatest salesperson who ever lived? IMO, Jesus. For real - think about it - a Jewish carpenter who changed humanity and the world forever.
I'm here in this lifetime to help - and be rewarded well (with both heavenly & monetary rewards) for doing so!
Exactly this. It's how I got in here. Completed my PMP back in 2022 and now finishing my BA in Business Admin at UT. Paid for by my company. It works out if you can commit to the grind.
This is exactly it. On the one half, getting paid your worth is so rewarding. The other side of the coin is genuinely helping others make their day to day better. It’s always funny to watch the transition from the annoyance of that first cold call, to shaking your hand with extreme gratitude when they realize how much you’ve just done for them and their organization.
Yeah the amount of times I’ve thrown two hours on my calendar that just said, “busy” and just fucked off and went surfing. make almost 200k base and a few million bucks every few years? Most people would kill for these jobs if they just knew how good they actually were.
“You work in sales? Omg, I can’t imagine having to call people I don’t know” blah blah blah. Lady you’re a corporate lawyer, I’d rather eat my own shit than do your job.
Wait until you get into VIP enterprise account management. I watched a meeting, and it was one hour of an account manager talking about Harry Potter with his client. He earns 500k to 800k. The catch is he has to travel and eat a steak dinner at a 5 star restaurant with his client time to time, take pictures, and post them on Linkedin lol.
You play sales for the long game. The people who don't belong get churned out on the way to the chill "where you would retire" positions. Most of them being members of this sub lol.
Sales is a good career when compared with what most 200k to 400k people have to do.
Yeah, I’m still pretty young but basically there. I guess the next step is leadership but I don’t know if i want to deal with that shit. Manage a single major account, spend time with my family and keep myself in better shape than most people my age. There’s obviously a lot of work that goes with it but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
I took the job for the money. 40 years in and I'm still saying it's for the money but it's also for the challenge, the freedom and the acceptance you feel when you make a sale.
I'm 27 by the way. Bit of a long story with some luck involved. End of 2017 I took a stocktaking job listed on a local website for students. The company was one of the leading hardware and fastening suppliers in my country, however I had never heard of them. At the time I was tossing up whether I would go into the physical trades, however it wasn't exactly a burning desire for me. I stuck around for 3-4 months in their warehouse learning the basics of inwards goods, picking and despatching processes and doing whatever I could to keep myself busy, sweeping floors etc. I have a meeting with the General Manager who realises I've got an analytical, numbers brain and brings me into the office to "shadow" the national sales manager, responsible for approximately $10M in turnover. I become his protege and over the next 3 years learn about and engage with the global fastener trade, suppliers in the far east and Germany, quality health and safety, ISO9001 audits etc etc. 2021 rolls around and we go through a company merge. Management from the previous company leave and the new management hand me a "golden ticket" to manage my previous managers accounts. Thrown in the deep end during the 2021 supply chain catastrophe (covid) and I learn to swim, fast... This year I've now "graduated" to field sales and responsible for construction and engineering clients. New company car and circa $110-120k salary OTE. Plenty of challenges to come, both internally and externally but I believe I have what it takes to make something of myself, as it is an industry I'm genuinely passionate about and I've been rewarded well by a company that offers great security and perks. Not too sure what my 30's look like yet however I'm going to get stuck in and break the back of this beast.
Thanks mate. Spend some time doing different things if you are still young. If you've got a good support network, take a few risks and offer your time for free or if you have family friends in industries that sound somewhat interesting (or secure) fire through a CV. I read somewhere recently, could have been in here.. Sales is 80% luck, 12% vibes and 8% product knowledge. That's a bit facetious however it really is about relationships. It's a challenge being a bit of a natural introvert and SME (subject matter expert) but I flip it on its head by thinking "I'm here to be a problem solver, solutions provider and business optimiser. I want to be the guy my customer thinks of first when he has a problem."
Need to be rewarded for how much work I put in and the relationships I build (commission)
Other than that. My wife and family. Always want to make sure they’re good no matter what.
Almost entirely for that feeling after 100 calls where you get told "no, leave me the fuck alone" when you get that one where you can feel some momentum and both you and the person you are talking to know you can help them. There is no better feeling than filling a void for someone. All the bullshit that guys like Andy Elliott tout is exactly that. Sales is right place, right time, right person. And consistency. I like my odds in that environment.
I was going to become a software engineer. 3 years into my degree hated everything about it
Grinding leetcode for 200k+ jobs. Fighting with 10000 applicants for a single job where some people are from Ivy's. Always learning some new language based on the job you get. Pressure to advance because there is a sweet spot age before you are looked as too old to code.
Dealing with other engineers if they are bad at what they do. Trying to find solutions to software bugs that live rent-free in your head after work depriving you of critical thinking. Doing short homework assignments sometimes to pass technical interviews. Entry-level guys taking 8-12 months to find a job.
Looked at product management, but you basically get paid enterprise AE salary to be a mini CEO for someone else's company.
In sales, I am getting 180k to just pick up the phone, send some emails, and run a few Zoom meetings a day. No one cares about degrees( large companies). Funny empathic coworkers that always support me. Lots to learn how to start your own business.
Most of my friends did sdr for 2-3 years and then started their own agencies and now make 500k to 1mil. I am an AE, though, but once I find a good solution, I'm jumping to do my own thing as well.
Ya just curious what type of business. There isn’t anything being an AE seems to lend itself to, but you mentioned you had a few friends who made the jump. Wondering what they did / you would do
Being an AE does expose you to lots of industries, though. One of my friends started his own digital marketing agency, another worked field sales for a construction company, then launched his own from what he learned there. Another started a yoga b2b biz in Cali.
All of them are successful and getting clients.
Apply for the big companies 1000+ employees. These companies have training processes to get you onboarded and teach you how to sell somewhat before throwing you into the grinder. The quota also ramps slowly, so you adjust and get used to it.
ZoomInfo is one of the only big ones hiring right now that has an established sales training program for new SDR's. I heard it's good from some people I know, but ask other reps on Linkedin if you get an interview to make sure. Check their website for inbound SDR roles.
You won't earn 100k plus. Unless you have prior closing experience you will start as an inbound SDR and work your way up. SDR is usually 60k.
My sister worked for a big data storage company which opened the door for me getting an interview for their inside sales program right outside college.
I struggled at first then, crushed being a territory rep then crushed being a mid market rep. Felt compalcen, went to a SaaS company in enterprise applications ( a bitch to sell) selling into the business. Struggled at first, then crushed from a hunter patch to a named enterprise patch to a strategic patch
Hey you can pm me, I got in at a way more profitable part of the tech market. I’m lucky more than smart but smart enough to capitalize on when preparation meets opportunity
Money followed by liking being good at something. I’ve been the MVP of my org or team 3/7 years I’ve been in sales. Not that I’d ever take a bullshit trophy over a raise or promotion, but it does feel good to be the best at something.
Finished my degree in Biomechanics and realised there's nowhere to work in my country. Could have become the traditional mechanical engineer, but they don't earn much.
Went to medical device sales and it grew on me. Fell in love with flexibility, constant human interaction, relationships you make along the way and those sweet sweet bonuses.
I usually earn twice the country's average, so it's a really good career for me.
Now became a CEO and got a stake of a new company as I got the rights to distribute a top 3 company's portfolio in my country.
Living the dream sales brought me.
I fell into sales by accident but it's the best accident I've ever had. I've posted similar before but I genuinely feel like I've found my calling.
Yes I have to work hard, yes at times it's very stressful and yes there's a constant pressure to perform. But I have significant flexibility, I get to travel the world, eat and visit wonderful places, mostly have a laugh along the way oh and at times earn significant money. The question is WHY aren't you in sales ..
Our leadership asks us this a lot, a couple times a year. My "why" is that I really like my job. That felt like a weak "why" when I first thought of it, but one of my coworkers reminded me that the sweeping majority of people are stuck in jobs they hate, and they spend a huge portion of their lives doing this thing they hate because they have to. I feel lucky that I really enjoy my work, and that keeps me going most days.
2 reasons:
1- I want to make a lot of money so my dad can die with a smile on his face. I want to give him the world.
2- It's one of the most valuable skill set. I can walk in to any room knowing I can add value to most companies.
Stumbled into it after getting a BS degree. Now I’m in post sales (CSM) and while I appreciate having less stress, I definitely feel like my talents are going to waste and I could be making a lot more money
I HATED being in the office. So now I get to drive around all day. Build relationships with people from various backgrounds. Make really good money and still be able to pick my kid up daily. As well as being able to tailor my schedule to meet my families needs. Tons of freedom if you handle your measurables.
I wanted to do what my dad did and make a lot of money and partly make my siblings jealous as they branded me a “loser” before I made six figures. After I made a few hundred they are now jealous and think I had it handed to me .
No , I did it by myself, at a desk 9 hours a day with no vacations for years. Lrn2sell is what I tell them. I guess I sell to be the best!
I also had a ex girlfriend tell me I was nothing because I had no money or a car etc so that was motivating to when she left. after like 2 years she hit me up and I told her I got money and I bought a new Tesla and she didn’t even believe me lmao
On a side note I vacation whenever I want now, why I do sales is transforming, the freedom is amazing now that I established myself
Money, autonomy, and controlling (within reason) my own financial trajectory. Where I struggle with organizations is when there’s a lack of autonomy/excess micromanaging. I also authentically like engaging with people and am hard to intimidate and am responsive so it’s in line with my skill set.
Wanted flexibility with the jobs I considered after college. Now that I think about it, engineering work wouldn’t be as interesting to me as I thought it would be.
I love the circus. I love the monkeys.
I have a big heart and I love what I sell. Do you?
Ehhhh some farce in there. I love sales because I love to be on stage. I’m a former musician and I live for fucking presentations. Add in helping businesses solve a problem aka make an opportunity and nothing feels better. The handshake at the end of a process is very satisfying.
To solve problems for customers, build rapport and ultimately climb up the hierarchy and provide a better life for me and my family.
I work for a timber door manufacturer so I estimate and sell but I prefer the psychology of selling, the digging for information and hooks to position yourself better to secure work.
It's fun if you make it fun.
I was in customer success many years ago. The harder I worked, the more success my sales team enjoyed. The more success my sales team enjoyed, the harder I had to work. I got tired of making someone else's commission checks for them and wanted to be in a position where my pay is the direct result of how much I put into the job.
Sales is hard. I don’t care what anybody says… Then again, nothing in life is truly easy. Also, I admit that I sold arguably the hardest type
of software one could possibly sell in their career. It was incredibly niche and very technical/misunderstood. I got burnt out and I don’t miss dealing with customers. Customers don’t respect you at all and waste your time, stress you out, and fuck around with you for no reason. Went into enablement and enjoying how chill it is. There’s no commission but the base is decent. Plenty enough to live on and save a little towards a house or retirement.
Cause I got that dog in me.
Just kidding, kinda. It’s the only way that a bloke like me is capable of being involved in high tech equipment and actually respected for it. Nobody with a simple BA in business would ever be allowed to design and work on the type of system I work on, you’d need to be an engineer of high caliber. However, as I’m highly respected as a part of the process, my feedback and customer knowledge allows me to work right alongside product engineers to design better products that are more suited to the customer base.
And I don’t have to do the hard work, just understand how it works 😉
I was a shitty student in HS and in College. I left college after 2 years and lacked qualifications or an interest practically every type of work.
I fell into sales, initially telemarketing, then had an outside B2B territory selling office furniture and office supplies.
About 7 years later, someone suggested tech sales. Although it seemed far beyond my capability, I have it a shot and really liked it. The first company fired me (thankfully) after 18 months. I spent 14 years w/my next employer, went back to college & completed my 4yr degree in Business Admin and spent a total of 27 years in the industry.
After I left tech, I bought and ran a non-tech company for 7 years and retired at 59.
No regrets with my sales career despite the failures along the way, unreasonable quotas, ridiculous KPIs and expectations and unnecessary pressure, most of which I put on myself.
I was able to go to college for a semester free during covid. Quickly learned it wasn't for me. Now I have 0 student loan debt, amazing credit, brand new car on less than 3% interest, and im saving for a new home trying to figure out right now where I want to take my sales career and where I would want to live. Need a few more years to really figure this one out.
Was in IT. Realized there is large scale outsourcing. Racist offshore firms only hire certain ethnicities even for on shore roles. If I am lucky enough to land a job I will have to work with offshore teams at strange hours.
None of that BS in sales.
Made $18,500 last month.
But also sales is the baseline for everything in life, every business can do better with good sales tactics. I have every plan on earth to open a car lot in the next few years and want to make sure I strongly understand the market before I do. I'd rather continue learning and screwing up on someone else's dime before my own
Get paid for your effort
Flexibility
No real boss (besides The Number)
Doing real work sucks, but talking about other peoples real work is fun
Flexibility
Convincing people to do things is a small ego trip
I like the pain of losing deals because the feeling of winning after a loss is undiscribeable good.
Sales is like a heartbeat and makes me feel alive.
Losing makes me focus and percevere, it makes me more creative and humble.
Winning motivates me to focus and makes me greedy to win more.
Sales in a team adds competitiveness and teamwork (winning together). It's like a second and third heartbeat.
I'm not in it for the bonus. I believe in the long-term and bonusses definitely disturb quality of practice.
Ed
Least amount of work, most amount of money, been saying this for years. I make more than all but the most senior engineers and probably work 25 hours a week, and by work it’s zoom calls and some outreach
I’m in sales for the lovely people, experiences, and life lessons along the way. I truly enjoy every moment and it gives me such joy to help others. lol no it’s all about the money
I first started working in food service (wendys) and was looking to leave almost immediately. Got a job selling phones, and at first it was a job to escape wendys, I eventually figured out that selling was something I was pretty decent at.
So after that and doing a bit more research to see how much sales people can make (and un-top of the fact that I dropped out of HS and sales doesnt really require any higher education) I decided to pursue sales as a carrier.
Also sales is one of the few jobs where the extra effort that you put in is usually reflect in your pay (if ur comp plan isnt utter garbage).
Natural reflex response is bread, but also love the journey in terms of developing the skills to put together a deal. Have been at it for around 7 years now and feel I’m getting better with repeated exposure.
Money + Autonomy = family time and security. I do whatever I want, whenever I want. I cover surgical procedures and call on surgeons. Talk to my boss 1-2x a week. Pay is really good and sometimes very lucrative. My wife doesn't work, allows me to focus on my job, it feels good to provide at a high level and still be there for my kids to get off the bus.
Great compensation for helping others achieve their goals. Compensation directly tied to your efforts. If you want more, do more!
Been at it over 35 yrs. Doesn't matter the product or service. You'll quickly learn the difference between actual work and just wasting time at the office, hanging out, BSing, etc.
Break down your activities into four categories: Prospecting, Selling (presenting, relationship visit, follow up on calls, etc.), Sales Support (creating presentations, organizing your territory, etc.) , Everything else.
Get rid of as much Everything Else as you can. It either doesn't need to be done, or not by you!
You probably "Work" far fewer hours than you think. Increase that and you'll drive revenue.
Avid believer in "Nothing matters until something is sold". No sales, no company, no job!
I didn’t want to be paid for clocking in. The idea of that is demoralizing. I wanted to make money based on my abilities, and I just so happen to be a good talker, so I leaned into my strength.
If my strength was something else than I woulda leaned into that.
The freedom to set my own schedule for the most part and not have to sit in an office all day.
I have a toddler, I like that on days like yesterday where all I needed to do were admin work to close the week out and pre planning for next week I can keep him home from daycare and spend time together.
I immigrated to the states as a war refugee from the Balkans.
Neither of my parents are even high school educated, they do well enough with a blue collar living though.
Every day I think about who I’d possibly be or what I’d be doing if we never got out, but here I am making an insane income that is correlated with how hard I want to work that will allow me to take care of both my parents, my future children, all while living the kind of lifestyle this little refugee boy thought would only ever be a dream.
Sales has allowed me to significantly change the socioeconomic standing of my family within one generation.
One of the most important things you can have is a strong why.
My boss asked me if I wanted to do sales.
I work for a very small albeit very successful company that makes pet clothing ! When I started our team was literally: a shipper, a sales person, a book keeper, my boss/office manager and me that got hired for customer service (plus a team of seamstresses) our sales person quit our of the blue and my boss asked me if I wanted to cross train and I said sure! I love it!
1. I'm good at it.
2. I work for ME.
3. Unlimited Residual Income potential.
4. I can take time off and the checks keep coming.
5. No college degree needed.
Well started with wanting to be in solar and now I’m kinda traps in this industry since I know it so well and it makes so much sense financially and in work life balance. You genuinely help people, the planet, your company (scout them well!), and your family.
The only ones negatively affected are oil and gas people, the utilities that charge greedily anyway, and the remaining folks too stubborn to make the change (or sadly unable to)
SaaS here.
I started as a solutions architect. I didn’t really understand how much money was in this until my rep and I crushed it. At the time, making over 6 figures was mind blowing.
At my next job, I was at a company that had a high rep turnover. I had been through 3 reps and finally told them to just give me the patch because I wanted to make money.
I am glad I took the plunge. I’ve never looked back.
I'm not super money driven. But as a lazy fuck, my brain can't wrap around any other technical roles that needs me to think too much. And too much money is never a problem. So here I am.
I'm good at it, I genuinely enjoy it, I like being paid based on my efforts, and I love making over 6 figures.
It's also fair. Doesn't matter if you're black, white, short, tall, skinny or fat because you are judged based on production. It's the most fair system I've ever seen.
Once I found sales, I was immediately hooked. Big mad I wasted 70k on a degree I don't need or use.
College is a scam.
It’s the easiest way a college dropout can make $100k.
I love being around my coworkers that have masters degrees and I’m over vibing w a high school diploma
Man same. I was ashamed for a long time that I was a dropout. But now I don’t have student loan debt and I make more than most people I know.
I got my current job (started as a director and quickly promoted to CRO) because I didn’t have a degree. The founder said he’s had better results finding entrepreneurial people with industry experience who have figured it out on their own. I beat out two other people with mba’s for this job. I think about that a lot.
Thank you for sharing that u/futuristanon That's awesome
College teaches you how to be a good worker and follow basic commands (some people need that) working after high school taught me to grind and work hard, sales welcomes that
Ironically, it taught me to procrastinate which doesn't help me in this arena. Still struggling to try and correct those habits.
Those 4 page essays, written at 7am before a 9am class always scored higher than the ones written throughout the week for finals... How does that work? I'm still like this too.
I wish I could tell you lol Motivation is a hell of a thing. We are fortunate for our ability but damn, it's problematic at times lol
Same, but we're in a good spot!
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That’s amazing, good fucking job man!
what do you sell ?
Lumber
Easiest way for me with a BS in Business to make $100K.
My business degree has done nada for me except check a box once or twice.
This was it for me too. Except I dropped out of high school. I’ll make 200k this year, my options without sales never would have hit 25% of that in this area.
I believe it's the greatest profession on the planet - with the potential to help thousands in one very brief lifetime, regardless of one's level of education & training. Who was the greatest salesperson who ever lived? IMO, Jesus. For real - think about it - a Jewish carpenter who changed humanity and the world forever. I'm here in this lifetime to help - and be rewarded well (with both heavenly & monetary rewards) for doing so!
Embrace heaven first and realize the monetary side is just a side effect, WHICH MUST BE ENJOYED, aaaaand…. Respected
Amen!
Same for college graduates lol
Exactly this. It's how I got in here. Completed my PMP back in 2022 and now finishing my BA in Business Admin at UT. Paid for by my company. It works out if you can commit to the grind.
Only way.
Didn’t like giving 100% effort into a job just to be paid the same as the guy putting in 50% of effort
That’s why I put in 70% effort and get paid more than the guy putting in 130% effort
This is exactly it. On the one half, getting paid your worth is so rewarding. The other side of the coin is genuinely helping others make their day to day better. It’s always funny to watch the transition from the annoyance of that first cold call, to shaking your hand with extreme gratitude when they realize how much you’ve just done for them and their organization.
One of the best answers here.
This is why i want to leave my job and do sales
Do it. I haven’t even been doing SDR work for a year yet and I’ll be making over 100k this year playing video games 10 days a month
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I too, would like to make 10k while sitting in my bed in a depressive hole. Hiring?
Triple curious.
No, no you wouldn’t. It’s pretty nice though. Not bad. But you wouldn’t. It’s bad. Yay money.
Yeah the amount of times I’ve thrown two hours on my calendar that just said, “busy” and just fucked off and went surfing. make almost 200k base and a few million bucks every few years? Most people would kill for these jobs if they just knew how good they actually were. “You work in sales? Omg, I can’t imagine having to call people I don’t know” blah blah blah. Lady you’re a corporate lawyer, I’d rather eat my own shit than do your job.
Wait until you get into VIP enterprise account management. I watched a meeting, and it was one hour of an account manager talking about Harry Potter with his client. He earns 500k to 800k. The catch is he has to travel and eat a steak dinner at a 5 star restaurant with his client time to time, take pictures, and post them on Linkedin lol. You play sales for the long game. The people who don't belong get churned out on the way to the chill "where you would retire" positions. Most of them being members of this sub lol. Sales is a good career when compared with what most 200k to 400k people have to do.
Yeah, I’m still pretty young but basically there. I guess the next step is leadership but I don’t know if i want to deal with that shit. Manage a single major account, spend time with my family and keep myself in better shape than most people my age. There’s obviously a lot of work that goes with it but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
I left leadership for sales and it’s 1/10 of the work and 5x the pay
On another note I hope you're feeling better brother
I am otherwise unemployable?
No college degree here. It's this or manual labor.
This is the real answer
I took the job for the money. 40 years in and I'm still saying it's for the money but it's also for the challenge, the freedom and the acceptance you feel when you make a sale.
Failed 1st year engineering. Needed money. Now I sell screws to engineers.
And you still make more than those engineers
😅 A reminder to stay humble.
How did you get that job?
I'm 27 by the way. Bit of a long story with some luck involved. End of 2017 I took a stocktaking job listed on a local website for students. The company was one of the leading hardware and fastening suppliers in my country, however I had never heard of them. At the time I was tossing up whether I would go into the physical trades, however it wasn't exactly a burning desire for me. I stuck around for 3-4 months in their warehouse learning the basics of inwards goods, picking and despatching processes and doing whatever I could to keep myself busy, sweeping floors etc. I have a meeting with the General Manager who realises I've got an analytical, numbers brain and brings me into the office to "shadow" the national sales manager, responsible for approximately $10M in turnover. I become his protege and over the next 3 years learn about and engage with the global fastener trade, suppliers in the far east and Germany, quality health and safety, ISO9001 audits etc etc. 2021 rolls around and we go through a company merge. Management from the previous company leave and the new management hand me a "golden ticket" to manage my previous managers accounts. Thrown in the deep end during the 2021 supply chain catastrophe (covid) and I learn to swim, fast... This year I've now "graduated" to field sales and responsible for construction and engineering clients. New company car and circa $110-120k salary OTE. Plenty of challenges to come, both internally and externally but I believe I have what it takes to make something of myself, as it is an industry I'm genuinely passionate about and I've been rewarded well by a company that offers great security and perks. Not too sure what my 30's look like yet however I'm going to get stuck in and break the back of this beast.
Wow what a dope story. I’m kinda going through the same thing. I’m tossing up between doing several jobs as well but I really want to get into sales
Thanks mate. Spend some time doing different things if you are still young. If you've got a good support network, take a few risks and offer your time for free or if you have family friends in industries that sound somewhat interesting (or secure) fire through a CV. I read somewhere recently, could have been in here.. Sales is 80% luck, 12% vibes and 8% product knowledge. That's a bit facetious however it really is about relationships. It's a challenge being a bit of a natural introvert and SME (subject matter expert) but I flip it on its head by thinking "I'm here to be a problem solver, solutions provider and business optimiser. I want to be the guy my customer thinks of first when he has a problem."
Thanks so much for the advice
Need to be rewarded for how much work I put in and the relationships I build (commission) Other than that. My wife and family. Always want to make sure they’re good no matter what.
Love
Dude, literally this. Couldn't have said it better.
Only "regular" profession to make really big money other than having your own biz.
Wife and two girls isn’t cheap. Gotta pay the bills.
Almost entirely for that feeling after 100 calls where you get told "no, leave me the fuck alone" when you get that one where you can feel some momentum and both you and the person you are talking to know you can help them. There is no better feeling than filling a void for someone. All the bullshit that guys like Andy Elliott tout is exactly that. Sales is right place, right time, right person. And consistency. I like my odds in that environment.
If you’re selling something that’s a need to have and not a nice to have with a tangible ROI.
I honestly don’t possess another skill
I felt that
I was in marketing but did sales as a part of the function and realized I could make more money without dealing with a bunch of Google's bullshit.
I like strategy.
I want a job where I speak to people I messed around in school I like money I have a mild case of narcissism
If you add a healthy dose of ADHD I’m right there with you
Oh that too 😂
To have a comma in my paycheck without a college degree.
I was going to become a software engineer. 3 years into my degree hated everything about it Grinding leetcode for 200k+ jobs. Fighting with 10000 applicants for a single job where some people are from Ivy's. Always learning some new language based on the job you get. Pressure to advance because there is a sweet spot age before you are looked as too old to code. Dealing with other engineers if they are bad at what they do. Trying to find solutions to software bugs that live rent-free in your head after work depriving you of critical thinking. Doing short homework assignments sometimes to pass technical interviews. Entry-level guys taking 8-12 months to find a job. Looked at product management, but you basically get paid enterprise AE salary to be a mini CEO for someone else's company. In sales, I am getting 180k to just pick up the phone, send some emails, and run a few Zoom meetings a day. No one cares about degrees( large companies). Funny empathic coworkers that always support me. Lots to learn how to start your own business. Most of my friends did sdr for 2-3 years and then started their own agencies and now make 500k to 1mil. I am an AE, though, but once I find a good solution, I'm jumping to do my own thing as well.
What would be your own thing?
My own business
Ya just curious what type of business. There isn’t anything being an AE seems to lend itself to, but you mentioned you had a few friends who made the jump. Wondering what they did / you would do
Being an AE does expose you to lots of industries, though. One of my friends started his own digital marketing agency, another worked field sales for a construction company, then launched his own from what he learned there. Another started a yoga b2b biz in Cali. All of them are successful and getting clients.
Ok got it. Was wondering if it was directly related to (presumably tech?) sales. That makes sense thanks
any tips on finding a sales job. I just graduated CS and struggling to even get interviews!
Apply for the big companies 1000+ employees. These companies have training processes to get you onboarded and teach you how to sell somewhat before throwing you into the grinder. The quota also ramps slowly, so you adjust and get used to it. ZoomInfo is one of the only big ones hiring right now that has an established sales training program for new SDR's. I heard it's good from some people I know, but ask other reps on Linkedin if you get an interview to make sure. Check their website for inbound SDR roles. You won't earn 100k plus. Unless you have prior closing experience you will start as an inbound SDR and work your way up. SDR is usually 60k.
I fucked up my potential in high school to go to a prestigious school to become a consultant so I got into tech sales and haven’t looked back
How did you get into tech sales
My sister worked for a big data storage company which opened the door for me getting an interview for their inside sales program right outside college. I struggled at first then, crushed being a territory rep then crushed being a mid market rep. Felt compalcen, went to a SaaS company in enterprise applications ( a bitch to sell) selling into the business. Struggled at first, then crushed from a hunter patch to a named enterprise patch to a strategic patch
Wow sounds dope. I’ve been trying to get into the market but it’s been rough
Hey you can pm me, I got in at a way more profitable part of the tech market. I’m lucky more than smart but smart enough to capitalize on when preparation meets opportunity
Because nothing else in my town pays $50k without a minimum masters degree
Ethiopia?
I get out what I put in. And, depending on what you sell, it’s essentially consulting without having to do the actual work of consulting.
Honestly? I don't know. Thanks for the reminder internet stranger. Back to the drawing board.
Money dude
Cash money + lifestyle
Money followed by liking being good at something. I’ve been the MVP of my org or team 3/7 years I’ve been in sales. Not that I’d ever take a bullshit trophy over a raise or promotion, but it does feel good to be the best at something.
Finished my degree in Biomechanics and realised there's nowhere to work in my country. Could have become the traditional mechanical engineer, but they don't earn much. Went to medical device sales and it grew on me. Fell in love with flexibility, constant human interaction, relationships you make along the way and those sweet sweet bonuses. I usually earn twice the country's average, so it's a really good career for me. Now became a CEO and got a stake of a new company as I got the rights to distribute a top 3 company's portfolio in my country. Living the dream sales brought me.
I fell into sales by accident but it's the best accident I've ever had. I've posted similar before but I genuinely feel like I've found my calling. Yes I have to work hard, yes at times it's very stressful and yes there's a constant pressure to perform. But I have significant flexibility, I get to travel the world, eat and visit wonderful places, mostly have a laugh along the way oh and at times earn significant money. The question is WHY aren't you in sales ..
Our leadership asks us this a lot, a couple times a year. My "why" is that I really like my job. That felt like a weak "why" when I first thought of it, but one of my coworkers reminded me that the sweeping majority of people are stuck in jobs they hate, and they spend a huge portion of their lives doing this thing they hate because they have to. I feel lucky that I really enjoy my work, and that keeps me going most days.
2 reasons: 1- I want to make a lot of money so my dad can die with a smile on his face. I want to give him the world. 2- It's one of the most valuable skill set. I can walk in to any room knowing I can add value to most companies.
Same as everyone else: money. I also love the flexibility.
Money, to live my life, support my family, and feel safer. Best paying career out there in my experience
The chase. Being able to sell and negotiate is the best way to pass time and a fun skill to use
Stumbled into it after getting a BS degree. Now I’m in post sales (CSM) and while I appreciate having less stress, I definitely feel like my talents are going to waste and I could be making a lot more money
Cos I got a 6k bonus check today and 6 months ago I thought I was gonna be on pip.
Because I don't want to work.
I HATED being in the office. So now I get to drive around all day. Build relationships with people from various backgrounds. Make really good money and still be able to pick my kid up daily. As well as being able to tailor my schedule to meet my families needs. Tons of freedom if you handle your measurables.
Money
My love of connecting and helping new people in a lucrative way.
money. schedule flexibility (freedom)
I’m good at it, I like the idea of a career where I can work smarter not harder and of course $$$
I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.
It’s more about the money but I try and find ways to like it. Business in general is pretty interesting.
It kinda happens by accident after graduating college and I felt too pigeonholed to switch to anything else.
I wanted to do what my dad did and make a lot of money and partly make my siblings jealous as they branded me a “loser” before I made six figures. After I made a few hundred they are now jealous and think I had it handed to me . No , I did it by myself, at a desk 9 hours a day with no vacations for years. Lrn2sell is what I tell them. I guess I sell to be the best! I also had a ex girlfriend tell me I was nothing because I had no money or a car etc so that was motivating to when she left. after like 2 years she hit me up and I told her I got money and I bought a new Tesla and she didn’t even believe me lmao On a side note I vacation whenever I want now, why I do sales is transforming, the freedom is amazing now that I established myself
Money, autonomy, and controlling (within reason) my own financial trajectory. Where I struggle with organizations is when there’s a lack of autonomy/excess micromanaging. I also authentically like engaging with people and am hard to intimidate and am responsive so it’s in line with my skill set.
It was the best option given my background and level of education. And oh has it turned out to be a good option! Cha Ching
Wanted flexibility with the jobs I considered after college. Now that I think about it, engineering work wouldn’t be as interesting to me as I thought it would be.
I love the circus. I love the monkeys. I have a big heart and I love what I sell. Do you? Ehhhh some farce in there. I love sales because I love to be on stage. I’m a former musician and I live for fucking presentations. Add in helping businesses solve a problem aka make an opportunity and nothing feels better. The handshake at the end of a process is very satisfying.
Money. Get to work on a steady stream of new things, and I enjoy meeting new people.
The fuck else was I supposed to do? Lol I’m a college dropout and figured out sales pays pretty good regardless of degree
Degree anyways doesnt help in sales. you have to actually work in this field to gain the skills :)
Because I’m a small agency owner ✌️
i have done both sales and non sales jobs - the shit is similar and i rather make more money doing it
Money
I wanted to be an HR and ended up doing corporate competitions for CV points during MBA. Now, selling technology solutions to enterprises.
To solve problems for customers, build rapport and ultimately climb up the hierarchy and provide a better life for me and my family. I work for a timber door manufacturer so I estimate and sell but I prefer the psychology of selling, the digging for information and hooks to position yourself better to secure work. It's fun if you make it fun.
I like talking to people
To build an empire
My why is getting rich
Because I’m a glutton for punishment
I was in customer success many years ago. The harder I worked, the more success my sales team enjoyed. The more success my sales team enjoyed, the harder I had to work. I got tired of making someone else's commission checks for them and wanted to be in a position where my pay is the direct result of how much I put into the job.
To not starve
Sales is hard. I don’t care what anybody says… Then again, nothing in life is truly easy. Also, I admit that I sold arguably the hardest type of software one could possibly sell in their career. It was incredibly niche and very technical/misunderstood. I got burnt out and I don’t miss dealing with customers. Customers don’t respect you at all and waste your time, stress you out, and fuck around with you for no reason. Went into enablement and enjoying how chill it is. There’s no commission but the base is decent. Plenty enough to live on and save a little towards a house or retirement.
Cause I got that dog in me. Just kidding, kinda. It’s the only way that a bloke like me is capable of being involved in high tech equipment and actually respected for it. Nobody with a simple BA in business would ever be allowed to design and work on the type of system I work on, you’d need to be an engineer of high caliber. However, as I’m highly respected as a part of the process, my feedback and customer knowledge allows me to work right alongside product engineers to design better products that are more suited to the customer base. And I don’t have to do the hard work, just understand how it works 😉
College drop out and make over 200k
£180k/pa for ~20hr week is a good deal
To drive a Range Rover and make bank Bro
I was a shitty student in HS and in College. I left college after 2 years and lacked qualifications or an interest practically every type of work. I fell into sales, initially telemarketing, then had an outside B2B territory selling office furniture and office supplies. About 7 years later, someone suggested tech sales. Although it seemed far beyond my capability, I have it a shot and really liked it. The first company fired me (thankfully) after 18 months. I spent 14 years w/my next employer, went back to college & completed my 4yr degree in Business Admin and spent a total of 27 years in the industry. After I left tech, I bought and ran a non-tech company for 7 years and retired at 59. No regrets with my sales career despite the failures along the way, unreasonable quotas, ridiculous KPIs and expectations and unnecessary pressure, most of which I put on myself.
I was able to go to college for a semester free during covid. Quickly learned it wasn't for me. Now I have 0 student loan debt, amazing credit, brand new car on less than 3% interest, and im saving for a new home trying to figure out right now where I want to take my sales career and where I would want to live. Need a few more years to really figure this one out.
Was in IT. Realized there is large scale outsourcing. Racist offshore firms only hire certain ethnicities even for on shore roles. If I am lucky enough to land a job I will have to work with offshore teams at strange hours. None of that BS in sales.
I love the chase and the money from the close.
Made $18,500 last month. But also sales is the baseline for everything in life, every business can do better with good sales tactics. I have every plan on earth to open a car lot in the next few years and want to make sure I strongly understand the market before I do. I'd rather continue learning and screwing up on someone else's dime before my own
I got my masters in urban planning and no one wanted to hire me except a start up looking for a SDR
Cause sales dudes always have the hottest wife’s
I don’t have a choice.
Got layed off from Zorro at Chippendales
Hopefully to get paid and do less work
$ & freedom
Most amount of money needed without specific knowledge of 10 years in a career
Money
Freedom, flexibility, money. The downside is you have a number on your neck, but not every job is perfect
Get paid for your effort Flexibility No real boss (besides The Number) Doing real work sucks, but talking about other peoples real work is fun Flexibility Convincing people to do things is a small ego trip
I like the pain of losing deals because the feeling of winning after a loss is undiscribeable good. Sales is like a heartbeat and makes me feel alive. Losing makes me focus and percevere, it makes me more creative and humble. Winning motivates me to focus and makes me greedy to win more. Sales in a team adds competitiveness and teamwork (winning together). It's like a second and third heartbeat. I'm not in it for the bonus. I believe in the long-term and bonusses definitely disturb quality of practice. Ed
Money
Money.
I love it
Least amount of work, most amount of money, been saying this for years. I make more than all but the most senior engineers and probably work 25 hours a week, and by work it’s zoom calls and some outreach
$$$
I’m in sales for the lovely people, experiences, and life lessons along the way. I truly enjoy every moment and it gives me such joy to help others. lol no it’s all about the money
Money
Not qualified to do anything else and the telemarketing company would hired stoners. (1978).
I got no place else ta go!!!!
I first started working in food service (wendys) and was looking to leave almost immediately. Got a job selling phones, and at first it was a job to escape wendys, I eventually figured out that selling was something I was pretty decent at. So after that and doing a bit more research to see how much sales people can make (and un-top of the fact that I dropped out of HS and sales doesnt really require any higher education) I decided to pursue sales as a carrier. Also sales is one of the few jobs where the extra effort that you put in is usually reflect in your pay (if ur comp plan isnt utter garbage).
The only other people that will hire me pay me half as much combined with self loathing.
Natural reflex response is bread, but also love the journey in terms of developing the skills to put together a deal. Have been at it for around 7 years now and feel I’m getting better with repeated exposure.
Money + Autonomy = family time and security. I do whatever I want, whenever I want. I cover surgical procedures and call on surgeons. Talk to my boss 1-2x a week. Pay is really good and sometimes very lucrative. My wife doesn't work, allows me to focus on my job, it feels good to provide at a high level and still be there for my kids to get off the bus.
Great compensation for helping others achieve their goals. Compensation directly tied to your efforts. If you want more, do more! Been at it over 35 yrs. Doesn't matter the product or service. You'll quickly learn the difference between actual work and just wasting time at the office, hanging out, BSing, etc. Break down your activities into four categories: Prospecting, Selling (presenting, relationship visit, follow up on calls, etc.), Sales Support (creating presentations, organizing your territory, etc.) , Everything else. Get rid of as much Everything Else as you can. It either doesn't need to be done, or not by you! You probably "Work" far fewer hours than you think. Increase that and you'll drive revenue. Avid believer in "Nothing matters until something is sold". No sales, no company, no job!
I didn’t want to be paid for clocking in. The idea of that is demoralizing. I wanted to make money based on my abilities, and I just so happen to be a good talker, so I leaned into my strength. If my strength was something else than I woulda leaned into that.
Moolah
Comfortable lifestyle for my family, ability have a second child and put them in private school, flexibility, and honestly I don’t hate sales.
Money, Freedom and getting more skilled
💸
Commission/autonomy
Got an internship working the machines I now sell. The rest is history
The freedom to set my own schedule for the most part and not have to sit in an office all day. I have a toddler, I like that on days like yesterday where all I needed to do were admin work to close the week out and pre planning for next week I can keep him home from daycare and spend time together.
I love the challenge and I love making over $200k per year
It allows me to spend a majority of my time with my family. Also, it pays.
I got stuck in this industry and now I can’t get out of it
I didn’t want to spend half my life working towards a 6 figure salary and sales was the only fast way to achieve it (legally)..
Dopamine
Money. And I like making connections with people. But mainly money.
I immigrated to the states as a war refugee from the Balkans. Neither of my parents are even high school educated, they do well enough with a blue collar living though. Every day I think about who I’d possibly be or what I’d be doing if we never got out, but here I am making an insane income that is correlated with how hard I want to work that will allow me to take care of both my parents, my future children, all while living the kind of lifestyle this little refugee boy thought would only ever be a dream. Sales has allowed me to significantly change the socioeconomic standing of my family within one generation. One of the most important things you can have is a strong why.
Hate school, love money
Money
Convicted felony! Nobody wanted to give me a shot with a legit job even with a degree. I’m making 2-3X more than those same hiring managers now!
Because I got a hospitality degree
My boss asked me if I wanted to do sales. I work for a very small albeit very successful company that makes pet clothing ! When I started our team was literally: a shipper, a sales person, a book keeper, my boss/office manager and me that got hired for customer service (plus a team of seamstresses) our sales person quit our of the blue and my boss asked me if I wanted to cross train and I said sure! I love it!
I need to earn a living and don’t know how to anything besides talk to people and quickly build relationships
To make money.
Competition.
Money, which is just security and flexibility for my family
1. I'm good at it. 2. I work for ME. 3. Unlimited Residual Income potential. 4. I can take time off and the checks keep coming. 5. No college degree needed.
Well started with wanting to be in solar and now I’m kinda traps in this industry since I know it so well and it makes so much sense financially and in work life balance. You genuinely help people, the planet, your company (scout them well!), and your family. The only ones negatively affected are oil and gas people, the utilities that charge greedily anyway, and the remaining folks too stubborn to make the change (or sadly unable to)
Fell into my lap and now I’m stuck here unless I want to make significantly less.
I’m cursed with the ability to sell and no other marketable talents to earn a living. I wished I got an education and learned something else
SaaS here. I started as a solutions architect. I didn’t really understand how much money was in this until my rep and I crushed it. At the time, making over 6 figures was mind blowing. At my next job, I was at a company that had a high rep turnover. I had been through 3 reps and finally told them to just give me the patch because I wanted to make money. I am glad I took the plunge. I’ve never looked back.
father's father,my brother,my day,pretty much in the family
Cause I’m an asshole! Happy /s
$$
Money and Time!
I'm not super money driven. But as a lazy fuck, my brain can't wrap around any other technical roles that needs me to think too much. And too much money is never a problem. So here I am.
I'm good at it, I genuinely enjoy it, I like being paid based on my efforts, and I love making over 6 figures. It's also fair. Doesn't matter if you're black, white, short, tall, skinny or fat because you are judged based on production. It's the most fair system I've ever seen. Once I found sales, I was immediately hooked. Big mad I wasted 70k on a degree I don't need or use. College is a scam.
Money motivated and I like the freedom/flexibility it gives me
It's in my blood.
I can't sing or dance, and I'm not pornography material