Sales
- Gabe Smith
- Sep 7, 2018
- 2 min read
Updated: May 3, 2021

After my brief stint in the sales industry, I've learned a few things about the institution. First of all, it's very cut throat. If you aren't persistent, you'll quickly find that you can't keep up with the others you're competing with. You need to find the right balance between aggressiveness and calm indifference that will allow you to arrive at the most prominent position to close a sale. Secondly, you're more selling yourself than you are the product. What I mean by that is that it's your personality that is what the customer needs to be willing to buy before the particular product that you're selling. If you're friendly, courteous, and persuasive, you can really sell anything even if it's a crap product. However, if you come across as too "salesy" the customer will quickly be turned off. Approaching someone as a friend, and making casual conversation is absolutely crucial to do before you get into the sale itself. Another thing I've found, at least from my own personal experience, is that you'll receive much more rejection than openness. A large number of people will be dismissive, if not outright hostile towards you once they realize you're trying to sell them something. It's important to quickly assess what kind of person you're talking to when attempting to make a sale. Body language tells a lot. If they're folding their arms, not making eye contact, and just not paying you much attention in general, it's more than likely that you're not going to make a sale. However, if they're smiling and engaged, that's a very good sign for the salesperson. Quickly assessing whether or not someone is prone to be a sale is crucial so as to not waste your time or theirs. Another thing is that you need to work the numbers correctly. Many people won't be interested, but as the number of people you pitch goes up, so will the number of sales that you will accumulate. Of course the product itself is an important factor. If you're selling a good deal, people will quickly realize that and will be much more receptive, however if you're trying to sell something that's subpar, most people will pick up on that quickly and move on. However, even the worst product can be sold if the salesperson knows how to put it in the right light. Sales isn't for everyone. It takes a very persistent and persuasive person to truly flourish in that field. In my own experience, I've found that I don't have that personality type, but regardless, the experience helped me to step out of my shell and build some well needed character.
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