10 Reasons Why Sales Might NOT Be For You
Annual turnover among U.S. salespeople is 27%, which is twice the rate in the overall labor force.
One common scenario for a salesperson quitting is the newbie seller who quickly hates the job because “it’s just too hard.”
Sales isn’t for everyone. Our goal with this post is actually to convince you NOT to do sales. Because it’s better to realize that sales isn’t for you now rather than a few months after you’ve started your first sales job.
Here are ten reasons why sales might not be the best career for you:
1. You’re afraid of rejection.
You will get hung up on. You will get yelled at (just for doing your job). And you will hear “no” a lot (like more than 90% of the time). If this scares you, sales isn’t for you. Sales is about staying hungry while chasing after the 10% of your prospects that will say “yes.” And letting rejections roll off your back like rain rolls off a roof.
2. You’re overly emotional.
Some emotion is a good thing. You need to have empathy for your prospect’s situation. ❤️ You should even be able to feel their pain point. But you can’t let your own emotions get in the way. You can’t get angry when a deal doesn’t close. You can’t get sad when you miss quota. There’s a difference between having emotional intelligence and being emotional.
3. You take things personally.
At some point in history, everyone decided it’s socially acceptable to be rude to salespeople. It’s not because you’re you; it’s just because you’re in sales. You’ll also be getting feedback from your manager constantly and some of it will seem personal (like the tone of your voice). If you can’t separate your ego from your sales performance, you won’t survive in sales.
4. You’re low-energy.
This is important not only for talking to prospects but also for being surrounded by sales co-workers. You can count on caffeine-loving Energizer bunnies sitting to the left and right of you. ☕️ If this sounds exhausting, you probably won’t enjoy working on a sales team.
5. You hate meeting new people.
Every new prospect you meet will be a “stranger” and you’ll have to make them like you. Cold calling through a list of leads is a bit like speed dating. Building rapport is similar to small talk at a cocktail party. This one should seem obvious, but antisocial homebodies should steer clear of a sales role.
6. You love the sound of your own voice.
If your favorite thing is to talk about yourself, sales isn’t right for you. A common misconception is that sales is about making a big convincing speech (like Don Draper from Mad Men). It’s not. Sales is about asking the right questions and listening. For example, think of the classic “sell me this pen” sales test. An amateur will start talking about the pen. A pro will ask their prospect a question.
7. You’re an over-thinker.
Sales isn’t rocket science … unless you’re selling rockets (in which case you should probably bring a scientist to the pitch with you). There are parts of sales that can get complicated (like your CRM software). But when it comes to actually talking with a prospect, simple is best. Shooting from the hip will win out over going down rabbit holes.
8. You prefer project-based work.
Some people enjoy working for months on end on a single project—building a model in excel, writing code for a new feature, or putting together a pitch deck. This type of work allows you to put in your headphones and get lost in your computer screen. Sales is the opposite. You’re constantly going from one thing to another: checking email, picking up the phone, preparing for a pitch, picking up the phone again, game-planning with your manager, and talking to your co-workers.
9. You prefer email over phone.
Salespeople pick up the phone. They love talking to people so much that they sometimes do it even when it’s not necessary (like calling a restaurant to check if they’re open when a quick Google search would show their hours). If your plan is to beat quota using your email game, then you should be in marketing instead of sales.
10. You’re uncomfortable with volatility in your paycheck.
This problem will decrease over time, as your sales skills improve and you’re consistently hitting your commission targets. But in the beginning you might have a few months where you miss quota and have to rely on your base salary. If you prefer a steady paycheck over betting on yourself to hit a bigger financial goal, you would be better off in a role without variable compensation.
By now, hopefully you’ve already stopped reading if you’ve decided sales isn’t for you.
If you’ve made it this far, we’re going to assume that you identify strongly with the opposites of all the bad-for-sales characteristics listed above. If so, then it’s safe for us to tell you, in good faith, how we really feel … sales is awesome!
Here are a few quick reasons why we love sales:
- Uncapped earning potential
- Opportunities to fast-track your career growth
- Learning a core component of a strong business acumen
- Talking to people for a living
Click here to learn how you can break into tech sales and make $100k+ in your first year.