If salesman are the highest paid?

Question

Salesman per capita are the highest paid professional why don't more people do it, and why do they have such a bad name?

Answer 1

It can consume your life. It's not the type of job you put down when you go home. It's always on your mind, also. "I hope I get that big account.", "I haven't met my personal sales goal", "I could still be at the office preparing a better sales pitch". Etc. It's never-ending. In sales, you always have to worry about getting clients, and once you get them, you have to worry about keeping them happy. With other jobs, you have certain tasks to complete. Therefore, you can finish them, and go home feeling like you have done your job. This makes sales unattractive. Also, many people don't like the commission-based pay system sales jobs have. They want to know exactly what their income will be each month.

Salesmen are viewed in a negative light because they are after everyone's cash. They pretend to be your best friend, take you out to dinner, give you some free MLB tickets (if you're their client), and then expect you to commit to the sale because they have schmoozed you. They look desperate and they'll do anything to sell to you. Not appealing to many people.

Answer 2

Part 1: It takes a certain personality type to be a good salesman. You need a product you know and can believe in, honesty, integrity, an ability to think on your feet and really good people skills.

Part 2: The ones who are dishonest or will do/say anything for a sale give them all a bad name. People who do not have the skills listed above are jealous of those who do.

I'm not a salesman, btw. Never could be. It's the thinking on my feet part that keeps me from it. Give me till tomorrow and I will have an answer for you! Once I press "send" I will have thought of a better answer than this.

Answer 3

Sales may not be the most taxing on the brain, but it is taxing on the ego. Salespeople have to handle rejection well because they encounter a lot of it. People skills and the ability to get along with anyone (for a short period of time) is required to be successful.

Unfortunately, many of the personality traits that allow a person to be successful in sales can also make them less desirable to be around as a person. Ability to shrug off criticism translates into the appearance of someone who ignores the opinions of others. The "adaptability" of personality can appear as unreliability in personal relationships.

Of course, even among sales there is some apparent class sturcture. ;-) For example, high-tech sales people (who make the big $$$) look down are car sales people. I don't really wonder why as the latter seem to have few of the skills that make the former successful while still retaining the characteristics of people you don't want to be around.

Answer 4

I am never in sales rather in service. But I support sales to get paid most. Its because they start the business. They handle the maximum risk. When they get maximum money they loose job very easily.

The service people are not sympathetic to them is because lot of repeate sales are done by the service people and they do not get the credit. The service people's credit is also being added to sales team.

Answer 5

Because of our way of thinking,
nobody likes to be "sold" being "sold" to makes us think the same thoughts as being "scammed" There have been a lot of salespeople (and their still are) who sell things with nothing in mind but their own cashflow,
The trick to being a successfull salesman (other than the withstanding of critisism already mentioned by others) is selling as a way of helping others,
PS we ALL sell, most of us sell our time for dollars,
Anyone dating is selling, anyone with kids sells all the time,
Hope this answers the question,
good luck and God Bless

Answer 6

I retired from sales and here was my pet answer to the bad name question.

What was the 2 things your mother told you never to do.

1) Don't talk to strangers
2) Never ask for money

What do salespeople do

Talk to strangers and ask for lots of money

Answer 7

Because they don't have the guts. It takes big ones to face rejection all day every day.

Answer 8

I am in sales , it's the most stressfull job ever ....