Have you ever contemplated going into sales? What stopped you from pursuing it? In this post I will be going through some of the common misconceptions about sales, and attempting to give you a better picture of what being in a sales role is really like.

Some common misconceptions…

Sales involves being dishonest.
Sales is a “numbers role.”
Sales is all about interactions.

Digging deeper…

Sales involves being dishonest.

If sales were really such a dishonest field to be in, the world would not be able to function as it does. Expand your idea of what “sales” actually is. If you really think about it there are likely brands that you like and even feel loyalty to. That may be a sign that a certain brand has earned your trust, as well as your business. This should illustrate what successful sales is supposed to look like. It should be all about trust. A good salesman is an honest salesman. If you gain the trust of your clients, and truly help them find what they’re looking for, or what they need, you will likely find more success than if you are dishonest and scheming.

Sales is a “numbers role.”

Sales does involves numbers, as does every professional role. However, it is also a role based in information, relationships, and research. Before you even contact a potential buyer, you must already know about them, their interests, their needs, and their wants. I hear constantly that sales is all about psychology. It is a challenge to get to know people and find ways to improve their lives.

Sales is all about interactions.

Not necessarily. As I said before, there are opportunities in sales that involve research. It is also possible to sell through influence or information platforms. It is common for bloggers and vloggers to make commission through promoting products to their readers or viewers.

So what is sales really like?

That is a question that comes with a lot of expectations. Sales, and what it entails, may be a little different depending on the company you’re with. Depending on the role your responsibilities may be different. I will attempt to express my understanding of what a few different “roles” in sales look like.

Research Roles

These are the people who look at the product and think: Who needs this? Who wants this? Who can we help with this? They research products similar to their own and identify consumers. They collect information on potential buyers and basically create a starting point for the other roles. They say: Here’s who we think might be interested, and here’s why.

Initiation Roles

These people collect the information from the previous role described, and start reaching out. They make first contact. They craft emails, phone calls, meetings, public speaking, and more, then take the initial steps to get people interested and refine the target audience. They may do cold calls and emails, they might do demonstrations, they may share stories and testimonies. The point is that they are often the people introducing the product to the consumer, directly.

Closing Roles

Once a customer shows interest, they are often passed along to more experienced teams. These roles will take someone who has an interest in a product and persuade them to purchase it. They really identify the needs of their clients and demonstrate how the product could impact their situation. I think this role is more like what we see in the movies. Whether its salesmen or lawyers there is always a cinematic “pitch” to the audience as to why they should trust you and what you have to say about what’s going on. That is how I imagine this role to be. Taking someone from an idea that something would be nice, to an experience of how it changed their life.

Service Roles

This is the last one on my list for today. The service roles handle clients. People who have already purchased the product. The goal for this team is to keep the client satisfied with the product. Oftentimes, this role includes giving support, maintaining a relationship/communication, or continuing to sell products. It will look differently depending on the product and the team, but the general idea is to support the customer and keep them satisfied with their choice of doing business with you.

What do you think?

This is just my interpretation based on some of the research that I have done. I read the following three articles: https://aeroleads.com/blog/10-common-myths-about-sales/, https://medium.com/@IanRomprey/why-sales-are-everything-b31169d95f06, https://www.business2community.com/sales-management/5-reasons-a-career-in-sales-is-a-great-choice-01264933 and formed my opinion based off of their content. What has your experience been? Have you worked in a sales role or done your own research? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!