5 Reasons Sales Is the Best Profession On Earth

Everybody knows the stereotype of the sleazy used car salesperson. Few professions are as widely disrespected and disliked as the profession of sales.

People tend to think that the only skills you need are a big smile, a competitive spirit, and a lack of ethics. You don’t have to have a degree, and many sales jobs are entry level, requiring very little or no experience.

As a result, it’s a job that gets very little respect.

But actually? It’s a pretty amazing profession, especially complex B2B sales. And I’m about to give you 5 reasons why:

1. You need a wide variety of skills

Great salespeople are not born. They are made. Becoming a great salesperson requires not just drive and determination, but also a willingness to learn a huge number of skills and apply them effectively.

While it’s not literally rocket science, the level of complexity that a truly great salesperson must master may very well be comparable. Just a sampling of the skill sets required to achieve world class mastery:

• Product and industry knowledge
• Sales strategy, process, methodology, and execution
• Conversational skills
• Business acumen
• Interpersonal skills
• Prioritization and time management
• Questioning skills
• Consulting skills
• Understanding and manipulating constraints
• Managing multiple stakeholders and their divergent needs and motivations
• Building trust
• Change management
• Human behavior and psychology

And so much more than I can list in a single article. There is no limit to the broad knowledge base and skills that can be demanded of a salesperson in the course of their work.

2. You can always go deeper with your skills

In addition to the breadth of skills and abilities a great salesperson must master, there is no limit to the depth at which these skills can be developed. In order to stay at the head of the pack, the best professionals keep going deeper.

Great salespeople are not born. They are made.

For instance, maybe you are really great at asking probing questions. But have you heard of facilitative questioning? Do you know how to recognize when a buyer is lying? Do you know what’s happening on the other side of the window, on the buyer’s side, that they’re not sharing with you? And how to find out?

Or maybe you’re interested in human psychology. There is no limit to the number of ways that neuroscience and human behavior impact complex sales, and no limit to how far you can go in learning about it in order to do a better job as a salesperson.

3. If you’re bored, you can always change industries or go after a bigger challenge

If you’re a brain surgeon, there’s only so far you can go with your work. That’s not to say that brain surgeons aren’t doing important work, or that they can’t break new ground with their work. But it’s not easy to switch streams and do something entirely different while still drawing on your expertise.

In sales, though, there’s always another industry, another territory, another product or offering, or a bigger challenge to tackle. Maybe you want to switch from small deals to going after bigger projects. Maybe you always dreamed of working in medical technology and now you’ve got enough experience to seek out a job in that industry. Or maybe you’ve had enough of going after individual sales and you’re ready to take on team management and coaching.

Wherever you are in the industry, you can always study, learn, and grow into something new.

4. You can start from anywhere, and get to anywhere

The sales industry has no limits, at either end. You barely need any background at all in order to land an entry level position. Just your smile and your willingness to show up and work.

But if your head’s in the game and you want to grow, you can. Companies invest billions every year in sales training, and a job in the industry gives you the opportunity to tap some of that and learn anything you want to learn. And as you learn, grow, practice, and get better, more job opportunities open to you.

What other job requires practically no education and no background, yet provides you with unlimited earning and growth potential?

5. You are the lifeblood of your organization

As a sales professional, everything in your company depends on you. Without you, there is no revenue, and without revenue, there is no company. Without a company, there are no jobs.

People’s livelihoods depend on you.

When you do your job outstandingly, not only do you reap the personal rewards, you can feel good knowing that you are an engine of success for everyone in your company.

And, along the way, if you’re doing your job right, you’re helping your customers too.

What could be better?

It’s my firm belief that the sales profession is one of the noblest, best professions on earth. I’m proud to be a sales professional and to support sales professionals with our products and partners.

What about you? What do you love about the sales profession?