Sales Profession:The Wrong or Right Career For You?

On my recent article regarding a disappointing Apple Reseller here in Singapore, I unofficially listed a couple of traits that reflected a sample of a very frustrating and dismaying salesman attitude.

If you're thinking of shifting to a sales-related position or anything remotely related to it, please do consider the following basic points, to save yourself and your potential customers the headache and the high blood:

If only he were alive..

1.) Are you people-oriented?

Do you slink away when strangers talk to you? Does talking to people in general irritate you? Are you allergic to presentations, negotiations, any activity that somehow involves communicating with human beings? If you answered yes to all the above questions, then maybe a sales career might not be the right one for you.

Sales people are typically a gregarious, friendly lot. Being a social butterfly is an advantage in gaining prospects, winning over customers and negotiating with difficult ones so if you're uncomfortable with the idea of dealing with people on an everyday basis, try another profession perhaps.

2.) Are you a quitter?

Do challenges fascinate you or depresses the hell out of you? Does experiencing difficulties makes you more determined to overcome it and to discover solutions or do you feel like gouging your eyes out and dropping dead? When facing problems, do you confront them boldly yet logically or do you just face the high heavens, while wailing "Why me???!!!!"

The adage "Quitters never win" rings true for all types of profession. It doesn't matter what your background is or how inexperienced you are, as long as you don't quit, there's always time for improvement, space for knowledge and most importantly, hope to achieve your goal. There will always be another day to try again, especially when you're in the unpredictable and numbers-game called sales.

Selling requires hardwork and a whole lot of persistence so if you're dedicated enough look for new prospects, to woo your potential customers, retain your current clients, you bet there would a golden future for you in sales.

3.) Are you a positive person?

Upon receiving a not so good feedback from your customer, do you lock yourself in the toilet and cry your heart out? When someone doesn't even let you finish your sales pitch, does your nose flare, your blood boils and do you feel the urge to choke someone? When everything seems to be going wrong, do you feel like jumping off a cliff or do you try to learn something from the situation and see the lighter side of it?

Attitude goes a long way especially if you're business involves selling. Unpredictable happenings always lurk around the corner so when the going gets tough, instead of dwelling on the negative issues, look for the silver lining underneath it. No one can get you down unless you let yourself wallow in those gloomy emotions so if you're a pessimistic and well, a tad suicidal, consider other suitable professions. Having the mentioned traits for some writers seems to work but not for selling, no, no, just NO.

Being friendly, never quitting and having a positive outlook are some of the basic traits that makes one suitable for sales. So please, think about these things if you're considering to shift to the sales industry, save us, your customers, the trouble and the headache.