Avon

Senior Account Executive

What industries would you never want to work in?

Im starting to apply to new jobs due to uncertainty at my current company. While Im looking and still employed Im trying to be pretty selective at the companies and industries I would be interested in working in. Some I know that I definitely do not want to work in. For example, anything with Advertising. Having worked at a marketing company, I dont find the things they do with people's data to be especially ethical so I dont want a part in it. Same with anything politically related. Im also very weary of anything claiming to be "AI"

Are there any industries you avoid due to the ethics, sketchness, or general lack of interest?

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45 comments

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sketchysales

Politicker

Sales Manager

Insurance, car sales and mattresses

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

The unholy trifecta.

antiASKHOLE

Tycoon

Bravado's Resident Asshole

I am going to approve this message.

ThatNewAE

Big Shot

Account Executive - Mid enterprise

That was a little too precise haha !

ChickenWings

Opinionated

Tom Callahan's Son

Nailed it.

I’ll add home services

Cafe.con.Leche

Executive

SDR

What if you sell to those industries 😞? Asking for a friend.

sketchysales

Politicker

Sales Manager

Selling to is fine, selling in, i wouldnt want that. but if you enjoy your job then who cares?

Nairobi

Politicker

Crypto

braintank

Politicker

Enterprise Account Executive

Amen

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Oh, yes, that's a tough one these days.

Nairobi

Politicker

I feel like it’s always been a tough one haha All I want to know though is how do people agree to work for Crypto companies?? Is it because they REALLY like living on the edge?

braintank

Politicker

Enterprise Account Executive

Some people actually believe in it… had a lot of those people tell me to “have fun staying poor” last year, awfully quiet now…

Nairobi

Politicker

LMAO You have to get back to them and be like "How's the rich life going?"

braintank

Politicker

Enterprise Account Executive

I usually reply with — “yes I would like fries with that” ;)

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

SAVAGE

Cannabiz

Sales director

I’ve got a friend who worked for a crypto exchange, and the way he described it, as long as someone is buying or selling, they made a cut, and it didn’t matter where the market was. Now he’s got a cushy job as a crypto expert advising one of the big consulting firms, so at least he did it right. Haha

TennisandSales

Politicker

Head Of Sales

uh yeah:

1. insurance/investments (been there done that)
2. advertising
3. Marketing tech
4. Crypto
5. anything thats commission only.

lordofsale

Member

Sales Executive

Oh crap, I just got approached by a martech company (omnichannel engagement platform a la Insider), could you share why you're avoiding it?

TennisandSales

Politicker

Head Of Sales

i was in the Martech space for a HOT minute and im super interested in marketing and how that whole industry operates.

I feel like Martech BUYERS are jaded and burnt out. they get sold to ALL THE TIME! and hear the same shit all the time that i feel like they just tune everything out.

also SO MANY martech products are just point solutions and are "nice to haves" very few can really impact significant change for a company.

ChumpChange

Politicker

Channel Manager

Retail
Advertising
Insurance

ChumpChange

Politicker

Channel Manager

Btw... you can make crazy money in these industries if you're an absolute rockstar. However, from what I've seen in my career these have the highest burnout rates.

Avon

Politicker

Senior Account Executive

Completely agree. I should add insurance to my list. I know its a great industry with a lot of potential. But I know a lot of people who worked in the space and none of them were happy and all of them are doing other things now.

Kosta_Konfucius

Politicker

Sales Rep

Retail is the big one for me

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

Banking. I don't like being tied to a desk.

lordofsale

Member

Sales Executive

But working as an investment banker though........

braintank

Politicker

Enterprise Account Executive

Crypto

punishedlad

Tycoon

Business Development Team Lead

Echoing the crypto consensus here. A lot of people have named a lot of other things that I also stay away from, but crypto is definitely the biggest.

Mobi85

Politicker

Regional Sales Manager

Anything that Door to Door is the most effective sales tool they offer. I did it and it can be an absolute meatgrinder, your soul for sure leaves your body after about the 3rd or 4th house you are knocking on.

GALACTIC

Politicker

Account Executive

As someone who has worked in adtech for about a year now... It's actually a decent gig, but it depends where you're working. My company is currently hiring for a ton of roles, no layoffs, good pay.

My top 3 to avoid: retail, car sales, and insurance (and traditional advertising like papers and billboards are a griiind)

The forestry industry has proven to be quite lucrative for my friends locally, I might consider that move if I end up laid off in Q2.

Avon

Politicker

Senior Account Executive

My first job out of college was in adtech. I found the way we tracked people and their data to be pretty offputting. I know there's money in the field but unless Im actually unemployed, I'd rather avoid it.

Gasty

Notable Contributor

War Room Community Manager

Non-Profits. Many are more corrupt than the most corrupt for-profit business.

ChickenWings

Opinionated

Tom Callahan's Son

“But..we’re a non-profit, we can’t be expected to pay this” was my first hint to this sector truly believing they have a different set of rules.

Virtue signal, scrape off the top, play victim, repeat

coletrain

Politicker

Account Executive

In a lot of cases, they keep getting fed this because companies like to have nonprofit logos because of said virtue signaling.

My perspective is that if a nonprofit prospect asks about non-profit pricing out of the gate, its more likely difficult to work with.

For me, the equation remains the same for selling, find the value/use case while having pricing discussions as late in the process as possible. Easier said than done but still relevant

nemix

Politicker

SDR

Anything D2D so probably solar. Seems like whenever you talk to someone in solar they all make 500k a year gives me MLM vibes

Chaching3000

Contributor

Sales and Marketing Specialist

Right, but nobody can back it up with receipts

Justatitle

Big Shot

Account Executive

Insurance, cigarettes, solar power

Diablo

Politicker

Sr. AE

Retail- shit load of work

CadenceCombat

Tycoon

Account Executive

Insurance

J.J.McLure

Politicker

Owner at *redacted*

Pharmaceutical! I'd rather sell insurance or used cars.

lordofsale

Member

Sales Executive

Echoing everyone here: Crypto

But my personal choices:
- "Economic" hotels (OYO, Motel 6, etc): Been there, done that. Lots of deception, too much travelling, high headcount and low leads supply, other territories leaking into mine, ripping off small-business owners, etc
- FMCG, especially the D2D ones
- Agencies, specifically PR and marketing: Either clients are assholes or partners are idiots who can't manage workloads.

FlyingHellfish

Good Citizen

Director of Business Development

Agree with the above with the slight exception to Insurance.

I worked both as a producer (think insurance agent) and on the wholesale side. Let me tell you, the guys actually representing insurance companies (Transamerica, PacLife, Prudential) were making bank ($200K+) and from what some of them told me, they had very little stress or worries about quotas. Small part of me wishes I would have stuck with it back in the day but siren song of SaaS drew me in.

Anyways, best of luck!

Sggsnoopy

Member

Wealth Management Consultant

Nailed it. I’m a wholesaler and was a very high producer before I went into management and then moved to the wholesaler role. Wholesaling is very specialised and not everyone can do it, but if you can, it is an awesome role to be in and I’ll retire as a wholesaler after 30 years in the business (about 5 years from now.)

finboi

Notorious Answer

Fi-nance

Finance

NoGoodAtThis

Politicker

Sales rep

Copiers, never again

arker

Channel SDR

Any industry/company that makes you feel like you’re screwing your customers over.

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Avon

What industries would you never want to work in?

45 comments

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