RandyLahey

Account Executive

Acclaimed Answer

Valued Contributor

Why do you work in sales?

Good morning fellow savages,

Here's an existential one for you:

Why do you work in sales?

Obviously, money will be added to the poll, but I'm curious to hear your thoughts as to why you chose this career (feel free to suggest some options savages).

For me personally, I stumbled into it at the request of a friend who was hiring SDRs. A few months into the role, though the stress levels were similar to my CX past, the pay opportunity was far greater.

Fast forward about 3 years, and damn do I find this work boring. I know some love the thrill of hunting, closing, but for me, it is so damn repetitive that it almost feels redundant. Almost. I am actually enjoying the AM side of things, but still can't shake the...boredom.

Then I look ay my paycheck and I shove those feelings down a bottle of Ardbeg. Of which I am still incredibly fortunate to be receiving, especially after being laid off two weeks before Christmas.

So yeah...why do you work in sales?

Why do you work in sales?

Attached poll

The money you greasy cheeseburger bandit I genuinely enjoy interacting with people The thrill of closing a deal I have a passion for complaining about lead quality The sales life chose me, I didn't choose it All of the above

*Voting in this poll no longer yields commission.

🚀 Career Goals

🤘 Personal Growth

🎯 Career Development

31

59 comments

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antiASKHOLE

Tycoon

9

Bravado's Resident Asshole

I honestly got into sales as it was more predictable week to week for me vs my life managing restaurants and then I could make the same if not more money than I did when was managing.

work/life balance.

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

7

☕️

My side gig during my first few years was bartending at a dive. I learned more about negotiating and communication there than I did in training sessions.

RandyLahey

Politicker

4

Account Executive

Agreed. Best sales training I received was dealing with fussy customers, late night, tired and exhausted.

antiASKHOLE

Tycoon

4

Bravado's Resident Asshole

negotiations, reading body language, conflict resolution. So many skills learned dealing with all of the WONDERFUL "guests" while serving/managing.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

2

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

As a bartender/food server, I learned more about prioritization and time management than I did at any other job.

HVACexpert

Politicker

3

sales engineer

I worked as a cashier at Walmart once, that’s an interesting way to learn how to deal with people.

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

2

☕️

Same with Target. The shit people will pull to try and get a discount.

HVACexpert

Politicker

2

sales engineer

They would try to track my items/hour scanned and give me flack if I didn’t hit a certain target. Like dude, I make $8/hour fuck off.

RandyLahey

Politicker

2

Account Executive

Jesus.

I actually worked at Quizno’s as a teen lol, got my handful there too…

antiASKHOLE

Tycoon

4

Bravado's Resident Asshole

did you handle a lot of footlongs?

Sunbunny31

Politicker

1

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

And not just any people. The People of Walmart.

RandyLahey

Politicker

3

Account Executive

Oh baby, I worked as a waiter all throughout my college years, and had dabbled into a management role. It's a brutal grind lol.

detectivegibbles

Politicker

8

Sales Director

Fell into it!

I had no clue coming out of college what I was doing with life. My career has been a weird one and haven't fully embraced "sales" until the last 4-5 years.

My Career Path:

Store manager (sherwin williams)
Property manager (real estate)
Loan officer (real estate)
BDR/AE (start-up tech)
AE (Med Device Co)
AE (start up med tech co - laid off)
Sales Director (Med Device Co)

RandyLahey

Politicker

3

Account Executive

Glad to hear you've bounced back from the lay off to go up a level to Director Gibbles.

I have a similar sentiment of not fully embracing it.

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

7

☕️

There’s a ton of threads on this. I’m in sales because the industry I wanted for work for literally started melting the year I was graduating from undergrad…and it was a recession with few PAYING entry level roles.

RandyLahey

Politicker

4

Account Executive

That's a brutal way to start.

So I did actually search, couldn't find any on the reason behind what got us into this career path.

Some great threads though.

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

4

☕️

Yeah, my first job paid less than minimum wage when you computer the salary to hourly. Total ball breaking work…but it got me set up with a badger mentality and intense work ethic.

Wellss

Tycoon

5

Channel sales

I didn't realize that 'Account Executive' was a fancy way for saying sales role & here we are, almost 5 years later

RandyLahey

Politicker

3

Account Executive

Funny how that happens eh...

CuriousFox

WR Officer

5

🦊

I sure as shit didn't choose it. I said out loud I didn't want to do this. Higher powers have a sense of humor apparently.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

4

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Oh, do they ever.

I just wanted out of the restaurant grind and to find a "real job". Answered a newspaper ad for an office manager position, was transferred into sales coordinator by the president of the tech company a year later. Closed a small deal on my own because our single rep at the time couldn't be bothered, and I had learned enough about our solution that I could accurately answer the questions about its capabilities and provide details about contract terms. Literally fell into sales because I "had a good phone voice".

HVACexpert

Politicker

3

sales engineer

Have to be good at something I guess? 🤷🏼‍♂️ imagine having a bad phone voice in sales lol

Sunbunny31

Politicker

2

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Years of drama in school means I have many voices. If and when I remember to modulate...oh baby, you're buying.

CadenceCombat

Tycoon

5

Account Executive

Self loathing

CuriousFox

WR Officer

3

🦊

This too. 💯🚨

RandyLahey

Politicker

2

Account Executive

u sick puppy

CuriousFox

WR Officer

2

🦊

We are aware

jefe

Arsonist

5

🍁

I can say honestly that it's all of the above.

Money is a big part but it ain't everything.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

3

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Yeah, the poll was missing the "all of the above" option.

Where have you been?

RandyLahey

Politicker

2

Account Executive

My bad, just added it

Sunbunny31

Politicker

2

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Sadly, we can’t switch our votes, but you get to read our comments instead.

jefe

Arsonist

3

🍁

Took a bit of a break from most social media and focused more on life and my family. Which is now growing!!

Also, tapped back in a few times to the WR and some weird stuff going on in terms of the product.

Thankfully I found @CuriousFox's posts about changing the info on my profile to private, so a little more comfortable engaging now.

I did miss some of y'all though, and you guys know who you are :)

Sunbunny31

Politicker

2

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Congrats on the growing family, and glad you got your profile fixed up.

jefe

Arsonist

2

🍁

Thank you @Sunbunny31:D

We're quite excited (more about the first part than the profile)

RandyLahey

Politicker

1

Account Executive

Congratulations Jefe! Glad to have you back

jefe

Arsonist

1

🍁

Thanks @RandyLahey !!

punishedlad

Tycoon

3

Business Development Team Lead

I started out at a startup making 30k base on an absolutely tattered sales team because I had cold calling experience and my buddy who led the team was like "you need a job?" when I graduated. The answer was yes because it brought me to the city I wanted to be in and I had no idea what I was going to do professionally. I have other passions I would love to pursue, but the pay is good and I think it might be too late to make a pivot.

RandyLahey

Politicker

3

Account Executive

Lad, I'm a very similar moral dilemma. The work is boring, but it's getting too far down the road that I can pivot.

I'm taking classes and pursuing my interests, but yeah, I feel it..

sketchysales

Politicker

3

Sales Manager

Knew it was the path I wanted to take from about 16. It just seemed to be inherently built in, I was one of those kids at school which was constantly selling and trading stuff.

I come from a privileged back ground but my family didnt have spare income so was conditioned from a young age, if you want something you got to earn it and the quickest way to make a buck was to sell stuff.

Started life as sales support/project manager and am now managing the largest territory in the company I work for.

Coastal_crusher

Politicker

3

Sales Director

Initially I wanted to be a consultant and couldn’t get into Big 4. I still wanted to be a problem solver so and somehow landed a job at a startup that made me a de facto account manager.

I’ve sort of faded on passion for being a problem solver (especially with achieving quota being the ‘actual’ job) but I do love the money

Rizzdawg

Politicker

2

Am

i wanted to become a financial advisor but it was an eat what you kill mentality = Landed in sas

Pachacuti

Politicker

2

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

I have always been in sales.

DungeonsNDemos

Big Shot

2

Rolling 20's all day

#1 the money
#2 work remote with my dog
#3 The sales life chose me

RandyLahey

Politicker

1

Account Executive

Now this is something I can get behind

kneehigh

Politicker

2

Senior Enterprise AE

Main 2 reasons - you have more control over what you get paid results = more commission and I enjoy interacting with prospects and helping them solve their problems

RandyLahey

Politicker

1

Account Executive

This is a great explanation @kneehigh thanks for sharing. Control over results, though not absolute, is key.

FoodForSales

Politicker

2

AE

its all about the $$$

RandyLahey

Politicker

1

Account Executive

Isn't it just??

Maximas

Tycoon

1

Senior Sales Executive

If it wasn't the extra cash what else could it be😉

RandyLahey

Politicker

1

Account Executive

Right?! As a Man United fan, your profile picture gives me serious PTSD from the 7-0 smackdown.

Maximas

Tycoon

1

Senior Sales Executive

Hahaha.

I'm for Liverpool not for Liverpool.

I'm for Liverpool for the Egyptian King running down the wing:)

Maximas

Tycoon

1

Senior Sales Executive

MTD used to be my old club, only just before Salah joined the PL!

Kosta_Konfucius

Politicker

1

Sales Rep

Took a sales class in college and learned there is more than car sales

Justatitle

Big Shot

1

Account Executive

working in hospitality was never gonna pay me what I make in sales.

quotascammedeverytime

Opinionated

1

account executive

Sometimes I dont even know anymore lol

starson

Good Citizen

1

Senior Sales Manager

Football is life. (Ted Lasso)
Sales is life. (Me)

Love life! (Us)

1

Business Development Rep

COVID.. I had no other options so jumped on the green machine (Enterprise) then was recruited into tech sales and was pretty good at it

KingofGIF

Politicker

0

AE

$

NoGoodAtThis

Politicker

0

Sales rep

at 18, made the wonderful decision to go to a private liberals arts school and at 22 left with a nice peice of paper and about 135k in debt... for a marketing degree at that.
No job was going to pay enough for me to live on my own and pay this monthly bill so here I am!

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