We all have an ideal career we’re shooting for. Some of us go to college to get that teaching degree and others tackle law school. The funny thing is that many of us fail to foresee the time and effort soon to be required of us. A prime example of this concerns sales jobs. Who wants to work in sales? Not me! I know that for a fact. If it wasn’t the several door-to-door salesmen I’ve seen in my day, it was the one I encountered as a bartender. Either way, I have no interest in ever becoming a salesman.
They come to your doorstep. You’ve never seen their face in your lifetime, and yet they’re smiling as though you’re old chums. They greet you with charisma and cheesy twinkle in their eye. Within no time at all, they’re inviting themselves in. Pushy, pushy, pushy! However, it’s practically part of their job. This is what it’s like for men and women with sales jobs. Now, of course the door-to-door routine is not the only gig around, but it’s a fine example. In all honesty, I amazed that the concept still exists. Sales people are generally after one thing and one thing only, and that’s to close the deal. Over the last 10 years, I have had four Kirby salesmen grace my doorstep. The first two I listened to, the second two I closed the door on. Why? Because I have come to the conclusion that 2400 dollars is too much for a vacuum cleaner, and these guys are just down-right annoying. They first step in with a spiel about how they want to take up 40 minutes of your time with a wonderful pitch. This “40 minutes” can turn into 3-4 hours. It did both times I heard them talk. The only reason I listened to it a second time was because I had a better income and was considering buying one. Luckily my senses kicked in and I turned them down. Now, I won’t dispute the notion that sales jobs are tough, but these Kirby guys take it too far.
The most salesmen I’ve ever encountered were at the Marriott. I worked this bartending gig there for a while and these guys were my customers. Over and over I listened to the negative side of sales jobs. You travel ALL the time. You NEVER see your loved ones. You AGE very quickly. This sounds terrible. And that is why sales jobs are not for me.
