Ask most people what makes someone good at sales and they’ll say the money. Commissions, bonuses, the nice car. I get it. From the outside, that’s all you can see.
I’ll say this first: there’s nothing wrong with doing it for the money. Commissions are awesome. Plenty of people are successful in jobs they’re not crazy about. I’m only telling you what I’ve seen in my own career.
And what I’ve seen is this. What makes you better at sales isn’t the money. It’s love of the game.
The candidate who wanted out
I once interviewed a candidate for a sales job. Partway through, she was honest with me. She didn’t really want to be in sales. She wanted a way into the company so she could move over to marketing.
I was honestly shocked. I had always assumed it went the other way, and that marketers wanted to end up in sales. To me, sales was the destination.
That conversation stuck with me. A lot of people see sales as the door you walk through on the way to something else. A thing you put up with because it pays.
Every month starts at zero
Here’s the part outsiders don’t see. Every month, or every quarter, you start at zero. It doesn’t matter what you closed last time. That’s a lot of pressure.
Every sports team starts every game at zero too, and nobody wonders why the players keep showing up. They love the game.
Sales is a roller coaster. (I don’t even like real roller coasters.) If the money were the only reward, I don’t think many of us would stay on the ride. The pursuit itself can be as big a reward as the paycheck.
I didn’t love it on day one
Here’s the honest part. I admired salespeople before I was one: the money, how likable they were, the confidence. I wanted in. Then I started out not very good, and it took me longer than I expected to get good.
The love came after the competence. The better I got, the more I liked the work. So if you don’t love it yet, that doesn’t mean you won’t.
A company isn’t a business until the first sale
I have a healthy respect for this work, and I think more people need to hear it. A company isn’t a business until the first sale is made. We’re an important part of the business process, not just people chasing a number.
I’m glad I chose sales. I’ve watched customers turn their businesses around, partly because of work I sold them. If I were financially free tomorrow, I’d probably still be doing this. That’s the best way I know to explain it.
If you’re in it for the money, that’s fine. There are courses built for that. If you want to get good at the game itself, you’re in the right place.