[childofprodigy]

Do you think you would do well in Sales jobs in general? Why or why not...

Do you think you have what it takes to become a good salesperson?

[Warrior]

I'm not in sales. I have had the opportunity multiple times, but turned them down. Sales is something I would do if I had to, but I have purposefully steered my career away from it. I think I'd do okay, but I have had no training for it and I don't think I would enjoy convincing someone they needed something. I much prefer being the one buying the product or service.

[wittykitty]

	Originally Posted by childofprodigy To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Do you think you would do well in Sales jobs in general? Why or why not... Do you think you have what it takes to become a good salesperson?

I worked in retail my sophomore and junior years in college, it was the bane of my existence. It wasn't particularly horrible (I think sales on the phone would have been worse) but now that I'm done, I'd never go back. I just couldn't understand why I had to convince someone to buy a shirt or not- if you like it- GET IT, god.

Anyway, no I don't have what it takes to be a good sales person. I do not posses that charming and manipulative selling quality at all. I was polite and helpful, but generally not convincing.

[IcNjThJ]

I do it now part time and I have to admit, I have seen my social skills improve as a result. I do pretty good too. And I hate it but it's making me money at the moment while I'm trying to build my business.

If you're talking about in-person sales it might not be a bad thing to get out there and continuously talk to people and kind of develop your social skills. It helps to be a bit outward directed, trying to understand the needs of the customer you're trying to sucker...I mean sell.

It doesn't matter if you're an INTJ or not, just a have a plan of attack and a script to follow and you can do ok. Even the extraverts do it the same way, they just follow the same script over and over again.

[Thinker]

Part of my role as a CPA was to sell. I was good at it. It helps to have faith in your product, and to know you are helping the client.

Accountants aren't usually good salespeople....I would guess around 10%. They tend to get too involved in the detail and can't see that the client is not listening. Like anything....listen (to the customer) and learn.

If you want to be effective in any role you should learn how to sell. CEO's sell concepts to investors, banks, governments and other stakeholders. If you are trying to implement a new process or system...you will need to sell it.

Selling and negotiating skills are very important.

[QuantumEnigma]

	Originally Posted by Thinker To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	If you want to be effective in any role you should learn how to sell. CEO's sell concepts to investors, banks, governments and other stakeholders. If you are trying to implement a new process or system...you will need to sell it.

I agree entirely -- but how does one go about learning how to sell?

If I believe in a concept/product/process, then it is easy for me to be confident & articulate - which seems to persuade a decent majority of people right there. The trouble is when I am lukewarm on an idea, but still have to get it implemented (typical work situation).

[Thinker]

	Originally Posted by QuantumEnigma To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	I agree entirely -- but how does one go about learning how to sell? If I believe in a concept/product/process, then it is easy for me to be confident & articulate - which seems to persuade a decent majority of people right there. The trouble is when I am lukewarm on an idea, but still have to get it implemented (typical work situation).

It seems you probably already have good selling skills.
If the idea is only lukewarm in your mind then something is wrong.....

Belief to me was the key and I was in a position to be able to re-design a product/service if it wasn't working.

[Ambra]

I would be terrible in sales. Terrible.

[Sariax]

I've had the opportunity to explore the sale's world a bit: women's clothing, men's shoes, electronics, all the way to prom dresses. Although I felt disconnected with the companies/employees the entire time, I was always top sales in whatever store I was in; broke sales records. The stores always tried to force me to do the obsessive approach where you hassle the customer. However, I just gave the customer truthful information on the product a was very direct and honest.

[Tactical Panda]

I did sales because I knew or strongly suspected that I was going to be bad at it and wanted to overcome the challenge.

In hindsight I found it very worthwhile, although I also found it somewhat painful.

I wouldn't pick a career based on conventional sales, though. Its seems like a good or useful place to visit but not a place I would want to stay.

In terms of how INTJs in sales may fare, I ended up doing reasonably well at it to the point the boss was more impressed with what I did than I was. For what its worth.

[Innovate]

Would be terrible in sales... I don't give 1/10th of a .... what people buy.

[blatimir]

Had a few jobs in sales - they definitely were very influential in my life and helped round out and solidify some of my weaknesses. There is definitely some very beneficial life experience to be had from sales especially in the realm of communication and more specifically how to tailor your communication to your audience.

I absolutely detested sales. I could not get out of the mind set that I was pushing things on people they did not need and it made it really hard for me to get motivated to get it done.

When I worked in a bank during my undergrad if I was able to identify a problem or recommend a service/product/sale that would actually be beneficial to the client I would have absolutely no problem promoting the sale.

In a different job, as a commercial real estate agent, I was in pure commission sales and had to do frequent cold calling to businesses not even to make sales but for the purposes of business development / harvesting a relationship that could lead to future business. I loved so many things about that job and the industry but I could not wrap my head around the cold calling. It always came down to I felt like I was pushing stuff on people that they did not need - if a need was clear I never had problems.

The more abstract the sale the harder I think it would be for me.

Do not let all the above dissuade you if you are consider a position in sales. It is very subjective to the company/product/position etc. and I would not lump sales into one category.

There is a spectrum of sales - from cold calling commission to things that are more structured.

Consider a healthcare professional - they are in a sense making sales or using sales skill but they are presenting a patient with an option, perhaps multiple options focusing on the strengths/drawbacks of each one while providing their recommendation/personal expertise. Ultimately, the patient has the final say and can ask for more options, choose an option or choose no options. This is still sales in a sense - but it is different and for me sales of these types are no problem what-so-ever. Especially, if they increase the quality of life that person.

Contrary to the mantra that you can do anything you put your mind to - not everyone can be and make it in sales. You need to have the right personality, mindset, attitude, thick skin, and the dedication to learn. Experience often the biggest asset when it comes to sales. Learning the skills of sale is typically the hardest part and it is mostly learned or refined through trial & error.

If you can find something that you can be in the right mind frame it will help alleviate a lot of the common issues. In sales you will face rejection - a lot of rejection so you need to be able to not let that discourage you either.

[Traverser]

I'm in sales, and I've done everything from cold-calling to customer negotiations and pitches. Furthermore, I'm always honest and direct, which is unsurprising given my INTJ trait. This works for me. However, many, if not most, companies push their sales associates to follow certain scripts to the letter, situational-judgements be damned! This one-size-fits-all approach is is not only frustrating to us thinkers, as it can affect our bottom line regardless of performance, but it also runs counter to our genuineness.

So in a nutshell, for those of us INTJs in sales, we approach the job like a straightforward science as opposed to a religion. Unfortunatelely, the latter is more prevalent; just go to your local bookstore and count the number of worthless management books and sales how-tos.

[curiousgeorge01]

Good service is the key to being a good salesman whether it's selling houses, clothes, computers, cars etc. Knowing they could have someone to speak to if something goes wrong or someone who empathizes I think is most of sales.

Either that or you're just a cold hearted snake who know how to tell lies upon lies to cover yourself like Madoff.

Or you have such a great product that it sells itself.

So it's either a mix of product and service or lies. The only thing you control are service and lies.

[zwsplac]

Although it would depend on what I was selling, I would be a decent salesman. I can't really do the fast talking sales pitch, but I would be good at analyzing a person's situation, and pointing them to the product that would do best for them. I worked retail for a year and didn't do a half bad job, although my no-nonsense INTJ demeanor irritated a couple customers. If I lost my job and needed another one quickly, I wouldn't think twice about working at a retail store again.

[kaa325]

I'm in sales, project management, and business dev for an internet company, and I make six figures.

I would say that I was lucky in that I found a company that holds true to honest, straightforward, and direct communication, and that always supports its reps in the field.

Having said that, I started off in cold-calling and I still cold-call daily. I don't like doing it. But I make good money at a pretty young age (early-mid 20s).

I knew I always wanted to own my own business and that sales was a potential path to get me closer to it. Sales would be an invaluable skill.

I think sales for an INTJ is more difficult than other types, but I think we could be especially good at it if the following conditions are met:

1) The correct support systems (psychological and physical) are in place
2) The ideas/concepts/products that we sell are intellectually stimulating/ or complex
3) The people we sell to are equally intellectual individuals
4) The INTJ in questions is willing to endure

This is my brief opinion in just thinking about this for the past 5 or so minutes.

[Noiresque]

Originally Posted by kaa325 To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

I'm in sales, project management, and business dev for an internet company, and I make six figures. I would say that I was lucky in that I found a company that holds true to honest, straightforward, and direct communication, and that always supports its reps in the field. Having said that, I started off in cold-calling and I still cold-call daily. I don't like doing it. But I make good money at a pretty young age (early-mid 20s). I knew I always wanted to own my own business and that sales was a potential path to get me closer to it. Sales would be an invaluable skill. I think sales for an INTJ is more difficult than other types, but I think we could be especially good at it if the following conditions are met: 1) The correct support systems (psychological and physical) are in place 2) The ideas/concepts/products that we sell are intellectually stimulating/ or complex 3) The people we sell to are equally intellectual individuals 4) The INTJ in questions is willing to endure This is my brief opinion in just thinking about this for the past 5 or so minutes.

True enough. I work for a computer company as sales, product & marketing manager and executive assistant. Service is the key, products are the means. Once you learn to do sales and have success in retaining customer, the next step is to manage up to keep the managers honest.

[Paji eh Wong]

I used to do sales and marketing of market research services. I was OK, but it was always going to be a grind for me. But I learned a lot.

Be aware that sales has a low end and a high end. The high end can be very high in terms of compensation. If you want to make a career out of it, aim high.

[Laura C]

Was in sales and did okay. But I easily got bored once I've learned all there is to learn about the company, its products and processes. Marketing on the other hand has more things to teach. Will be returning to a role with some sales and marketing thrown in.

[Collide]

I'm horrible at selling things. When the opportunity for fundraisers arises, I usually become optimistic and volunteer thinking that I'll improve my sales abilities. Usually, I end up losing money and just buying the product myself so I can reprieve myself from the torture. I've since vowed off fundraisers involving sales.

[Thinktress]

I was in sales for ten years, and I was fantastic, even owning my own business at the end. You have to be YOU and still sell things. Whereas others schmoozed and did all of these other things, I eventually gained clientele because I was dependable, honest, and sincere. I didn't overprice. People knew that I would be honest about delivery times and problems and that I would fix issues. A lot of times, they came to me after going with the extroverted schmoozers because they were tired of being schmoozed but not really served.

I was rather abrupt though. I'd hear other people call up and ask about the family and what they did this weekend, and I'm just not good at that. I was more like, "Hi Tom, I have got x at y price and I have two truckloads. Do you want it or not?"

p.s. Also, I was organized, so I didn't have to call back and forth ten hundred times to complete transactions. I got all the info I knew the client would want before calling him/her.

---------- Post added 05-12-2012 at 03:33 PM ----------

	Originally Posted by Traverser To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Furthermore, I'm always honest and direct, which is unsurprising given my INTJ trait. This works for me.

^ This. That's exactly how I was, and that's what worked for me.

I will say though that I put in LONG hours in sales and it's kind of a feast or famine deal if you're commission/mostly commission. Spending that long every day talking to people makes you a real zombie and not much fun for your family when you get home. At that point, you just want to be totally alone to recover.

[calculator]

I worked for a big box store in university. I was well liked by customers and staff because I was straightforward and always meant what I said. I suggested supplementary products people actually needed, but I refused to push the store credit cards. In the end I quit when I found a better job more related to my studies, but the year I spent in retail sales was an experience that probably helped me overall.

[greyangel]

I attempted sales and it was a major FAIL. I am not a "shmoozer".

[DesertKnight]

No, just no...by all the power of all the gods no. The introvert is strong with this one...

[Samson86]

i have worked in sales for most my working career and i am great it.

i believe it just comes down to the fundamentals.

1.Constantly improving your communication skills (body language included)

2.Lead generation

3.looking the part, basically just looking neat and tidy respectable.

4.selling products that are price right you will never sell a carrot at 6.99 a kilo if everybody else sells it at 2.99 a kilo

i like being a salesperson because of the money and the networking everyone has a story and people love to talk about themselves listen learn the difference between a open question and a closed question they are fantastic tools once you learn when to effectively use them.

sales is like a game to me and i like to win and like in every job you have your bad days and your good days but for the most part sales jobs can be alot of fun and i would call myself a big introvert i get really tired after human interaction so i will go recharge for 10 or minutes every 45mins lol.

what i have found is there are alot of sales people that have no integrity and will try and compete with you and crush you because they are haters but know this most don't last in their roles or while you are moving up to better careers they are still losers
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---------- Post added 05-17-2012 at 11:02 PM ----------

forgot #5 talk to everyone and i mean everyone, a lot of the time it is the person you least expect to buy from you that will be great customers never trick yourself into thinking that person won't buy because *enter whatever reason* that is usually you just not believing in yourself and having a crappy day.