What is a high paying sales position??

How do I get myself in a sales position?

• Here is the situation. My goal is to become an entrepreneur. I first want to gain experience as an employee. The closest job to entrepreneurship is sales. I finished my degree. My degree is not related to sales at all. I don't have much experience in sales neither. I have had several rejections and they all said my resume just doesn't fit what they are looking for. I tried to add an motivational letter that describe my passion for sales, but still the same rejection. How do I get myself in a sales position? The job descriptions say they look for starters, which I am, I don't have any experience. But they reject me saying I don't have a background that fits well with their description.

• Answer:

  It would be better if you could qualify the question with what your background is. The next question I would ask you is if you wanted to do sales, why did you not get the relevant education in the first place (unless the education you have is related to the field you want to start your venture in). Anyway, here is my two cents on the issue. The approach to getting a break into any industry/role is four-way: make yourself more employable for the industry/role, make sure you're representing yourself properly, look in easier places to get into to get a start, and not give up. 1. Take a course maybe. Do a part-time MBA, or a BBA/BBM course? Read books by legendary salesmen (maybe Frank Bettger's books, or Zig Ziglar's), read blogs on business & sales. Update your knowledge and outlook. Meet and befriend people who are in sales. Hang out with them. Notice how they talk, behave, negotiate with people. Sales in not just a job description - it becomes a part of their personality in the really successful ones. They are gregarious, confident, helpful, resourceful, empathetic. Notice those qualities, and try to inculcate them within you. 2. Go through your resume and revise it. Thoroughly. Many times (once or twice a day is generally good). Make sure it looks like someone who can sell. The first thing you are selling is yourself, isn't it? Do a good job at it. If your educational background isn't sales related, did you do any extracurriculars in college/school which show your enterprising nature, selling ability, convincing ability (because sales is basically convincing people). Eg. in my first sales job interview, the interviewer kept offering me an IT job, because I was the member of the IT Committee in my college. However, I turned it around saying that I implemented a couple of technology systems in my campus for which I had to fight the whole batch's resistance - if that was not a selling job, what is? He finished the interview on a negative note (I'm not giving you this job), but went out and told the HR that I'm a solid candidate. I had in a way politely fought with him the entire interview, with rational points nonetheless, and I guess this is what he appreciated. If you're Indian, maybe you've seen the movie Rocket Singh - if you haven't seen it, watch it right now (with subtitles if you don't understand Hindi). It's the story of a college fresher who wants to make it big in sales. Especially noteworthy is his interview - where he's supposed to hard sell a pencil (with its eraser tip removed, and then the lead broken) - it's an inspiring scene for anyone who wants to make a break in sales. In your resume, highlight all your achievements, but lay more emphasis on those where you had to lead a team, or convince anyone to do anything. Also if you've taken up any roles, official or unofficial, where you were to sell/negotiate in any way, include that - eg. collecting money for charity / raffle sheets, managing stalls in fests, selling stalls in fests to local businesses, bulk-buying equipment/stationery etc for your institute. Keep a positive upbeat tone, and write as if you are the perfect choice for the person reading the resume. 3. There is always a specific industry which is growing faster than others, and that needs staff quicker than others. It might be realty in your area. Or maybe insurance. Or financial services. Or telecom. Don't limit yourself to just industries which may be similar to what you want to set up yourself. A sales experience anywhere is valid for any kind of industry. If you can learn to sell something you're not familiar with, then you can sell what you understand, even better. Ask among your friends if they can hook you up with a job. Ask if any of your friends' relatives need any sales person in their offices. Or you could start with working at any of the fast food chains, or in retail at malls. It's still sales - and more importantly it's front line sales, which teaches you a lot - and it can put on your resume that tint of sales that might get you a better sales job in a few months. Also, the FMCG companies have something they call market developers - freshers from college who take care of a certain group of shops at the basic execution level. You don't have to wear a tie & suit in your first job - overalls or a uniform is just fine. 4. Lastly, don't give up. Follow all of the above diligently. You never know if the next interview is the one you'll crack. And persevere in the interviews. Politely keep asking them to give you a chance, that you're willing to do anything to do well at the job, and that you would be a very good gamble for them. You might in a jovial moment even ask the interviewer to tell you why you shouldn't be given a chance (of course he might say blah blah about background, and of course ask this only after you've tried very hard to convince him). Treat every interview as a learning episode about what went well and what did not. Not just for future interviews, but also for your career in sales, and later, your venture. And keep going at it. All the best.