10 Reasons Why the Life of a Sales Professional is Awesome

I had one of those sales appointments last night that just made me smile. Why? Because I had two great hours of conversation with two great people who ended up buying my product.

It was the perfect night, and as I thought about our little meeting on the way home, I started to think of all the reasons why the life of a sales professional can be very rewarding and satisfying to those persons willing to do what it takes.

So let’s get to it, here are 10 reasons why the life of a sales guy/gal can and should be awesome.

1. You are the Boss

That’s right, it’s you, and nobody else. Sure, sales people usually have managers and may have other bosses, but when it comes down to it, you, the sales pro, are the boss, and don’t ever think otherwise.

2. You Control Your Financial Destiny

Want to make more money? No problem, work harder, faster, smarter. Want to make less money? No problem, take it easy, slow down, do stupid things to kill your success. Talk about the ability to choose, this is awesome!

3. You Needn’t Depend on Others

Although being a part of a team is great, there is also something very special about looking in the mirror and knowing your success or failure rides on you. This is one reason why I loved wrestling in high school. It was the one sport I did that was essentially singular, and all I had to do was focus on making myself stronger and more skilled each and every day. Even better, as we help ourselves to reach higher levels of greatness, we naturally influence others to achieve excellence as well. Such is the way the universe works and such is the life of a sales professional.

4. You Meet and Learn from Awesome People

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, last night I met two wonderful people. They had a beautiful home, unbelievable artwork on the walls that we thoroughly discussed, and were avid car collectors. They, along with their home, radiated a feeling of happiness, abundance, and enriched living. This is why I take every opportunity to learn from prospects and customers. I honestly feel like they’ve got much more to teach me than I have to teach them.

5. You See the World

Whether you only travel in your own state or have the opportunity to travel the world, sales professionals get to go places every day they may otherwise not have been able to see and enjoy. In fact, whenever I make a sales appointment throughout Virginia and Maryland, I intentionally take back roads and new routes so as to enjoy the beautiful countryside and allow for God’s creation to inspire me.

6. You Live the Life of an Entrepreneur

This one goes along with #1, but every great sales person sees themselves as the boss, the brand, and the owner of their own business. Just this one paradigm shift will cause you to approach each and every day differently with a zest and zeal that otherwise simply doesn’t come without such responsibility. Remember, when done the right way, more responsibility always equals more freedom.

7. You can be a Rebel

Are you the type that marches to your own beat? If so, sales is likely your calling. This profession allows you to be original, take risks, and go down paths that the status quo hasn’t dared travail up to this point. Personally, I’ve always been this way. I simply don’t except the status quo way of doing sales by so many people and professions to be acceptable. As Seth Godin says, we should all be that ‘Unicorn in a Balloon Factory’.

8. You Set the Schedule

This benefit is huge. It allows you to be with your family and kids when you want to be. It allows you take go out with friend or take a vacation when you decide. As long as you are meeting your numbers, you’ll always be given free rein to come and go as you please. When it comes down to it, bosses and management only care about results, not how and with whom you spend your time.

9. You’re Always Being Pushed

I really like this one. Life stinks when it gets stagnant. Such is the case with so many jobs in the world today. Sales needn’t ever be that way. Because you’re in charge of your destiny, you have to make things happen each day. Goals are always on your mind. Looking ahead is constantly part of the picture. Such forced cognition is healthy, motivating, and inspiring.

10. You Learn How to Take Rejection

Some of you, like I did, learned this from asking girls to prom in high school. But for others, the profession of sales easily fills the void. Yeah sure, rejection sucks. It stinks. It’s frustrating. And it’s any other negative adjective you can come up with. But at the same time, rejection is a part of life. Those that understand how to handle it are successful. Those that allow it to beat them down and send them back to their cave end up frustrated and angry at the world. This is why rejection, for the most part, means little to me. It is what it is---an essential part of life.

So there are my top 10 reasons why I think the professional of sales is awesome. Now I’d be curious to know your thoughts. What would you add or take from the list? C’mon, join the conversation ;-)