Come on salespeople ... 11% just isn't good enough!

In short, I am convinced that salespeople are robbing the world. Of what? The chance to live a life full of joy, peace, and happiness.

What I find most disturbing is that it's an entirely avoidable situation! If salespeople would just set their sights on 11% more customers then we could all be living happily ever after.

So what are you waiting for?! Let's get started! 

This blog post was written for those who either want to speak up about not being satisfied with the current state of things or feel like they will never get ahead in life despite working hard and having ambition.

This article is not easy to read. It's arguably harder to process. But, if you're willing to be honest with yourself and do the hard work of figuring out what really makes you happy and then consistently working towards those goals there is a good chance you will find the peace that you've always been looking for.

I'm not going to sugar-coat things for you, in fact I'm going to tell it like it is: Salespeople are robbing the world of meaningful relationships and happiness! And, I am here to help stop this terrorism!

Now, how do we begin? There are two approaches:

1) The truth about sales jobs -- for those who want a holistic view of their life.

2) What if you don't have a sales job -- for those who are currently unemployed or looking for a career change.

Through the eyes of a salesperson...

Even though it's still early in the morning and I am just waking up, I begin sweating at the mere thought of walking through the front door of my job. I'm late, not because I slept in too long but because I was unable to get up due to my anxiety. The anxiety that comes out of knowing that once again today will be spent shaking hands with people whom I don't care about and trying to convince them that they need me to solve their problems.

The idea that I am a glorified telemarketer makes me feel dirty. But, what can I do? I work for one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world. The job market isn't looking well and there aren't many options available for grads just starting out.

As I sit here trying to collect my thoughts about my life and why so little of it is joyful, I think back to when I was 15 years old and all the joy that my life held at that time. The only thing I wanted was to see myself with a family that cared about me and would do anything for me and others like me.

It's true! I stopped myself from crying at the beginning of this post. Although there is no doubt that I have a great job, the truth is that I have sold myself out to be something that I don't want to be: a glorified telemarketer who completely lacks purpose and meaning in life.

This has led me to a very dark place in life and one where fear (of being alone), regret, and depression plague me every day. I worry that I have forever lost any chance at obtaining what I wanted as a little girl -- a family who cares about me and would do anything for me.

Now, if you're thinking that salespeople are scam artists then let me tell you something: your judgement is very harsh! We may not be the most respected people in the world but at least we are brave enough to make a living without depending on others. We may have lost respect from most of society but we do gain respect from our industry.

Yes, there are dishonest salespeople, just like there are dishonest doctors, teachers and more. No matter what job or industry you go into there will be dishonest people. This is why you should always research who the top performing sales people are and pay attention to what they do.

When I was a salesperson for one of the largest telecommunications companies I spent much of my waking hours learning from the top-performing reps who are great at what they do. Their efforts were focused on making more customers feel like their problems were under control and that they had an ally in them.

The nature of our industry forces us to rely on others to get ahead so we spend a lot of time learning how to get others on our side and help them build trust in us by listening intently when they speak and provide excellent service.

This knowledge is the type of thing that will help you in any path you choose. You may not want to be a salesperson, but if you ever end up in a sales position, I highly recommend learning all you can from the best salespeople.

If I had listened to the advice and information that I was given as a 15 year old, then my life would have been very different and much more fulfilling right now. I encourage you to not be like me and finally listen to the words of those who have already been through this.

Before I quit my sales job (for reasons that will be revealed later in this post) I was beginning to understand what it takes to make others feel good about themselves, and I wanted to make a shift in my life towards helping others instead of making a living by convincing them that they need what I'm selling.

I still struggle with whether or not I made the right decision or if this is even possible when your income depends on how many people you convince on a weekly basis.

But, at the same time, I'm glad that I experienced the world under this mindset because now I know what it's like to work in my industry and how people are able to make a living. In short, I respect them more even though there are times when some reps make me feel down on my own career choice.

Most of us aren't willing to face our fears and admit that we have created a life for ourselves where we are unhappy simply because it's easier than facing the unknowns.

That being said, I don't know if it's possible for salespeople to adopt a new mindset that allows them to feel happy in their current job. People desire money, so it stands to reason that you need money to live a life of happiness.

Conclusion

I wish I could tell you something that would make this all easier. But, I can't. You see, I'm conflicted. I don't know what to do next with my life because I've spent the last five years trying to figure out what 'next' means for me.

In order to move forward -- and in order to be able to be happy -- I must quit my job as a salesperson altogether and not have a job at all. This is scary as hell but it's what will allow me to feel good about myself again.