r/sales • u/BigRed-RidingHood • 12h ago
Sales Topic General Discussion How has sales changed your life?
What has sales done for your life?
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u/Scubalou83 11h ago
I didn’t graduate College but my next door neighbors are a neurosurgeon and a scientist who ran his own lab.
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u/1kilotone 12h ago
Lost my hair. I'm not even 35.
Oh, and cash.
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u/semthews1 11h ago
Once you hit sales VP, you can get a hair transplant in Turkey.
You'll be fine.
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u/Blackharvest 12h ago
Paying more in taxes than some people make in a year was eye opening.
Also finding out some people are in sales and DONT get a commission
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u/Sydneypoopmanager Industrial 10h ago
I dont get commission but my base is twice the national average. I live in Australia. I do get a bonus which is 15% of my base.
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u/Blackharvest 10h ago
Out of pure curiosity, what is the national average in AU?
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u/Sydneypoopmanager Industrial 10h ago
Median salary is $75k AUD. Average is 110k.
My base is 175k. My bonus 25k. Super is another 12% of 175k.
I should have said twice the median.
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u/lIlIlIlIlIlIlIlIl_ 4h ago
Mind me asking what you sell? I’m in marketing technology but a high base with no comms sounds cruisey.
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u/Sydneypoopmanager Industrial 3h ago
I sell robotic inspections. Its very easy to find me based on that - since I work at the current leader in Australia.
Yeah - I have to says its great in the current economy of Australia. I dont have to worry about personal cashflow too much. Its not an account management role either so its quite interesting and varied. Feels like a startup/scale up.
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u/hung_like__podrick Manufacturers Representative 8h ago
I realized the other day I’ve already paid more in taxes this year than my starting salary as an engineer. Kinda wild
Edit: shoulda said withheld, not paid
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u/AlgernusPrime 8h ago
Congrats! It got me out of poverty. Think god for sales otherwise I’d be either a security guard or a waiter.
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u/whofarting 12h ago
I'm a great listener. I ask questions that make people think differently. Regardless of how fucked things are in my world, people have no idea. Oh, and I spend my own money like I'm using a corporate card.
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u/BigRed-RidingHood 11h ago
~5 years in after dropping out of college.
Gave me confidence, great ability to handle rejection, & $$ (3rd dollar sign coming soon hopefully).
Working on being able to turn off & not obsessing over all my leads & pending deals.
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u/lilprophet 4h ago
I sound like a nut but the obsession was my favorite part.. besides commission ofc.
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u/poogadextrious 11h ago
Sales has changed my life by pushing me to grow both personally and professionally. It has taught me valuable skills like confidence, resilience, and the ability to connect with people.
Jk I’m anxious 24/7 and learned money really doesn’t buy happiness
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u/h3110_wOrld 4h ago
Things broke people say^
You can get money and save the forests in Brazil. Get money and save the starving kids in Africa. If anyone says money doesn't buy happiness, they just don't know where to shop....
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u/DDJFLX4 3h ago
Not that i have money, but if tomorrow i woke up and my bank account spiked up to a million bucks, I'd still be the same person inside. Family connections, confidence and self esteem, mental health, my ability to learn, my mental fortitude, will to live and pursue passions. All these things can be helped with money but some cant just be bought outright with xyz dollars, it's all internal work. Not even gonna mention something like a dying pet or something, money can't always fix that
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u/thebiglebowskiisfine 12h ago
Retired at 50.
I hate customers now, and most companies with salespeople.
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u/jtsmelly 11h ago
I’m fat and I own a house and I don’t smoke crack and I have a wife and I don’t do heroin and I don’t have debt and I have a real ID and no warrants
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u/jezarnold Enterprise Software 5h ago
Congrats on no crack or heroin… but prescription meds? Assume you do that ? amiright?
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u/kellyraycampbell 10h ago
When I was in school 35 years ago sales was looked down upon. I got into it out of job necessity. I made more in 7 years in sales than the 20 previous not in sales. Wish I would have started in my 20s
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u/catsbuttes 12h ago
i get paid more to charm folks and fiddle with excel than my friends and family that actually graduated
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u/html5lffy 11h ago
Turned me into an alcoholic.
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u/daring_innovator 11h ago
Yep, this is and the nicotine pouches for me to tag along with it. Go figure
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u/html5lffy 11h ago
The sad part is I wish I was joking. But yes. Gotta love the zyns. Nothing like a cigarette in, two upper decky 9mg zyns, a vape and nicotine pouch while drinking some vodka at 8am
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u/-Placentasaurus- 9h ago
3 weeks sober now and swapped to zyns. Gets me locked in at work and will kill me a lot less quickly
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u/ChemistCurious 11h ago
Was able to make a substantial amount of money before kids and save/reinvest all of my commissions so I can now be a stay at home mom.
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u/Hufflepuff-McGruff 10h ago
How’s your work/life balance? As a toddler dad, I’m interested in getting into sales but don’t want to be the dad who misses soccer games due to work.
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u/ChemistCurious 10h ago
I only continued to work for just two years once I did start having kids, solely because my book of business was on autopilot and it didn’t make sense to leave. But, sales in general can have a very nice work life balance. Even before kids, I always worked from home, traveled very little, and never worked 40 hours a week..always much less. The sales job just has to be the right one! Some industries, like pharma/med, I’ve heard can be so demanding time wise. I was in the financial sector, and highly recommend, being a parent.
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u/AdreN- 10h ago
I think her point is she quit after having kids and saved before then. WLB doing sales with kids is not good, due to travel.
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u/Hufflepuff-McGruff 10h ago
You’re right. I read it as she wished she did sales before kids. My mistake
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u/TheNewBlue 12h ago
Gained about 60 lbs. Broke and have money at the same time. Juggling Soul sucking rejection and the gamblers feeling of hitting a windfall.
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u/gh0st-6 11h ago
Home life. Money. Being able to be super stressed at work without even putting pants on.
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u/Every_Extreme_1037 11h ago
I feel this in my bones. lol. I refuse to take my phone to the bathroom anymore. No more ruined showers. They can wait.
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u/VolumeMobile7410 11h ago
Getting a 100k month is pretty unreal when a couple insane deals closed at the same time.
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u/bdpongrand 10h ago
The money is phenomenal. I’ve bought houses, boats and cars that I never would have dreamed of as a farm boy. I developed the ability to completely turn off emotion…like literally feel absolutely nothing if it doesn’t serve me. Those are the good parts. I started taking Ambien during the crash of 2008 (it lasted until 2016 in my industry) followed soon by antidepressants. I need to be sharp so haven’t been able to do the typical alcohol and narcotics solution that a lot of us do. I suspect stress has shaved +\- 10 years off of my life. Still worth it because my kids and ex-spouse will have a big leg up. Overall, positive experience for me.
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u/Bayside_High Construction 12h ago
Flexible schedule, SAHM, some fun toys, money
Yes there is stress but what job doesn't have any?
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u/DetroitsGoingToWin Industrial 11h ago
Learned how to deal with people’s bullshit and not take things personal. Definitely have learned a lot more how people operate.
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u/partiallypoopypants Enterprise SaaS AE 10h ago
My bank account and retirement accounts are significantly fatter. My life is pretty solid, but currently I’m wondering if I’d be just as happy before I got into sales. The job really isn’t as bad as people make it out to be if you prioritize your life over your job.
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u/BlondeCrackHead 11h ago
After aging out of escorting, (I was 43 when I stopped) i’m not even wanting to do that at that age, I actually could use transferable skills the gift of Gab finesse and marketing to sales. Pretty seamless. Getting a real job I got paid good at and didn’t need a degree, changed my entire life.
My original plan was to be a madame but fuck that. I like my freedom
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u/BigJeffyStyle 10h ago
Sales job moved me across the country, to the city where I met my now wife. We have 2 lovely kids and I am very happy just about every single day.
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u/wallycron 9h ago
Made me a better “people” person, and more introverted when I’m off the clock.
Also put me in a spot where I could afford distractions from the world.
My kids will benefit from my choice, but I question it weekly.
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u/vikrantrrao 8h ago
2 major shifts for me - 1. It's gotten me to think more about others than myself. What are their goals and aspirations and how I can/our product help achieve them. I feel like it's made me more curious and empathetic. 2. It's shifted my center of locus from internal to external. Earlier I used to think that I'm not in as much control of things happening to me. But if I want to close that deal, I've found it helpful to think that I'm in control of the deal. I need to find a way to move things ahead, I need to find a solution and a way out.
Life shouldn't happen to you, you should happen to life.
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u/cheeky_LAMB_7 8h ago
Sales has help me become a better storyteller, help me meet more people and spin myself as a candidate to nearly most jobs or be offered jobs based solely on short interactions.
Materially, sales has helped me:
Really catch up and be in a decent place for retirement, purchase 2 homes, and nice cars
Not for everyone but I'm glad people were patient with me while I learned
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u/Spring_Break_2000 8h ago
Helped me be more optimistic, great travel, memories, and paychecks. I am also overweight, high blood pressure, and wear crocks. Every tortilla has 2 sides I guess.
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u/Luckygohappy2000 7h ago
$$$$$$ and freedom. Money does by happiness. I was happy before but I'm happier now. I have been able to travel with my family and not worry about my spending.
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u/Specialist-Ad7800 11h ago
I feel like most things that people view as ‘adulting’ are so menial I take them for granted these days. Especially phone calls / etc.
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u/thegreatdane1490 9h ago
Really opened my eyes to how sleazy people can be. Toxic sales orgs and micromanaging metrics.
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u/heroinfluencer 3h ago
Sales has changed my life in many ways, but my proudest archivement is probably being able to take personal credit for my city's top 3 ranking in European cocaine consumption
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u/Substantial-Reply116 11h ago edited 1h ago
I work way less and make more and less stress. Used to run restaurants and made 60k a year 70+ hours. Made 160k last year with 40-45 work weeks. I will never leave sales
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u/MillenniumGreed 8h ago
What kind of sales?
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u/Substantial-Reply116 1h ago
Cell phone sales. I am top in the country
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u/MillenniumGreed 1h ago
Wow that’s awesome! How’d you get to be that good?
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u/Substantial-Reply116 46m ago
When I first started, I interviewed all of the top sales reps, and for the first six months just copied what they did. And then I figured out my groove and figured out what are the core principles that work I added my own touch to it.
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u/interestingpun 9h ago
Damn more than 250k every year for the last 4 years, but also paid more taxes than I have ever. Also started smoking 😂
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u/NeedleworkerRich9678 7h ago
Made me realize any other job aside from owning a business or being a highly-paid doctor ain’t gonna provide shit.
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u/SweetStrawberry1996 4h ago
Helped me pay for my wedding, drastically grown our savings, and confidence.
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u/thefatcontroller107 3h ago
I would say it’s allowed me to think more critically and ask more critical questions in real life, in a sense it’s made me more conversational and able to ask more deeper questions and have better more interesting conversations beyond just giving my thoughts on things but at the same time it’s made me a pain in the ass when people say something and I instantly go to rebuttals and tryna find the pain point in everything 😂
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u/demonlishangel 48m ago
Industrial real estate leasing in a less developed southeast asian country. Got me from graduate broke to economically comfortable. Made it harder to make me unhappy or uncomfortable. More practical, supporting, less criticizing things.
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u/ImpressReasonable242 26m ago
getting rejected for a living basically cures your fear of awkward conversations.
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u/jsnuggz 0m ago
Introvert, pointed some glaring flaws in my communication skills, made more friends and make more plans now. Following up and chasing people used to be a major issue in my relationships. I also Genuinely ask people more questions now in general.
Some days I'm mentally fried when I get home though.
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u/kahrahtay Technology 11h ago
I used to be naturally outgoing. Now when I'm off the clock I lean more reclusive introvert