Does anyone here know anyone who got RICH in Sales?

PrimeChoice

New User
If so, will you please, please be my friend and see that I am of that age where all of my life goals (eg-getting married, having a kid, house) are now driven by cold hard cash.

So if your dad is in sales and started @ the bottom, but now has a boat and beach front estate, please let me know.

Thank You
 

krz

Professional
What the english?

If you can sell and want to make serious cash become a cold calling stock broker for a boiler room.
 

PrimeChoice

New User
Besides, I am not looking to be a stockbroker. I only want to sell somthing and be a top sales executive. All I have found is a website called sales jobs.com
 

SlapShot

Hall of Fame
If you don't have the intiative to spend some time researching sales jobs (how to get them, how to excel at them), you probably don't have the right personality to be a top sales exec. The best salesmen I've known were driven beyond belief, and were rewarded with mid-6 figure salaries.
 

chrischris

G.O.A.T.
If so, will you please, please be my friend and see that I am of that age where all of my life goals (eg-getting married, having a kid, house) are now driven by cold hard cash.

So if your dad is in sales and started @ the bottom, but now has a boat and beach front estate, please let me know.

Thank You

Nope........
 

Fuji

Legend
It really depends on what your expertise is. I work in sales part time, but I work in a field that I'm extremely knowledgeable in. I also work on commission which I think is a huge part of working in sales. It's a somewhat stressful job for the fact that upwards of 75% of my job income is based on performance on how well I do.

Some of my family do work in a lot better paying industries than I do, and they make a nice living for someone here in Canada. If you want to PM me to discuss more feel free!

-Fuji
 

sureshs

Bionic Poster
Commission in sales can be several times the base pay. For the same education, experience and level in the company, I know salesmen who made 350K while the others make 100K.

But be prepared for humiliation if you don't meet your "targets." I have seen salesman being told on Monday that they need not come to work next Monday if their target was not met - the termination letter would be mailed to them.
 

Fuji

Legend
Commission in sales can be several times the base pay. For the same education, experience and level in the company, I know salesmen who made 350K while the others make 100K.

But be prepared for humiliation if you don't meet your "targets." I have seen salesman being told on Monday that they need not come to work next Monday if their target was not met - the termination letter would be mailed to them.

That's a good way to sum it up!

-Fuji
 

SlapShot

Hall of Fame
But be prepared for humiliation if you don't meet your "targets." I have seen salesman being told on Monday that they need not come to work next Monday if their target was not met - the termination letter would be mailed to them.

We recently lost a sales manager to workforce reductions - he blew his annual target out of the water on one large deal (I think it was $25 million per year or thereabouts) and he is going to have to fight to get the $75K commission that comes with it. Big money can change hands, but you've got to always be working if you want the top honors.
 

sureshs

Bionic Poster
We recently lost a sales manager to workforce reductions - he blew his annual target out of the water on one large deal (I think it was $25 million per year or thereabouts) and he is going to have to fight to get the $75K commission that comes with it. Big money can change hands, but you've got to always be working if you want the top honors.

What surprised me it the money/level ratio. In most big firms, every department has a similar ladder structure. For the same rung in the ladder, a sales guy can make 3 to 4 times what a guy in another department makes, which may be higher than what some of the top people in other departments make.

When moving from one job to the next, the "rolodex" is the key. I knew a guy who lost a job and a potential new employer openly told him to produce his rolodex during the interview - which I believe is a violation of business ethics. You are not supposed to try to steal your former customers, but that seems to be a prerequisite to get a new job. Quite a lot of questionable things go on in sales.
 

LeeD

Bionic Poster
What's your question?
Friend of mine was the 1st Burton Snowboard rep. He made over 5 mil from that one alone.
Gotta get lucky, have lucky timing, and be at the right place at the right time.
 

krz

Professional
Besides, I am not looking to be a stockbroker. I only want to sell somthing and be a top sales executive. All I have found is a website called sales jobs.com

Thought you wanted to make money?

I know a guy who makes 6 figures...






a month being a broker. All you have to do is hammer people phones 500 times a day.
 

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
Everybody is lazy and greedy nowadays. Nobody wants to move a finger anymore – just ride that donkey down the mountain slopes and hop onto a Benz here and now…
 

PaulC

Professional
Steve Job was a sales and marketing guy selling his partners Apple I.

Mark Cuban started out as a software salesperson.

The important thing is that: they both got goals, ambitions and visions beyond the short-term profit-margin thinking of an average salesperson.
 

MAXXply

Hall of Fame
Do yourself a favour and watch "Glengarry Glen Ross" and think to yourself whether you wanna be any of those guys.
 

Power Player

Bionic Poster
Do yourself a favour and watch "Glengarry Glen Ross" and think to yourself whether you wanna be any of those guys.

Have to be honest with you, that is nothing like sales nowadays. I am talking Business to Business. Now if you are talking Residential style..sure, there are all types. Either way, that movie is awesome.

B2B sales is all about building relationships and finding out if you are a potential solution for a problem. If you are not and you state that instead of lying to try and close a deal, you will find that many times you become a trusted consultant who makes far more $$ due to a strong referral base.
 

krz

Professional
More classic lines - Alec Baldwin to Ed Harris:

"You see this watch...It's worth more than your car..."
"You wanna wife and family? Well F#$% YOU!!!"

My favorite sales movie of all time has got to be Boiler Room though. At least the Ben Affleck scene when he's pitching the new hires. Amazing delivery.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqDtf1aw818

"Anybody who tells you money is the root of all evil, doesn't f'in have any. They say money can't buy happiness look at the f'in smile on my face, ear to ear baby."
 
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MAXXply

Hall of Fame
My favorite sales movie of all time has got to be Boiler Room though. At least the Ben Affleck scene when he's pitching the new hires. Amazing delivery.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqDtf1aw818
"Anybody who tells you money is the root of all evil, doesn't f'in have any. They say money can't buy happiness look at the f'in smile on my face, ear to ear baby."

I'd never heard of this movie...it's on my playlist to check out :)
 

Fearsome Forehand

Professional
It really depends on what you are selling.

Selling magazine subscriptions door to door, selling shoes in a store and being an Ad Executive to large accounts are all sales jobs technically but are worlds apart. Some sales jobs require a high degree of education and professionalism, others do not. There are some great sales jobs, but most are horrible.

Since you are a kid, the first thing you should do is get your degree. Go to a state school and save yourself (and/or) your parents a fortune. Go to the local CC for two years, take all transferable basic courses and then get your bachelor's degree from the best state school you can enter.
Study something technical if you can handle it, engineering, etc. If not, get a business degree. A grad degree (MBA or Masters in Science) is not a bad idea, either.

There are some great account management jobs. Suppliers to large concerns that spend millions each year on parts or equipment. Anything from reping an OEM to automotive companies to rep-ing an OEM to computer related companies, etc. Or, being an ad exec to large clients. Or, working in marketing for a large firm. Those are usually good gigs. Cold calling jobs, stock brokers, insurance etc, might be your cup of tea if you enjoy talking on the phone to total strangers a lot. In a good market, real estate in certain areas is not a bad gig.

But, if you are a naturally a deceptive, lying, disingenuous, manipulative POS, but still able to maintain an air of credibility and feign integrity, there is no better place for you than the world of sales. :)

And yes, one can get rich in sales but it all boils down to what you are selling.
 
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sphinx780

Hall of Fame
But, if you are a naturally a deceptive, lying, disingenuous, manipulative POS, but still able to maintain an air of credibility and feign integrity, there is no better place for you than the world of sales. :)

I thought you were going to say there is no place better for you than the For Sale or Trade forum ;-)
 
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