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"Growth and comfort do not coexist" - Ginni Rometty

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We have a slightly mixed view of sales in our culture. On one hand, sales is seen as part of business and the economy and many see the skills and techniques as key to growth and relationships from a business side. A good company is usually successful from the work and people skills of a sales team to sell products. We admire successful salespeople for their charm and ability to persuade. On the other hand, there are negative stereotypes around sales, often seeing salespeople as pushy or manipulative. This can come from bad experiences with high-pressure tactics or a lack of transparency from sales tactics.

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Another photo depicting sales from the view of our society

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What do MSU resources tell us about sales?

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What do MSU resources tell us about sales?

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I found the Wharton resources in finance very interesting as they explain data within the finance industry, which goes hand in hand with sales, because a comprehensive understanding of finance can benefit you in sales.

Networking is Key: One video explains that making connections with people is very important in sales. Good salespeople often rely on their contacts to find new customers and close deals.

Many Job Options: Another video shows that there are different roles in sales, like account management and business development. This means you can choose a path that fits your interests and skills.

Workshops to Build Skills: MSU’s Career Services offers workshops to help you learn important skills for sales, like how to negotiate and communicate well. These skills are valuable and can make you more effective in a sales job.

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For this section, I interviewed my friend's dad, Tim, who I've known since I was 6. Tim lives a life that I want to live, he owns a place on a popular ski mountain called Breckenridge and had a sales job selling printers, to which he moved his way up and became the sales lead, and later the CEO. I see myself wanting to live a similar life as I want to invest all of my free time into doing things I love such as skiing, while also having the competition of sales to keep me motivated to move up to achieve these dreams. I asked Tim what made him most successful in sales and he said that being personable and working his hardest to sell people on new models and perfecting his sales strategy is what set him apart from his peers and allowed him the later promotion. He also said getting to know clients on a personal level was also important as it opened doors for other clients adn which later led to his promotion within this company. I then asked "Why sales?", to which Tim replied "No is only an answer, people will buy anything as long as your convincing and have a passion to help people", this resounds with me as I have always stepped my best foot forward in whatever I'm doing, and I've realized half-assing any work is selling myself short, I also have everyone's best interests in mind and I try to help anyone in whatever I'm doing. I then asked a unique question to my situation, Tim has seen me grow up ever since I was 3, so I asked "do you see me being successful in sales?" Tim responded by telling me a time when he and my dad were talking during my freshman year and he recounted a time when he told my dad "Nathan's always been great at talking to people, especially those older than him, and he professionally carries himself in conversation". This led him to tell me yes, he does think I'll be successful in sales because I've kept myself true to the values he discussed with my dad so many years ago, and he also believes that my company has shown that I have the drive and competition required to help myself succeed in sales. I found his response to the question "if you could change something along your career what would you change?" the most interesting part of this interview as he recounted that he wished he started selling something he was interested in by saying "It is so much easier to sell something you have passion for as you can share that passion with clients.", which helped me because, with this input, I will seek a job in sales for something I am interested in when the time comes as I can understand what sells a product if I have interest in that product myself.

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I can link curiosity with this project, as I thought I knew a lot about sales and what it takes to succeed in this field, however, I approached this project curious to take the most out of it and look at it through a lens where I knew little to nothing and I had more to learn from industry experts. This curiosity helped me to learn more about the field and I got the most important piece of advice about this field thus far from my interview, which was to find a job in sales in something you have passion for, as it makes selling these products easier, because you convey your own desire in the products you sell.

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Generative AI has recently been used as an aid in sales, while it is not taking jobs, it is being used to help more sales be closed and make the overall sales experience easier for both the client and the salesperson. For example, AI is being used to help write personal emails to clients, get insight into possible clients, gather information on clients, and generate recommendations in fine-tuning sales strategies to maximize the efficiency of a sales team. In conclusion, AI is being used as an aid for salespeople and is not targeted to take jobs within the sales space.

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I want to find my calling in the inter-workings of the world and make an indent in the world, I want to help people buy things that will genuinely help their company instead of selling useless things that aren't effective or are a waste of money and resources, I believe this comes from my experience with my own company and I can apply my experiences from this company with a sense of empathy for others companies as I can look at my own experiences and what frustrated me when dealing with salespeople. I have found that our culture can find salespeople as sleazy, but I hope to challenge this notion by using my values and prior experiences to be the best person I can be and not to sell to people only because it benefits me. I hope to live a modest life in a ski town in a small house/apartment where I can sell ski software to ski resorts as I am most interested in skiing and believe I can make an impact on that industry.

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"This must be the Place" - Talking Heads, I chose this because when you find a product you enjoy selling you typically end up selling similar products for the rest of your career.