A Day In A Life Of A Salesman



     
 

 

Joey
“So You’re in Sales?”
Although my official job title is ‘sales representative,’ I much more prefer ‘professional relationship builder.’ You’re probably laughing to yourself; “Oh okay sure, you’re a ‘relationship builder.’ You call people for the sole purpose of selling them, right?” Wrong. Sales, in my opinion, is much more than making an actual sale, landing a new account, or closing a deal. It’s actually a people business, the essence of which is real relationships.

On a typical day, I’ll usually call anywhere from 30-50 prospective clients, making them aware of what we offer and also trying to get them excited about the possibility of working together. I send and receive E-mails, draft proposals, and try and schedule as many in-person interactions as I can. Finally, I log everything; from the brief conversation I had with the receptionist to the 2-hour conference call with the client on the verge of signing a contract. The good news, after many tedious phone calls and back and forth E-mails, is that meetings are scheduled and I am able to travel all over the country, meet new and interesting people in the field, and begin what will hopefully become a lasting business relationship. For me, a good meeting should be similar to a conversation with a close friend or a confidant; simply a discussion about something that may be of value to them.

Although some relationships never make it past an initial series of phone calls or a monotonous answering machine, others develop beautifully and are completely worth every voicemail, every game of phone tag, and every tiresome two-hour meeting. You begin to realize the person(s) on the other end is another human just like you, and when you finally bring them on board, you may find you’ve not only added a client but also a friend, as well. Developing a program once a client is interested is probably the most exciting part of my job as my insights ideas are considered and often integrated into the final product.

When all is said and done, yes; my role as a sales representative is to acquire new business for the company I represent, thus selling the services it provides. However, all the elements of the sales process are crucial, and unless all are followed – most importantly, a relationship is developed and nurtured – a sale is almost impossible.