Some people in sales actually do fit these characteristics, while everyone else is slowly realizing that they shouldn't even be allowed to talk to other humans. People gather around the ones with real talent, hoping to snag even a crumb of excellence that falls from their lips. I consistently fell short of being one of the good ones.
Thinkstock/Stockbyte/Getty Images
I would have cleaned the filth plate of excellence if I needed to.
I was functional in the same way that a warm soda is still drinkable, but not preferable. However, in a new city and more broke than I'd ever been in my life, I looked at a marketing ad like a wish fulfillment fantasy. "I am that kind of person!" I thought, with a generous dose of delusion and desperation. I wasn't just a regular guy who would go into an interview and get rejected. I was a "marketing" guy. I was the ultimate human, and by simply saying words, I could convince people to give me money that I assumed would partially get back to me in some way.
That's when I was smacked by the idea of a commission-based income, forcing me to actually be good at the job if I wanted to see positive results. And it's hard to be good at the job when ...
348 Comments