Weathering the Storm: Challenges in Sales

It is true that working in Sales is rewarding, whether it may be financial or emotional. However, it is not all sunshine rainbows when you're working in this side of the business. I couldn't even fathom the number of times I wanted to give up this work and try something else. I knew that I still had some time to get out and start a new life in another career, however, there was something about sales that kept on calling me back😅 So let me share to you the Five Different Challenges that Sales people face.

Challenge 1: Achieving Quotas and Sales Goals

As in any job, there are also performance indicators in the field of sales. For those working in the quality department, it's the number of qualified products and lowered rate of reject products, in the finance department would be the increased amount of collected customer payments or the lowered company debts that must be paid for. Same goes with Sales, we have what we call "Quotas". At the beginning of the year, the quota will be computed based on the area you'll be handling or according to the capacity your company is capable of providing to clients. However, lots of companies nowadays are driving their employees to the ground by placing unreasonable amounts of sales goals to be achieved. This often causes high levels of stress and anxiety issues to the salesman involved. I could still remember that my sales quota was P15,000,000 in my first year as a salesman. I felt overwhelmed but I took it as a challenge that I must overcome.

Challenge 2: Numerous Competition in the Market

Remember that you are not the only one in the industry who could offer your products and services to customers. Competition is the driving force for quality services and products, however, it is also the driving force that can make salespeople go crazy as well. Competition is often times healthy, but there will always be people who will do anything just to secure an order. Moreover, competition does not only come from local companies especially with the increased presence of globalization. Companies from countries such as China and neighboring South East Asian countries, competition is becoming more and more intense. To make the situation even harder, you'd also experience competition within the company where you'll have your colleagues and fellow salesman steal your clients away from you.

Challenge 3: Unpleasant and Hard to Deal with Customers

Customer is King, that is a rule of law in the world of sales. We have to deal with numerous type of customers with different types of characteristics and personalities. Some clients will ask for near to impossible requests like very low prices or even impossible deadline requirements. You will even face clients who has no idea of what they would like for their company and would worry about almost every aspect of the transaction. There will be times wherein you'll face clients that are overly expressive of their emotions such as extreme irritation and anger. They would even ask you for things you'd never imagine of doing such as going out for drinks, harassment and sexual abuse, or even moments of humiliation and ridicule.

Challenge 4: Risks in Safety and Health

Unlike other eight-to-five jobs out there, sales people have to be out in the field in search for possible orders or potential clients. This requires them to travel often and be on the road or even go have some drinks with clients which often end in the wee hours of the morning. These factors cause high risks in the health, safety, and welfare of the sales people. I even know some companies who does not provide health insurance or even retirement packages and benefits just because "sales earn lots of commission". Being in sales creates this sense of "false fulfillment" just to gain that monetary benefit which would just lead to possible hospital dues and health maintenance fees in the future.

Challenge 5: Decreased Family Time

I do believe that this is the one that hurts the most among all of the previously stated challenges. We have made this decision to sacrifice our time and effort in order to give our loved ones the life that they deserve: a roof above their heads, clothes to be worn, food on the table, and an education to secure their future. However, moments such as birthday celebrations or Saturday with the kids are sacrificed in exchange for a possible closed deal. Moreover, there are even some people who failed to establish a relationship because of the time they have spent being so focused on their job requirements and none on developing relationship outside of work.

It is most definitely true that being a salesman is a truly rewarding and fulfilling job. I will never forget the happiness I got from achieving my sales goal of P15,000,000 which was a feat in itself given that the market started with nearly no sales. However, I missed a lot of family events, I would spend most of the time at exhibits or even on the phone. I couldn't even count the number of beer bottles I had to finish while dealing with clients which had an impact in my health. Though it is a rewarding job, there are still lots of risks involved in this job. I could still remember that article that I read back in April about this drunk salesman who broke down after failing to secure a deal with the client. This just shows how much sales people have to go through just to secure a sale. So if your husband, wife, brother, sister, father, mother, friend, relative is working in sales, give them a tap in the back and say that you know what they are going through and just provide that support and love.