re: Can someone explain to me why sales can be a lucrative profession?

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Sales is an awful lifestyle unless your managing UHNWIs, clients interested in acquisitions, or institutional investors.

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i take that back. An old buddy of mine sales packaging and he basically prints money. Gets 25% GP on all of the boxes he sells, basically recession proof too.

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Many great thinkers of their time where regarded as idiots. Einstein and Galileo come to mind so I'm really not worried about how the 40 year old virgin views my superior intellect.

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That's what mom's of idiots tell their kids in order to make them feel better. Those people don't come around very often... And when they do, I doubt they would be on tigerdroppings.com asking about the sales profession.

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I'm not saying they don't add value, because I think they do. I just don't think a guy selling a medical decide that I can find online myself adds $250k of value.

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Guy probably spent months learning all the details of the medical device and how it would benefit patients and save lives. Then probably knocked on that door for months trying to convince a doctor to take a chance and use his product. But yeah google can do all that.

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In the case of commodity items I agree. However, in specialty situations, the sales reps are more than worth their salary/commission. I cover a very specific market and with some giants of this specific medical field, I can walk in an OR, make a suggestion and they listen. Granted it has taken years of working with these physicians and they know I know what they need done and know how to get the machine to do it with harming the patient. That is why these surgeons are willing to demand the hospital pays a premium for my products. However, until you get out from behind a computer while pontificating and actually discuss specifics with the surgeons you wouldn’t understand.

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You seem reasonable and like you've been in the industry a while. Do you think you bring the same value as you did before the internet has become so proliferated? Maybe you do, that's why I ask the question. Obviously you aren't going to volunteer to give money back, but do you feel like you earn it like you used to?

I'm not afraid to admit there are things that have made my profession much easier, but that's just led to bringing in more work so I feel like I'm still earning what I make through the increased production. You may feel the same, just trying to get an understanding and reasonable explanation.

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lawyers

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A computer can't convince a jury one way or the other..

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A computer can't convince a jury one way or the other..

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True. Convincing a jury is the ultimate sale I’d think.

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Are the sales people?

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Any decent medical device sales rep will know how to perform the surgery if push came to shove. They are intensely trained to make sure the doctors look at them as partners in the surgery. They may not have the steady hand that a surgeon has, but formerly being a sales representative for a medical device company, I could go into vivid detail on how to perform a cataract surgery, and identify patients that would be best for certain products. I’m willing to bet that you winging it on Google just isn’t going to do it for any company worth half a shite.

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Like an engineer not a guy with a business management degree?

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There’s a lot of oversight on the sales people when it comes to this. Their company doesn’t want the product fricking up, so there are lots of people who go over the paperwork on both sides if the salesman or the customer fricks up on the order. It happens all the time. But for you “Just google it! That’ll do!”

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Yes Im an idiot, and you, who is possibly a legit sociopath, is a genius.

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Yeah, you got me. Do you what a sociopath is? It is someone with complete lack of empathy. The insult I’m given most on this site is that I’m a bleeding heart pussy, so good job putting me down as a sociopath.

In my industry two companies dominated a particular part of the construction process.

They dominated it so much that they didn't even send sales reps into the trailers anymore just assuming they would get the work.

Our owner saw an opportunity and had me and the other sales guy go door knocking on trailers and we brought in a couple million dollars of additional revenue for the company.

Our owner saw the value in using sales reps while the big guys got complacent waiting for orders and they never came.

Since we've done this we now hold a substantial market share but realize we must always stay on top it or we'll end up like our competitors.

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I understand it, I just don't agree with it.

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So you don’t agree that the average person wouldn’t go to the competition that would reward them more for their work? How long have you lived on this planet to disagree with that?

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Are the sales people?

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In some situations yes. I have actually taught residents bedside procedures. Been the guy there at 2AM and pressed them to move in order to save a patient’s life. I have had a Sr Attending say “why don’t you go back to medical school, I would trust you to scrub in over any of my junior residents”