Sales. The love/ hate career choice.
I love the hunt. Getting to search for amazing brands; rugs, tiles and kitchen appliances. All of these products with the words ‘design-led’, ‘boutique’, ‘luxury’ in front of them, makes me feel like I am Shayna Blaze on Selling Houses Australia. As a social person, I genuinely like connecting with people, asking about their business goals to see if there is a fit.
But like most careers, some days I absolute loath my job. I feel like dirt on a boot. The cold calling, the chasing, the follow ups. It leaves me feeling like a stage 10 clinger who won’t get the idea and leave someone alone. I realised I was bi-polar with sales when my Mum said to me the other day; ‘ Darling you do have your days with this job, some days you love it and other days, yes you seem to really hate it, but overall you do so well’
Then it hit me, it’s not just me. Sales is the most bi-polar, self-inflicting painful beast of a career I’ve ever known. It is a career where you are getting paid to asked to be rejected 50 times a day. It is a career that, only when you get to hear good stories about connection and how you have helped build a brand, get it to that level where they are recognised and have ROI from a show that you feel good with the world again.
A friend and good colleague said to me that what we do is good. She is very spiritual and said she see’s our work as good for the world and for businesses. We offer to connect a supplier with a platform to showcase their products to thousands of relevant customers. We aren’t hard selling anyone. I have to follow up to close off the opportunity. If you don’t want to do it then you don’t have to do it. Easy.
I was so proud recently when we got to see a show to fruition. Hospitality Design Fair. Here is a perfect example of the pride and joy I have with this job. I found some amazing brands while searching, hunting, grinding at work. Zooming in on logos in kitchen and bathroom showrooms, looking at other shows and researching the brands they had exhibiting. These stellar brands signed on with me for HDF and NoVacancy, and my god was I proud to see the way they activated, the customer engagement they had at the event and all the wonderful stories they told me of people they met. One of them met the head buyer from The Star. Another met the General Manager from Accor who was wanting a quote for 150 chairs.
Whether these go anywhere or the ROI for these particular brands get from the show is neither here nor there. A trade event isn't just about ROI, it’s the opportunity of the connections; whether it be collaborating with other brands, meeting distributors, getting media attention and of course potential projects. There are endless possibilities with many different arms of their trade.
Sales is hard core. But it is a role that pays dividends if you are in the right sector that you feel passionate about. For me? I am very driven to see amazing brands on site, to connect brands with design firms, architecture firms and developers. The pride I feel walking a show floor and seeing deep connections, smiling faces and energetic buzz..The power is in the human connection, people buy from people.
Humans like contact. We are a needy bunch, just like penguins we prefer to be in packs, we pick a mate (for the most part) and stay with that human. We hold on to the the idea of love, connection, storytelling and sensory experiences like touch, feel sight, smell and sound.
So like any job, sales has its good and bad days. I count myself lucky that I work in a dynamic event industry (silence COVID fear) and that I get to look at cool products all day, beautifully design led rugs, artworks, prints, architectural products and lighting. Every job has its tough days and yes I may be bi-polar with Sales, but I think its pretty understandable when its such a tumultuous, love / hate career.
Love ya babes
Regards,
Madeleine
