4 ms·

Good salesmen in high-commission industries like software, pharma, high-end real estate, etc. will make much more than a good engineer will over their career. I

Good salesmen in high-commission industries like software, pharma, high-end real estate, etc. will make much more than a good engineer will over their career. I had a buddy in sales who closed an enterprise software deal and made $80k from that alone. He had a lot of deals cooking.

willvarfar 9y ago
I thought that the kind of "retail sales" the article is referring to is what us Brits call "shop assistant"?
- shubb 9y ago
  Hackernews - it's another world
walshemj 9y ago
Anecdotally when Oracle signed a deal with BT for oracle anywhere the salesman "retired" on the proceeds.
- nunez 9y ago
  sounds about right at the right company with the right compensation structure, a handful of $100M+ deals can set you up for a LONG time
kcorbitt 9y ago
I'm curious about this. What does it take to make a "good" salesperson by this definition? Just grit and experience, or some innate and uncommon skill? I know there are people who make millions working in sales, but I guess I'm just wondering how common that actually is. Should a reasonably motivated and intelligent salesperson early in their career expect to be making $200k+ a few years in, or does that take a very unusual level of luck/skill/dedication to turn it into a lucrative career?
- brandonmenc 9y ago
  Every great salesperson I know is fearless in any social situation. They can strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere, anytime - effortlessly. You can't teach that. There are a host of other qualities, but this strikes me the most "inborn" one.
  - richardbatty 9y ago
    You can teach that, or at least learn it, with cognitive behavioural therapy for social anxiety and practice in progressively more difficult situations.
    - maxxxxx 9y ago
      I think there are limits. I compare it to athletics. With hard work I can double my bench press but there are people who can bench even more without ever training. If these people work hard in addition they can perform on a level that's not achievable for most of us. I think it's the same for sales or a lot of other professions. People with talent can go much further.
      - dismantlethesun 9y ago
        I think this is true too, just that with sales unlike athletics, the field is more inclusive (e.g. specialized knowledge in the product field may be more important than absolute speech skills), and also higher populated leading to there being more positions for people who are merely above average, rather than superhuman.
    - seppin 9y ago
      sure you can be fearless, but not in a way that is productive. you just become more annoying
    - nunez 9y ago
      ehhhhh sort of it is very hard to replicate the behavior of someone that just loves being around people. i can usually tell who is a "natural" and who isn't (i.e. those that went through therapy, coaching and the like) learning how to be around people can't really be done in a safe space since the world at large in unsafe. people will say dumb shit at you. people will cut you off. people will do unexpectedly nice (or mean) things. everyone is different. the only way to truly learn these skills is to get out there and be vulnerable. i can see how classes and sessions can get you to a point at which one is comfortable enough to even BEGIN doing this (I went to a few social anxiety meetups with friends), but that alone isn't enough. getting to the root of that anxiety with a psychologist is more effective, in my (limited) opinion, but that can be expensive for many you CAN get pretty far on the basics though. most people like being around someone that is humorous and makes them feel good about themselves. you can go REALLY far by finding what someone really likes to talk about and letting them talk (while asking questions throughout) podcasts with interviews from journalists or news companies helped me with this a lot
encoderer 9y ago
I think in any job where you can get a piece of the gross proceeds you can make more money than in a job where you make salary plus profit sharing or equity. That would include talent agents, advertising, etc. (You could argue these are all just salesmen)

willvarfar 9y ago

I thought that the kind of "retail sales" the article is referring to is what us Brits call "shop assistant"?

shubb 9y ago
Hackernews - it's another world

walshemj 9y ago

Anecdotally when Oracle signed a deal with BT for oracle anywhere the salesman "retired" on the proceeds.

nunez 9y ago
sounds about right at the right company with the right compensation structure, a handful of $100M+ deals can set you up for a LONG time

kcorbitt 9y ago

I'm curious about this. What does it take to make a "good" salesperson by this definition? Just grit and experience, or some innate and uncommon skill? I know there are people who make millions working in sales, but I guess I'm just wondering how common that actually is. Should a reasonably motivated and intelligent salesperson early in their career expect to be making $200k+ a few years in, or does that take a very unusual level of luck/skill/dedication to turn it into a lucrative career?

brandonmenc 9y ago
Every great salesperson I know is fearless in any social situation. They can strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere, anytime - effortlessly. You can't teach that. There are a host of other qualities, but this strikes me the most "inborn" one.
- richardbatty 9y ago
  You can teach that, or at least learn it, with cognitive behavioural therapy for social anxiety and practice in progressively more difficult situations.
  - maxxxxx 9y ago
    I think there are limits. I compare it to athletics. With hard work I can double my bench press but there are people who can bench even more without ever training. If these people work hard in addition they can perform on a level that's not achievable for most of us. I think it's the same for sales or a lot of other professions. People with talent can go much further.
    - dismantlethesun 9y ago
      I think this is true too, just that with sales unlike athletics, the field is more inclusive (e.g. specialized knowledge in the product field may be more important than absolute speech skills), and also higher populated leading to there being more positions for people who are merely above average, rather than superhuman.
  - seppin 9y ago
    sure you can be fearless, but not in a way that is productive. you just become more annoying
  - nunez 9y ago
    ehhhhh sort of it is very hard to replicate the behavior of someone that just loves being around people. i can usually tell who is a "natural" and who isn't (i.e. those that went through therapy, coaching and the like) learning how to be around people can't really be done in a safe space since the world at large in unsafe. people will say dumb shit at you. people will cut you off. people will do unexpectedly nice (or mean) things. everyone is different. the only way to truly learn these skills is to get out there and be vulnerable. i can see how classes and sessions can get you to a point at which one is comfortable enough to even BEGIN doing this (I went to a few social anxiety meetups with friends), but that alone isn't enough. getting to the root of that anxiety with a psychologist is more effective, in my (limited) opinion, but that can be expensive for many you CAN get pretty far on the basics though. most people like being around someone that is humorous and makes them feel good about themselves. you can go REALLY far by finding what someone really likes to talk about and letting them talk (while asking questions throughout) podcasts with interviews from journalists or news companies helped me with this a lot

encoderer 9y ago

I think in any job where you can get a piece of the gross proceeds you can make more money than in a job where you make salary plus profit sharing or equity. That would include talent agents, advertising, etc. (You could argue these are all just salesmen)