---
title: 15 Things Only Sales Professionals Understand
description: If you're in sales, you know... Not everyone can appreciate the challenges and peculiarities of selling!
image: https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/hubfs/194%20-%20contract.svg
---

[Skip to content](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead/sales-professionals-understand#main-content)

![people first productivity solutions logo](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/hs-fs/hubfs/people%20first%20logo%20xlarge-1.png?width=250&height=108&name=people%20first%20logo%20xlarge-1.png)

- [Home](https://peoplefirstps.com)
- [Leadership](https://peoplefirstps.com/leadership-program-design)
  
  Show submenu for Leadership 
  
    - [The Leadership Challenge®](https://peoplefirstps.com/the-leadership-challenge)
    - [The Leadership Practices Inventory®](https://peoplefirstps.com/lpi)
    - [Supervisor Training](https://peoplefirstps.com/supervisor-training)
    - [Leaders at Every Level](https://peoplefirstps.com/leaders-at-every-level)
    - [Leadership Coaching](https://peoplefirstps.com/leadership-coaching)
    - [Leadership Program Design](https://peoplefirstps.com/leadership-program-design)
- [Teams](https://peoplefirstps.com/executive-teams)
  
  Show submenu for Teams 
  
    - [Executive Teams](https://peoplefirstps.com/executive-teams)
    - [Team Building](https://peoplefirstps.com/team-building)
    - [People Practices](https://peoplefirstps.com/people-practices)
    - [Communication Skills](https://peoplefirstps.com/communication-skills)
    - [Trust at Work](https://peoplefirstps.com/trust-at-work)
    - [Personality Style](https://peoplefirstps.com/personality-style)
    - [Conflict at Work](https://peoplefirstps.com/conflict-at-work)
- Personal Growth
  
  Show submenu for Personal Growth 
  
    - [Soft Skills](https://peoplefirstps.com/soft-skills)
    - [Your Voice Matters](https://peoplefirstps.com/your-voice-matters)
    - [Emotional Intelligence](https://peoplefirstps.com/emotional-intelligence)
    - [1:1 Coaching](https://peoplefirstps.com/1-on-1-coaching)
- Resources
  
  Show submenu for Resources 
  
    - [The People First Leadership Academy](http://www.peoplefirstpotential.com)
    - [Connect2Lead Newsletter](https://peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead-newsletter)
    - [Books](https://peoplefirstps.com/books)
    - [Workshop Calendar](https://peoplefirstps.com/workshop-calendar)
- [About](https://peoplefirstps.com/about)
- [Contact](https://peoplefirstps.com/contact-us)

Open main navigation

Close main navigation

- [Home](https://peoplefirstps.com)
- [Leadership](https://peoplefirstps.com/leadership-program-design)
  
  Show submenu for Leadership 
  
    - [The Leadership Challenge®](https://peoplefirstps.com/the-leadership-challenge)
    - [The Leadership Practices Inventory®](https://peoplefirstps.com/lpi)
    - [Supervisor Training](https://peoplefirstps.com/supervisor-training)
    - [Leaders at Every Level](https://peoplefirstps.com/leaders-at-every-level)
    - [Leadership Coaching](https://peoplefirstps.com/leadership-coaching)
    - [Leadership Program Design](https://peoplefirstps.com/leadership-program-design)
- [Teams](https://peoplefirstps.com/executive-teams)
  
  Show submenu for Teams 
  
    - [Executive Teams](https://peoplefirstps.com/executive-teams)
    - [Team Building](https://peoplefirstps.com/team-building)
    - [People Practices](https://peoplefirstps.com/people-practices)
    - [Communication Skills](https://peoplefirstps.com/communication-skills)
    - [Trust at Work](https://peoplefirstps.com/trust-at-work)
    - [Personality Style](https://peoplefirstps.com/personality-style)
    - [Conflict at Work](https://peoplefirstps.com/conflict-at-work)
- Personal Growth
  
  Show submenu for Personal Growth 
  
    - [Soft Skills](https://peoplefirstps.com/soft-skills)
    - [Your Voice Matters](https://peoplefirstps.com/your-voice-matters)
    - [Emotional Intelligence](https://peoplefirstps.com/emotional-intelligence)
    - [1:1 Coaching](https://peoplefirstps.com/1-on-1-coaching)
- Resources
  
  Show submenu for Resources 
  
    - [The People First Leadership Academy](http://www.peoplefirstpotential.com)
    - [Connect2Lead Newsletter](https://peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead-newsletter)
    - [Books](https://peoplefirstps.com/books)
    - [Workshop Calendar](https://peoplefirstps.com/workshop-calendar)
- [About](https://peoplefirstps.com/about)
- [Contact](https://peoplefirstps.com/contact-us)

[All posts](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead/all)

 October 7, 2015

# 15 Things Only Sales Professionals Understand

[Deb Calvert](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead/author/deb-calvert)  ·   2 minute read

**If you aren't in sales, you may not know:**

1. Yes, there is a lot of money to be made… But, with that, there are major challenges with budgeting and planning when your pay fluctuates.

2. It isn’t always client lunches, awards ceremonies, rah rah meetings and rock star treatment. What you don’t see includes hard work, some irregular hours, quota pressures and tough customers.

3. It’s a job that inherently focuses on “what have you done for me lately?” The sales manager is always asking for more and so are the clients.

4. You never really get used to the word ‘no.” It’s disappointing the 1000th time you hear it just as it is the first time you hear it.

5. There are a lot of moving parts that affect your success and pay. If underwriting, credit, production or operations departments say “no’ to a special request or a particular order, you can lose a sale and even a customer.

6. Being confident, persuasive, resilient and creative may make you seem like a natural seller… But those qualities are just the price of admission. It takes a whole lot more to succeed long-term.

7. Not all successful salespeople are “people persons.” Many introverts are also effective and successful in sales roles.

8. The cheesy stereotypes you automatically associate with selling are not fair to assume about all sellers.

9. Selling is a noble profession. It’s not a fallback job. It’s a career that offers job stability, lucrative pay and incentives, great perks and benefits, and transferable skills that carry over to other types of work and into your personal life, too.

10. Sellers are not born, they’re made. There are skills to learn, best practices to master and continual learning to go after.

11. There are no “gimmes” in sales. You can’t assume that buyers will always purchase with you. Your competitors are doing their best to lure those customers away. In selling, you can’t get complacent.

12. While it may appear that salespeople have a lot of freedom, the truth is that it’s a grind to be in field all day every day. The wear and tear on your vehicle, the discomfort of high and low temperatures, the stress of being late due to backed-up traffic, the frustration when a customer is a no-show for your appointment, the need to look your best at all times… it’s not as footloose and fancy free as it may seem.

13. Prospects are not easy to reach these days, and a lot of time and energy goes into getting the initial appointment. That means there’s a lot riding on those appointments once a seller does get through – the pressure can be intense.

14. People can be downright rude, dismissive and unprofessional when interacting with salespeople. But as the face of their company, sellers must maintain a professional and dignified demeanor. That’s easier said than done at times.

15. Sellers benefit from training, just like any other professional. But time spent in training means time not spent on selling – not working towards quota, not meeting customer demands, not earning commission. That makes it difficult to see the value of time spent in training no matter how helpful it may be.

[![FINAL](https://2524398.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/2524398/hubfs/blog-image-uploads/FINAL.png?width=1200&length=1200&name=FINAL.png)](https://www.peoplefirstpotential.com/)

The CONNECT2Sell Blog has been discontinued as our focus has shifted to leadership at every level. Research with buyers demonstrates that buyers respond favorably when sellers show up as leaders. If you'd like to step into your full potential as a leader (and boost sales!), take a look at our free and affordable courses on [https://www.peoplefirstpotential.com](https://www.peoplefirstpotential.com/)

Share: [facebook-f icon](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead/sales-professionals-understand) [linkedin-in icon](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead/sales-professionals-understand) [twitter icon](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead/sales-professionals-understand) [envelope icon](mailto:?body=https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead/sales-professionals-understand)

## Related posts

[![](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Connect-2-Sell-Graphic-300x159.png)](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead/stop-talking-2)

[active listening](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead/topic/active-listening)

### [Stop Talking!](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead/stop-talking-2)

[![Graphic Showing People Playing Harmony](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/hubfs/507%20-%20Harmony.svg)](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead/tongue-tied)

[CONNECT2SELL Blog](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead/topic/connect2sell-blog)

### [Selling Skills: What To Do When You Get Tongue-Tied](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead/tongue-tied)

[![Graphic Showing 2 People Broken Trust](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/hubfs/70%20-%20broken%20trust.svg)](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead/a-difference-of-opinion)

[connecting](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead/topic/connecting)

### [A Difference of Opinion](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead/a-difference-of-opinion)

![PFPS](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/hubfs/PFPS.svg)

### Deb Calvert, founder

Putting PEOPLE First since 2005 [deb.calvert@peoplefirstps.com](mailto:deb.calvert@peoplefirstps.com)

[PFPS Information](https://peoplefirstps.com/about)

![C2L](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/hubfs/C2L.svg)

### Newsletter Sign-Up

Join the CONNECT Community for weekly updates, free courses, and bonus content.

[Newsletter Sign-Up](https://peoplefirstps.com/sign-up-connect-community)

![PFLA](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/hubfs/PFLA.svg)

### Leadership Academy

Live, eLearning, pre-recorded, coaching, and assessment learning experiences.

[Leadership Academy](https://www.peoplefirstpotential.com/)

#### Sitemap

**Home**

**Leadership**  
[The Leadership Challenge®](https://peoplefirstps.com/the-leadership-challenge)  
[The Leadership Practices Inventory®](https://peoplefirstps.com/lpi)   
[Supervisor Training](https://peoplefirstps.com/supervisor-training)   
[Leaders at Every Level ](https://peoplefirstps.com/leaders-at-every-level)  
[Leadership Coaching ](https://peoplefirstps.com/leadership-coaching)  
[Custom Leadership Programs](https://peoplefirstps.com/leadership-program-design)

**Teams**  
[Executive Teams](https://peoplefirstps.com/executive-teams)  
[Team Building](https://peoplefirstps.com/team-building)   
[People Practices ](https://peoplefirstps.com/people-practices)  
[Communication Skills ](https://peoplefirstps.com/communication-skills)  
[Trust at Work ](https://peoplefirstps.com/trust-at-work)  
[Personality Style ](https://peoplefirstps.com/personality-style)  
[Conflict at Work](https://peoplefirstps.com/conflict-at-work)

**Personal Growth**  
[Soft Skills](https://peoplefirstps.com/soft-skills)  
[Your Voice Matters](https://peoplefirstps.com/your-voice-matters)  
[Emotional Intelligence](https://peoplefirstps.com/emotional-intelligence)  
[Discover Your Strengths](https://peoplefirstps.com/discover-your-strengths)  
[1:1 Coaching](https://peoplefirstps.com/1-on-1-coaching)

**Resources**  
[PFLA](http://www.peoplefirstpotential.com)  
[Connect2Lead Blog](https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead)  
[Newsletter Subscription](https://peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead-newsletter)  
[Books](https://peoplefirstps.com/books)

[About](https://peoplefirstps.com/about)

[**Contact**](https://peoplefirstps.com/contact-us)

facebook-f icon linkedin-in icon twitter icon instagram icon

```
©2023 People First Productivity Solutions. All rights reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy. Material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with prior written permission from People First Productivity Solutions.
```

 

 

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "Article",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : [ "Deb Calvert" ],
    "url" : "https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead/author/deb-calvert"
  },
  "datePublished" : "2015-10-07T13:15:44+0000",
  "description" : "If you're in sales, you know... Not everyone can appreciate the challenges and peculiarities of selling! ",
  "headline" : "15 Things Only Sales Professionals Understand",
  "image" : "https://2524398.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/2524398/194%20-%20contract.svg",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://2524398.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/2524398/people%20first%20logo%20xlarge-1.png"
    },
    "name" : "People First Productivity Solutions"
  },
  "url" : "https://blog.peoplefirstps.com/connect2lead/sales-professionals-understand"
}
```