What are the best opportunities, today, in sales careers in North
America for an individual who has only high school and some post high
school education and is bilingual English - French. Please exclude car
and real estate sales. Kindly rank in decending order of best paying
first.

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Clarification of Question by brudenell-ga on 27 Nov 2002 17:50 PST

I am endevouring to assist a friend in her early twenties who is
searching for an "up and coming" sales career. I am hoping that the
broad spectrum of GA researchers can come up with some developing
opportunities. Naturally drive & passion are paramount and essential.
Let's assume that these are a given. What should a twenty- something
seriously persue today in the field of sales?

Dear Brudenell.

The opportunities are only limited by your imagination.

I know people with that level of education that are/have been
in charge of international sales divisions for companies like
Symantec, Logos and other major technology companies. I know
people with barely a high school education that pull down
6 figures as headhunters (executive placement). Others, who
barely even speak English and sell remodeling or office supplies,
earning 6 figures.

It's not the education that will limit you. The opportunities
are out there in every single field - selling to retail
department stores, selling to wholesalers ... doing placements

It's more a matter of what you know, what your interests
and passions are, and how creative and persistent you are in
your approach to the potential employer's objection.

It's up to you. Decide what you want to do, and in which industry. 
Your first challenge will be to sell yourself.
If you can't do that, you don't deserve the job anyway ;~)


Believe me. I've done headhunting (with my MBA) and convinced
employers to interview people without degrees, over their strong
objections. And they practically kissed my feet afterwards.
The candidates I sent them were better suited to the job than
any of the degreed people they found.

So, it's up to you. Just pick something.

Your TaxMama-ga

Hi Brudenell,

You may find some helpful data at Salary.com, where you can create
various types of free reports online. That site will allow you to
explore salaries of various industry sales positions by national
average or by geographic location.

Salary.com
http://www.salary.com

Best wishes,
fsw

Thank you taxmama.ga & fsw-ga

I appreciate your assistance on my questions. I am trying to help a
friend with GA's broad insights and diversified interests. She is in
her early twenties and is searching for the 'up and coming' field to
be in. Good comments!

I will clarify my question. Thank you!

Very best regards

Brudenell

Best suggestions I can give:
Have her read every book Zig Ziglar has ever written. He has some
great insights.
She has to sell something that she knows, enjoys or is interested in,
and is a product she believes in, for a company she believes in.

If she meets these criteria, she will do quite well in whatever
industry she may be in.

Hi Brundell, 

That's so nice of you to help her.

Let me clarify about the passion - I meant a passionate
interest in a subject. Not passion about selling.

From long years of experience, I've learned, just picking
a field (in sales, for instance) isn't enough. Just because
the industry is lucrative doesn't mean you'll succeed if 
you hate going to work, or you don't really care about the
product, the company's ethics, or the politics in the company.  
(Lots of that in the high-paying sales jobs. That and cut-throat
competition.)  

You only do well if you love your product and/or your customers.


So, the starting point is - what does she love to do?
What are her interests?

Does she love playing with make-up?
The costmetics industry is a great place to start,
working for the cosmetics houses, opening wholesale accounts.

Is music her passion? 
Many of my clients working in the music industry,
selling their products to stores, catalog houses, 
etc. make great money.

Reading books? I have a client selling textbooks to 
schools who's earning over $70K plus car, plus benefits 
and gets to work from home.

Loves to travel? Sell luggage. A friend sold luggage
for Roper, a division of Sears (back then), to shops
in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and a the whole western region. 
He had a ball. 

Remember Hobie? The guy loved to surf. Started building
surfboards. Built a great business with boards, Hobie-cats
(catamarans). He was doing what he loved.

So, I didn't mean a passion for sales. 

Have her describe for you her passionate interests.

Then, you'll have no trouble finding a sales or support
position in those areas.  

Sorry, I don't mean to sound like I'm preaching. 
I just hate to see people get locked into careers they hate.
They're so forlorn and helpless.

Today, on the radio, they were talking about the retail
industry doing heavy recruiting because good help was at
a premium. They have lots of job openings on the 
MonsterBoard, at http://www.monster.com/ - and they're
paying $10 - $15/per hour to start. 


Incidentally, there are other options, even without a 
degree. For instance, if she were in Los Angeles today,
had a good driving record and no criminal record, she
could get trained by the Los Angeles Unified School District
to be a school bus driver. The benefits are great. The
money starts out low. But, in time, many of the drivers
earn over $50,000 per year. And with the split shift, in 
the middle of the day, she could even take a class or two.

Did you know there are jobs in investigation firms as
undercover employees?

Or that she could do marketing research?

None of those things require degrees. 

So, don't just limit the options to sales.

May I recommend a really good, inexpensive book for her to
read before you start this career selection? (under $10)

What Color Is Your Parachute Workbook: 
How to Create a Picture of Your Ideal Job or Next Career
by Richard Bolles
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/089815880X

Good luck on her career search.

Best wishes,

Your TaxMama-ga

Thank you Sparky4ca-ga  & TaxMama-ga

Great comments and appreciate the references to the books! and great
advice.

TaxMama your thoughts certainly broaden the career search scope beyond
sales. Sales has been selected as a result of being 'a natural' in
this area.The marketplace today is very broad and exciting and she
wants to consider the emerging and new sales opportunities that she
may not yet have heard about.

Brudenell

PS: I have also recommended her to search through www.taxmama.com for
some more great advice!