I learned a long time ago that selling is the highest paid hard work and the lowest paid easy work that you can find. In selling, you are paid according to the results of your efforts so your level of success is all up to you.  The skills, knowledge, and drive within you are what will make you great.

Be proud to be in sales. It’s the foundation of the free enterprise system and one of the most interesting and exciting careers around.

Here are six advantages of selling as a career.

The first advantage is freedom of expression. Sales is one of the few professions in which you can be yourself. You compete where resourcefulness and perseverance are demanded and highly valued. No activity is more vital to the economy’s health than selling; no activity is more dependent on individual initiative than selling.

The second advantage of selling is that you have the freedom to become as successful as you’d like to be. In this profession no one limits your income but you. The income you earn is in direct proportion to the amount of service you give.

The third advantage of selling is that it’s a daily challenge. In sales, you never know what opportunities the day will open up, what prizes you can win–what catastrophes may befall you. To the salesperson, every day is an adventure. Working at this profession, we can go from the heights of exhilaration to the depths of discouragement within forty-eight hours–and climb back to the heights again the next day. Isn’t that exciting?

Every morning, tell yourself that challenge is exciting, it’s fun, and you look forward to it. Tell yourself that–and mean it. Psyche yourself up to enjoy challenge. Then go on the prowl for it, find it, and overcome it. The shortest route to high earnings goes straight through the challenges you’ll encounter.

The fourth advantage of selling is that it offers high potential returns from a low capital investment. What does it cost to gain entry into this profession that has no income ceiling? You can launch yourself into a sales career for a tiny fraction of what a franchisor will invest and have greater earning power sooner.

The fifth advantage of selling is that it’s fun. Do you know how many people aren’t having fun with what they’re doing to earn income? My philosophy is that if it’s not fun, it’s not worth doing. Life was meant to be fun, and there’s no reason not to have some of it while you’re earning a nice income for your family.

The sixth advantage of the selling profession is that it’s satisfying. It’s a thrill to know you’ve helped people when you go home at night and can say, “I got another family happily involved in what my company provides.”

When a purchasing agent approves your paperwork, it’s exciting and satisfying to know you’ve helped that organization carry out its purposes, save money, make more money or provide their employees with better benefits. The people you serve benefit in direct proportion to your ability and skills. The better you are at sales, the more you benefit others–your clients, your family, and the world’s economy.

Be proud to be in sales. It’s the foundation of the free enterprise system and one of the most interesting and exciting careers around.

As part of my blog interest, I will be posting some of my learning from my career in sales.