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  • Publish Date: Posted almost 3 years ago
  • Author: Sarah Cooper

Sarah Cooper

Digital Sales Manager (Education and Not for Profit)

People often ask “Why sales?”, “How did you know you would be a good sales person?”, “Have you always wanted to be in sales?”. The easy answer to all of them is I don’t know. 

When you are at school all people want to know is what you want to be when you grow up…. Nurse, Doctor, Vet, astronaut?! I was told on many careers days that I would be a great Nurse! I couldn’t understand why everyone kept telling me to pursue a career in nursing when I hated blood, couldn’t be near someone being sick and went weak at the knees with broken bones. 

So I did my GCSEs, went on to A levels and then got a degree, I was 21 and still had no clue what I wanted to do “when I grew up”. 

I left university and took a part time job to pay board at Blockbuster Videos. It was there I started to realise I had a talent for upselling. Yes all I was doing was adding on a popcorn and a 2ltr bottle of coke for £1.20 but I was good at it, people listened when I told them what a great deal they were getting, I was good at this, maybe I should think about selling something in my next job but what? What do women sell? I don’t know make up tricks, I had no beauty routine and I wasn’t the most fashionable to sell clothes. Houses, there are a lot of women in estate agency I'll try that. And I did for 10 years. 

Those who have been in estate agency know that it isn’t just about selling houses its about also selling mortgages, insurance, and legal representation. I found something I was good at, Sales! But I still wasn’t sure that Sales was something I would do forever because I didn’t pick this as my career nobody really picks it we just end up in it. 

Then came the chance to sell software. This is something I have never done before, nothing like selling houses but I was really keen. I have always loved finding out about the latest gadgets and next tech but could I sell software? So many reservations because I’ve always sold something you can hold / touch / feel and to people not businesses but software excites me, it makes my life easier and if it makes my life easier then maybe it will help others. And on that I took the plunge I moved out of the housing industry and into software sales. 

So lets jump forward to today. I am still in software sales, I am now a Digital Sales Manager at The Access Group and I am happy, can you say that? I am happy at work! I work hard but I play hard too and that’s encouraged by The Access Group mantra of “Love Work, Love Life”. I am not embarrassed about being a sales person because this is a damn good career. I help people, not the same as a nurse does, but I help people and businesses make their life easier. Where would we be today without technology. And this isn’t just for Men. Women are great sales people, we listen, we help and we can be very persuasive (ask my husband). 

If you are like I was and not sure what you wanted to do as a career then join me, you don’t need to have sold software before that stuff you can learn (I did), you also don’t need the “gift of the gab” because that doesn’t work. All you need to do is talk, listen to what people need and help them. Oh and on top of all this the money is pretty good too!

For more information on Careers within Sales, simply follow this link - https://careers.theaccessgroup.com/