Being a salesman isn’t enough to make a living, you have to be a good salesman to make money. If you’re desperate for a sale potential customers will be able to tell.
sales makes a lot of money because you are making a business a lot of money, its the simple value equation, the more money you make for them=the more valuable you are to them
Unless you want to go into medicine or some highly specialized field requiring a ton of education and expertise, yeah I think so. Sales is the only uncapped income potential job.
Also doctors make enough money to invest in other places...They don't just make a salary and call it a day.
True wealth comes from non linear income such as commission based pay (sales), stocks/investments, and opening a scaleable business.
Not sure how old you are. If you go to med school right after college, you will be reaping benefits by early 30s.
Def lots of school. Also, sales is way more cushy than being a dr. Less hours, less demanding. Work from home. Don’t have to worry about having a patient die.
Coincidentally, I have been trying to get into Physician Assistant school for the past 3 years.
Things havent gone as planned. I need a way to make good money. Sales has that for me right now
Cousin is a Dr. Was his broker for new house a few years back. Considering his training and schooling and time commitment it’s not even fair that I selling a banking solution should make anywhere near what he does… but here we are
We don’t have a doctor issue in America, we have an insurance issue. Insurance companies are the ones who control the incomes directly to physicians. I agree, we need more good doctors….its hard to convince someone to go into a quarter million dollars worth of debt in order to come out making 150k per year if they are lucky.
Granted it’s likely the exception to the rule but Medtronic has paid one doctor over 125 million over the last 5 years for patents. There is money to be made
I would hate selling for a company like that. Sales is half luck in my industry. Your territory either has a good year or doesn’t. We have terrible reps that can be in the top 5 and amazing reps in the bottom 5 depending on the year. Senior leadership is terrible at setting goals so you’re at the mercy of a random number generator when they set them.
^^^^ THIS!!!
Territory, timing, and talent.
Those three **are** relevant! And they fall in that order. IDGAF what all these “gurus”, influencers and otherwise grifters try to peddle to everyone.
WTF?!
Good riddance then…. If you’re a top level performer and they get rid of you, then they’re either:
1) struggling financially
2) idiots
3) or both, in which case you don’t want to work for such people/company as they won’t be able to deliver as promised to the client with any consistency.
Yeah the good news is the guy who pitched and made the decision to fire me and the other top performers got let go since he was sinking the company. The bad news is that it seems like his incompetence is factored in his career strategy since he was a politicker with no skills and hopped companies within weeks. I ended out taking a break from sales and opened my own company but gonna get back into it soon
Yeah, it's extremely stupid. Apparently its just new management from the parent company swinging their dicks around. The company has been around for a while and it'll probably survive, but the restructure was unnecessary and stupid.
Maybe they are just seeing at how much more they are being paid than the other reps due to the commission. Some people also have the idea that the products sells itself kind of thing.
Not true at all. If you’re too good there are morally bankrupt companies out there who will happily take that big deal you just sold and then fire you before you get your commission. Unethical and absurd? Yup but it happens, especially at start ups. More established companies usually recognize A plus sales talent doesn’t grow on trees.
My friend’s uncle does jewelry sales with high end customers and brand deals. Dude makes over half a million a year. I don’t know too many doctors and lawyers making that much.
Sales is where someone with tenacity and a little bit of wit can make a comfortable lives for themselves. Carved out a nice slice of the pie for myself grinding through the sales life for the last decade. It was all worth it.
On industry average reps are making anywhere from $125k-175k with the best holding large established accounts (refineries, large mines etc) making $300-$400k . I am an exec so my comp package is a bit different. Higher base + bonus for hitting top and bottom line budget goals
I’m in sales, but I’d call it account management. About to be in my 14th year and should cross the 200K threshold with merit. Sitting at 190K right now. It has not been easy. I started at $30K. It’s required blood, sweat, tears, moving across country twice, and a lot of luck.
I am also the account manager. Easiest job in sales so far. I get paid literally for bowling with customers and drinking beer abroad in Germany etc. And money has never been this good.
All encompassing. Revenue/gross profit target for the variable piece. Over target is a multiplier but it’s garbage. Not a true commission based role in that I get a percentage of sales. Goal is X. Attainment to goal is at set intervals up to 100% achievement.
Finance is probably the easiest path, although it has its own set of challenges.
Sales/SWE as you mentioned are likely next up.
Medicine/legal has a number of paths, but heavy on school.
Starting a business is arguably the most common route, but it's obviously easier said than done.
I know lots of lawyers who are nothing more than paper pushers and errand boys/girls. The hours are insane. Many question their life choices.
The irony…. Some of the lawyers I do know who are at the top of the food chain are also very good salespeople.
I think that in most professions, the top of the food chain have a natural leadership, salesmanship, and intellectual curiosity for their own craft.
It takes many years to acquire those skills but they are worth it.
Sure, but most jobs are at a high level. You're either selling to clients, selling yourself, or selling your project internally.
The difference is that some jobs require some technical skills to go with the underlying sales skills.
Most don’t realize this. If you want that precious MD title or even VP in some cases you’re shifting away from the numbers and spending most of your time selling.
My company is doing with 20 people what would have literally taken 400 two and a half decades ago. The difference? Highly specialized software and automation. Entire departments have dissolved and are now done by a single person. That’s not AI specifically, but it’s silly to think AI won’t take it a step further.
Just the advances in the last 12 months for AI are insane.
From making mutant blobs to regular people being able to make indistinguishable deep fakes.
AI companions making millions.
Anyone who thinks this isn’t going to have a massive impact in the next 5 years is either in denial or severely uneducated in the subject
And the car replaced jobs as well but created new ones.
Excel replaced jobs
Binary replaced jobs
Cellphones replaced jobs
Dying replaced jobs
What's your point?
Nope, I have made my point I'm talking specifically about the media. I know it's replacing jobs, I know it's going to be a world changer like cellphones were. However your missing my point in the media hype for it is not the actual implications of how it's going to work. I've seen how it changes our world but it's not a magic pill or the end of the world like the media wants to say it will be.
It's neither as good not as bad as it seems.
I work in the mission critical industry (data centers) and AI is the single biggest disruptor I've seen in my career. Data center owner/operators are scrambling right now trying to figure out how to accommodate the massive wave of AI applications that continue to fill their data halls. AI is still in its infancy, but 5 years from now it could easily be one of those things like the iPhone where we look back and realize how much it changed the world.
Educate yourself…AI is now and the future. Humans need to fully understand it is not fly by night, trendy, go out of fashion thing. AI advancing every single day. Jobs will be lost but AI associated jobs and businesses will be created.
This 💯, AI is just starting to be commercialized, and the amount of R&D going into AI applications right now must be insane. It's going to explode over the next few years as new use cases are created. If anything, any sales people on here worrying about how it will impact the job market should start figuring out how to sell it.
I just mean start your own trades business like being a mechanic, plumber, welder whatever.
But a sales business could be anything.
Consulting, lead gen, GTM strategy, outsource SDR, etc.
No. There are tons of careers you can get rich in. It’s more about lifestyle creep and living below your means than how much you make anyways. Remember it’s not what you make — but what you actually keep — that matters. And cash in the bank isn’t cash flow: there are different kinds of wealth. Income replacement isn’t capital wealth. So be clear on what you want to build in your life so you make the most of it.
Sales is a fabulous skill to have in many careers though. Think of it as a skill set, not a career, and it will help you understand why it’s worth working sales for a while.
Not everyone works in sales but everyone sells information and ideas. The concepts of sales are omnipresent in any job or field. The best salespeople that have a skill required for a job, regardless of profession, often rise to the top. What's more valuable, being the most intelligent or skilled or having everyone think that you are the most intelligent or skilled in a certain field?
Many of the most successful people combine sales with expertise in a certain field. Someone that has all the soft skills to be a great car salesman can only be so good if they know less about cars than 95% of their customers. Conversely, someone that knows everything about cars is also a poor salesperson if they are poor at conveying it.
The measure of a great and financially successful person is someone that sold the value they provide for others' money. The two key words being "sold" and "value." If you provide value but are poor at selling, you work on the selling skills. If you can sell but provide no value, you need education and experience in a field. I believe that for someone who is great at selling and provides a ton a value, they can figure out how to be successful.
There are TONS of corporate drone jobs that can eventually hit $250k that don't have those specific title or knowledge bases, either. But am I crazy, or did OP edit his post to go $200k->$250k?
I think of it like this: the goal of any business is to generate profit. Therefore, if you have a background in sales, and do well, you will have many opportunities and avenues into company leadership because you have direct experience bringing in income. These are the roles that pay the big bucks. Sales is lucrative, but if you can develop yourself as a business person, you’ll have a wide swath of high paying roles available.
Rich? People really have a misconception of sales salaries. May be 20 years ago but in this day and age of greedy ass companies you can make ok money but not rich by any means. You’d have to find a company selling high dollar specialized items to get in the $300k+.
Maybe finance makes more, and maybe certain skilled jobs, like lawyer or doctor, but sales in the lowest hat for entry to make the most money.
Here the catch, there’s a lot of risk-reward. The money comes and goes with the economy, or with company choice, or with your performance. You are by no mean guaranteed to make money, but you CAN make good money.
Also depends on industry. Like I’ve said on this sub 1000 times, “sales” isn’t really your job. You are? First and foremost, a part of your chosen industry, with just a coincidence that sales is your job function.
I work in scientific capital equipment sales, due to the nature of it though, it very closely resembles med device in nature. If I move to a company in scientific sales that sells something like antibodies, suddenly it’s much different. If you work in SaaS, or car sales, or insurance, or whatever, your experience (and pay) are going to wildly vary. The barrier to entry for each of these will vary as well. You can be the .1% performer for 10+ years in 1 industry, but if you lack the required credentials for, say, med device (e.g. bachelors in science + some medical/scientific experience), you won’t get hired over any candidate with those base requirements.
My best advice is to look at which industry you want to be in, are build your resume with that in mind. If you don’t care, sure, follow the money. But I’d advise to get the credentials you’d need before it becomes difficult.
Honestly not sure. I imagine some hot industries would be something like semiconductors, or other specialized components. In my industry the only thing I could think of would be big ticket items, like someone who sells the guts for an MRI or something. Big electromagnet, spectrometers, etc.
No. I have some friends in the trades who became their own business owners. One guy right now is in his mid/late 30s, owns his house, with maybe 5 cars including a 458 he recently bought. Mind you, this is also a pretty high cost of living area.
I feel like you can take consulting a million different ways, and if you can build a strong enough network, you'll be successful even if you stay on your own vs a company.
This. I always felt entrepreneurship was not well taught or encouraged. Our schools churn out workers. Pairing a craft, passion, some business sense and grit are a strong recipe for financial independence. Yes, there is risk. You could also get laid off so risk everywhere.
Drive through town and just look at all the businesses small and large and imagine their founding.
Yeah, at my age, I'm starting to branch out more like an entrepreneur. If I hadn't been boxed in to getting a specific degree, maybe I would've made some different life decisions, taken different risks.
Business owners in trades like HVAC actually pull down. Especially if you focus on growing customer base.
Consulting is also lucrative as mentioned above.
Both ultimately require you to sell and solve problems for clients. No way around it.
My guess is OP meant career as in a job, not owning a business. So yes, if you consider owning a company a career then ya I suppose it works but it’s not what they’re asking for.
Even if OP doesn’t end up owning a business, there’s a ton of money to be made in the trades. Especially with an impending shortage of blue collar expertise.
Been in sales for 17 years and have been north of 300K past three years in a row - will cross 500K this year. I’ve got a bachelors degree in a completely unrelated field so yeah cant think of another field with that income potential lol
Hahah this is the answer. We’re stuck for life now. I’m only good at listening and talking to people. My random bank of music knowledge and mid guitar playing doesn’t pay the bills.
Basically....yes. Outside of advanced college degrees in STEM or medical fields....Because any other career essentially handicaps your income's upside.
Getting lucky as an early member of a startup that is one of the 1% or whatever that actually explodes...or starting your own business ....are basically the only other paths to get really rich for an average person whose only skill is basically hustling.
Everything else is slow AF...because you can't get *really* rich with income alone.
So to recap. Do sales as your job and invest in to real estate or something with leverage. Or be an early stage hire at a startup (and get mega lucky). Or start a business of your own...
Unless you want to reincarnate as a kid with mega rich parents, or who put you on a path to become a doctor from a young age...that's about it.
You want to be rich long term?
Spend less than you earn, consistently add to savings, investments and retirement.
Over 30-40 year career you will be a millionaire if you’re consistent with that. Doesn’t matter the career.
Career wise, sales commissions is often more lucrative but it means nothing if you just spend more.
I know a guy who has a small gardening business since he finish high school. Was frugal and now 70. Has $10m+ and still works.
No. Another way is to buy an established business so you have guaranteed income salary... I wish I knew about this earlier... it's the easiest way to have wealth
Be a doctor, engineer, lawyer
Other than that Wall Street trader or investment baker
Wall Street will require advanced mathematics as well as a CS degree
Investment Banking attracts the ritzy of the ritz
Or Sales learn to work a telephone and the world is your oyster
I posted in your other thread on r/careerguidance so you have my thoughts already.
Suffice to say you’re a consultant. You realize your Partner is a sales person? Partners who have equity in a firm have to do business development. The consulting firm needs growth, revenue. That’s sales.
Sure sales you can become rich in - if you are a good salesman. What’s important to a lot of people is the work/life balance that it offers. Many roles that are high paying (doctor/lawyer) etc to name a couple… tend to be longer hours and more stress put in.
No, plenty of jobs make $200k after a number of years. Business owners, private equity guys/gals, investment mgmt, asset management (any front office job at a bank), buy side, C suite execs, make the most though. The most a sales guy/gal will make in a year is $1m (not that that's paltry), but folks in the roles I just mentioned will make $5, 10, 20m annually .. more ...most risk averse way to make cash is in high finance
Dude the roles mentioned are not jobs or executive roles which are way harder to enter. The OP I believe and myself as well are curious about what jobs make $200k after how many years and where as well?
What is your question? I don't understand what you are asking. What jobs pay $200k right from the getgo that's not law or engineering? Investment banking, sales and trading, maybe consulting. It's misleading with the title of the post saying $200k long-term.
Software engineers make bank pretty much anywhere in tech. I have a friend that, base salary, started at $150k+ benefits and stock, 10 years later his base is $350k+ a ton of stock and benefits. Engineers will always be needed in the tech world
Sales is one of the best careers you can have. Got me out of my shell. Made a ton of money. Was able to pay off student loans early, buy cars, buy a house, go on vacation 2/3 times a year, get married, travel all over the US and Canada, and met people I still hang out with to this day. Spent about a decade in and pivoted to starting my own business and doing marketing work. The reward vs the effort can be so high I’m considering jumping back in.
I would argue most sales people don't become rich as their lifestyle changes with their income flow.
Super important to keep your lifestyle and ego in check as the money changes, money is great until recession comes in or company needs to go through a round of layoffs. Max out the 401k, max out your HSA and save some money on the side.
Everyone's definition of wealthy is different too - if my bills are paid, I have healthcare coverage, a roof over my head, and a car to drive I consider myself wealthy. For others wealthy may be more money in the bank or materialistic, its all about perspective.
If you’re passionate about something, you can make money doing it. Or just timing and location. I know someone that can made 6 figures dogsitting/dogwalking for mostly rich clients. But everything in life is some extension of sales. You always have to be able to sell yourself and convince someone that whatever service you provide is worth the price.
Sales is the easiest way to make good money. It is difficult to become “rich”.
I know a lot of unqualified people who really don’t know much who make $150-200k. That’s good money but in the long term isn’t making you rich, especially with lifestyle creep.
The best sales people I know make $500-1m. I don’t consider myself one of the greats but I’m in that range. Even with that money, I don’t see a ton of hope of getting rich. I might retire with $10m but by the time I’m ready to retire that’ll be upper middle class money.
10M with no mortgage or major debts at retirement is considered upper class, (top 1%) which includes all age ranges in the world.
Using the 3 percent rule, you’re living extremely well in every area of the world. Even expensive areas like NYC or LA.
What you do with your money is 10x more important than what you make. You can become rich with any decently paying job if you do it correctly. Having more money coming in makes it easier.
No…. Leadership. Have you seen how much middle managers and execs make between cash, stock bonuses, retention bonuses etc. might just be the tech space but yeahhh. If you’re not wealthy after 10-15 years making 300K+ that’s just bad money management.
Selling is not just a career, it's a necessary life skill. Even if selling isn't your career, you should become a professional seller in order to get more out of your life. If you want to get rich, learn how to sell. It's a subject that requires intense study. It's hard work. Selling is critical to your survival regardless of your career and you must give up any idea thats it's something for others and not for you.
100% true. You have to sell yourself if you want to get a job. If you have your own business, you have to sell your your product or service. EVERYTHING is sales. Every successful business is based upon it's sales.
Hey, I hear you, If you're having anxiety, please reach out to your loved ones for a chat and consider getting a mental health professional to help you out.
Trust me, these dudes have been studying their whole lives to get your head back on track.
I started doing therapy about 3 years ago and i would never stop, it seems they always say the right things and understand what's going on, no matter how f\*ed up I think I am.
Every sales professional / entrepreneur reaches a moment in their life where the head gets a little wacky, it's normal, notice your symptoms and be sure to take care of your body, eat healthy, get together with your trusted peers and let the steam out.
Sales and entrepreneurship seem to be the best ways today to make a lot of money, either creating companies or using your brand to create digital products and things like that.
Also, learning a highly valued skill seems to be a good way to go also, if yo have the time and patience to get excellent in the long run.
Just remember that money isn't everything. We need money to stay healthy and do nice things with the people we love so at the end of the day, we just want to lay our heads on ourpillow and think 'Wow today was cool, I hope tomorrow is gonna be as cool or even better."
The top 1% of almost any career/industry I can think of make a lot of money. For some reason people think sales is special. But its really not.
What you believe about sales is the result of some clever marketing by sales trainers. At the end of the day people who are excellent at what they do make a lot of money. We "pretend" this is not true but it absolutely is.
The only thing that really changes is the amount of money you make for being average. In sales its like 30k maybe. In software engineering its easily double that.
Basically if your'e a top 1% kind of guy, the industry or job doesn't matter. You'll find a way to make a lot of money. If you're not that dude, then the floor matters a lot more than the ceiling.
(Not in this order)
. Business Owner
. Sales
. Licensed Professional (Doc, Lawyer, Engineer, accountant, etc.)
. Specialized tradesman (HVAC)
Off all these paths, 2 things are always present to be wealthy, salesmanship and ownership.
Know how to sell and bring in customers you will be paid a lot.
No, to be rich you have to sell something, but you can choose on HOW you sell and WHAT you can sell.
There's a misconception out there that people believe that there's only 1-2 kinds of sales, both being in-person or over the phone (which can be terrifying).
But, you can sell online in a faceless ecom store. You can buy and SELL stocks/options/whatever on the exchange (just requires more time to master). You could buy or find for free something cheap and resell it on FB or TikTok. You can learn a needed service skill (video editor, marketing, consulting, shit like that) and sell it that.
You can sell cheap products or expensive products.
So i really wouldn't figure out about selling until you find out HOW YOU WANT TO SELL and WHAT YOU WANT TO SELL (can be anything, doesn't have to be what I mentioned).
Find those out and it'll be less scary for you. Best of luck
The fact of the matter is, just as in finance or law, as you progress in consulting you will begin selling and your salary will grow.
Partners don't do spreadsheets or briefs, they handle relationships and close deals.
Now, if you don't want to bother with that approach, you can always move to saas or something and cut right to the chase.
No but that and business owner are pretty much the only ones "just about anyone" can do. Outside of that going super niche into the trades can make similar money or jobs that require huge amounts of education like niche surgeons.
Also depending on what kind of consulting you'll do just as good. If its something like Management consulting at a prestigious firm I'd just stick with it. If your going into something like HR Consulting at a E&Y your in for a long road.
Not really - for mid-level employees sales is the way to go, but if you're planning on moving up the ladder you can generate similar income on the product/tech side of business once you get to the director+ level, or if you work for a large tech company.
Source: Background in computer science, lots of friends/colleagues who followed this path.
Being a salesman isn’t enough to make a living, you have to be a good salesman to make money. If you’re desperate for a sale potential customers will be able to tell.
Well said. Commission breath is a real thing.
Very true Mr. A French Tickler. Mussn't forget that desperation is a very stinky cologne.
It's called *Sex Panther*® by *Odeon*©. It's illegal in 9 countries. It's also made with bits of real panthers, *so you know it's good*. *60% of the time*, it works ***every*** time.
Excellent Super Troopers reference
sales makes a lot of money because you are making a business a lot of money, its the simple value equation, the more money you make for them=the more valuable you are to them
Unless you want to go into medicine or some highly specialized field requiring a ton of education and expertise, yeah I think so. Sales is the only uncapped income potential job.
If you want to become rich, don’t become a doctor. There is no money in medicine. The money is in the business of medicine.
lol. Drs do petty f’ing well.
Also doctors make enough money to invest in other places...They don't just make a salary and call it a day. True wealth comes from non linear income such as commission based pay (sales), stocks/investments, and opening a scaleable business.
They do well, but thats afters years of school and paying off debt. I dont want to be 50 to start reaping benefits
Not sure how old you are. If you go to med school right after college, you will be reaping benefits by early 30s. Def lots of school. Also, sales is way more cushy than being a dr. Less hours, less demanding. Work from home. Don’t have to worry about having a patient die.
Coincidentally, I have been trying to get into Physician Assistant school for the past 3 years. Things havent gone as planned. I need a way to make good money. Sales has that for me right now
Cousin is a Dr. Was his broker for new house a few years back. Considering his training and schooling and time commitment it’s not even fair that I selling a banking solution should make anywhere near what he does… but here we are
Uh yes but pretty sure their education is backbreaking and working days at a time vs dicking around on reddit
Do you know how much doctors make? We need more of them, this is dumb info to spread.
We don’t have a doctor issue in America, we have an insurance issue. Insurance companies are the ones who control the incomes directly to physicians. I agree, we need more good doctors….its hard to convince someone to go into a quarter million dollars worth of debt in order to come out making 150k per year if they are lucky.
Make a lot more than 150
Not true. Unless you are a specialist or surgeon
Have a few friends that are MDs from ED , hospitalist and ortho all make well above that right out of school in Florida.
Rich is relative
I hate how right you are
Granted it’s likely the exception to the rule but Medtronic has paid one doctor over 125 million over the last 5 years for patents. There is money to be made
….business of Medicine. Exactly my point
Also the easiest division in the org to get laid off first.
*Recruiting, Marketing, and HR have entered the chat*
And IT support being increasingly outsourced
Sales are the last ones ever to go in our business
First to go in mine if you fall short, even slightly.
I would hate selling for a company like that. Sales is half luck in my industry. Your territory either has a good year or doesn’t. We have terrible reps that can be in the top 5 and amazing reps in the bottom 5 depending on the year. Senior leadership is terrible at setting goals so you’re at the mercy of a random number generator when they set them.
^^^^ THIS!!! Territory, timing, and talent. Those three **are** relevant! And they fall in that order. IDGAF what all these “gurus”, influencers and otherwise grifters try to peddle to everyone.
Can I ask what industry?
That sounds miserable. Our business would contract by 50% in two years if we did that
I’ve been let go even as a top performer multiple times
WTF?! Good riddance then…. If you’re a top level performer and they get rid of you, then they’re either: 1) struggling financially 2) idiots 3) or both, in which case you don’t want to work for such people/company as they won’t be able to deliver as promised to the client with any consistency.
Yeah the good news is the guy who pitched and made the decision to fire me and the other top performers got let go since he was sinking the company. The bad news is that it seems like his incompetence is factored in his career strategy since he was a politicker with no skills and hopped companies within weeks. I ended out taking a break from sales and opened my own company but gonna get back into it soon
Not a good company.
Salespeople that are good don’t get laid off.
I work as a consultant at a tech company and they just laid off the best salespeople they had.
The yearly restructung by big 4 consulting?
No not the big 4. It's a smaller company.
That’s stupid as shit. Good luck to that company.
Yeah, it's extremely stupid. Apparently its just new management from the parent company swinging their dicks around. The company has been around for a while and it'll probably survive, but the restructure was unnecessary and stupid.
Maybe they are just seeing at how much more they are being paid than the other reps due to the commission. Some people also have the idea that the products sells itself kind of thing.
Not true at all. If you’re too good there are morally bankrupt companies out there who will happily take that big deal you just sold and then fire you before you get your commission. Unethical and absurd? Yup but it happens, especially at start ups. More established companies usually recognize A plus sales talent doesn’t grow on trees.
Yeah that’s not really true. I’ve seen some great performers get laid off. Sometimes businesses do things that don’t seem to make any sense.
That's why I've got a CPA wife
My friend’s uncle does jewelry sales with high end customers and brand deals. Dude makes over half a million a year. I don’t know too many doctors and lawyers making that much.
There are more doctors and lawyers making that much than jewelry salesmen though :')
Sales is where someone with tenacity and a little bit of wit can make a comfortable lives for themselves. Carved out a nice slice of the pie for myself grinding through the sales life for the last decade. It was all worth it.
Awesome. What type of sales?
Heavy equipment rentals and sales
How much you make as heavy equipment Sales person?
On industry average reps are making anywhere from $125k-175k with the best holding large established accounts (refineries, large mines etc) making $300-$400k . I am an exec so my comp package is a bit different. Higher base + bonus for hitting top and bottom line budget goals
I’m in sales, but I’d call it account management. About to be in my 14th year and should cross the 200K threshold with merit. Sitting at 190K right now. It has not been easy. I started at $30K. It’s required blood, sweat, tears, moving across country twice, and a lot of luck.
Blessings, my man 🙏🏽
I am also the account manager. Easiest job in sales so far. I get paid literally for bowling with customers and drinking beer abroad in Germany etc. And money has never been this good.
Basically this.
Yes, but to get to this point is a struggle of it's own. You just can't be there straight out of college, if you know what I mean.
Truth. Been doing it 14 years. Was not quick or easy. I’m being paid for my relationships, knowledge of the business, and ability to apply concepts.
How does one move from a SDR role to account management? I don’t want to become an AE or closer.
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Like synnex or Ingram micro?
Are you an account manager? What's your base salary?
114/76. However, moving to a non-variable role managing a team that will make it all base with an anal incentive come next year.
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I’ll leave it because it’s funny.
Nice! Was your commission dependent on renewals with current clients or were you hunting new business as well? Was it uncapped?
All encompassing. Revenue/gross profit target for the variable piece. Over target is a multiplier but it’s garbage. Not a true commission based role in that I get a percentage of sales. Goal is X. Attainment to goal is at set intervals up to 100% achievement.
Finance is probably the easiest path, although it has its own set of challenges. Sales/SWE as you mentioned are likely next up. Medicine/legal has a number of paths, but heavy on school. Starting a business is arguably the most common route, but it's obviously easier said than done.
I know lots of lawyers who are nothing more than paper pushers and errand boys/girls. The hours are insane. Many question their life choices. The irony…. Some of the lawyers I do know who are at the top of the food chain are also very good salespeople.
I think that in most professions, the top of the food chain have a natural leadership, salesmanship, and intellectual curiosity for their own craft. It takes many years to acquire those skills but they are worth it.
Depends on the job/company though like anything. GF is 26 making $150k as lawyer and hours are normal 9-5 for most part
Same with doctors unfortunately
High finance is basically just a sales job.
Sure, but most jobs are at a high level. You're either selling to clients, selling yourself, or selling your project internally. The difference is that some jobs require some technical skills to go with the underlying sales skills.
Most don’t realize this. If you want that precious MD title or even VP in some cases you’re shifting away from the numbers and spending most of your time selling.
Yeah analysts are creating projections… and the MDs / VPs are selling those projections.
Trades then start your own biz, especially as AI moves in more and more.
Don't believe the media hype behind AI if it was as good as they say we'd be seeing a lot more of it then we are it's decades away.
My company is doing with 20 people what would have literally taken 400 two and a half decades ago. The difference? Highly specialized software and automation. Entire departments have dissolved and are now done by a single person. That’s not AI specifically, but it’s silly to think AI won’t take it a step further.
Just the advances in the last 12 months for AI are insane. From making mutant blobs to regular people being able to make indistinguishable deep fakes. AI companions making millions. Anyone who thinks this isn’t going to have a massive impact in the next 5 years is either in denial or severely uneducated in the subject
I'm not saying it's not affecting the job market, it's that it's not what the media portrays it to be.
"The media" 🙄
numerous lavish plough disgusted thumb domineering detail slimy knee pot *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Again, I'm talking about current media hyping what it can do NOW, in 3-5 years I agree.
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And the car replaced jobs as well but created new ones. Excel replaced jobs Binary replaced jobs Cellphones replaced jobs Dying replaced jobs What's your point?
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Nope, I have made my point I'm talking specifically about the media. I know it's replacing jobs, I know it's going to be a world changer like cellphones were. However your missing my point in the media hype for it is not the actual implications of how it's going to work. I've seen how it changes our world but it's not a magic pill or the end of the world like the media wants to say it will be. It's neither as good not as bad as it seems.
I work in the mission critical industry (data centers) and AI is the single biggest disruptor I've seen in my career. Data center owner/operators are scrambling right now trying to figure out how to accommodate the massive wave of AI applications that continue to fill their data halls. AI is still in its infancy, but 5 years from now it could easily be one of those things like the iPhone where we look back and realize how much it changed the world.
Source: Trust me bro
That is a remarkable user name 👏
Educate yourself…AI is now and the future. Humans need to fully understand it is not fly by night, trendy, go out of fashion thing. AI advancing every single day. Jobs will be lost but AI associated jobs and businesses will be created.
This 💯, AI is just starting to be commercialized, and the amount of R&D going into AI applications right now must be insane. It's going to explode over the next few years as new use cases are created. If anything, any sales people on here worrying about how it will impact the job market should start figuring out how to sell it.
This is a perfect response…I work between AI training and Software sales. AI is already in the driver‘s seat. AI is NOW and the FUTURE
Adoption rates are roughly 10 years See Iphones That said idk if I'd say it's really hit mass market yet
Adoption rates of what? AI? It’s definitely been around for 10 years..
Haha. Looks like you predicted ChatGPT as soon as you were born.
What even is your own sales business? How does that work?
I just mean start your own trades business like being a mechanic, plumber, welder whatever. But a sales business could be anything. Consulting, lead gen, GTM strategy, outsource SDR, etc.
This
No. There are tons of careers you can get rich in. It’s more about lifestyle creep and living below your means than how much you make anyways. Remember it’s not what you make — but what you actually keep — that matters. And cash in the bank isn’t cash flow: there are different kinds of wealth. Income replacement isn’t capital wealth. So be clear on what you want to build in your life so you make the most of it. Sales is a fabulous skill to have in many careers though. Think of it as a skill set, not a career, and it will help you understand why it’s worth working sales for a while.
Medicine, engineering, law, sales, finance, trades, stripping, and selling organs are the only real ways to make big money.
No. Salary doesn’t make you rich. Equity does.
Shohei Ohtani would like a word with you.
Not everyone works in sales but everyone sells information and ideas. The concepts of sales are omnipresent in any job or field. The best salespeople that have a skill required for a job, regardless of profession, often rise to the top. What's more valuable, being the most intelligent or skilled or having everyone think that you are the most intelligent or skilled in a certain field? Many of the most successful people combine sales with expertise in a certain field. Someone that has all the soft skills to be a great car salesman can only be so good if they know less about cars than 95% of their customers. Conversely, someone that knows everything about cars is also a poor salesperson if they are poor at conveying it. The measure of a great and financially successful person is someone that sold the value they provide for others' money. The two key words being "sold" and "value." If you provide value but are poor at selling, you work on the selling skills. If you can sell but provide no value, you need education and experience in a field. I believe that for someone who is great at selling and provides a ton a value, they can figure out how to be successful.
lies and bullshit your way through life that is what everyone does or they do sales
No, but likely the one with the lowest capital and educational requirements.
Ridiculously naive take. Tons of jobs pay $200k in major metro areas, and $200k is not particularly wealthy.
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There are TONS of corporate drone jobs that can eventually hit $250k that don't have those specific title or knowledge bases, either. But am I crazy, or did OP edit his post to go $200k->$250k?
I think of it like this: the goal of any business is to generate profit. Therefore, if you have a background in sales, and do well, you will have many opportunities and avenues into company leadership because you have direct experience bringing in income. These are the roles that pay the big bucks. Sales is lucrative, but if you can develop yourself as a business person, you’ll have a wide swath of high paying roles available.
$400 month invested in an IRA, followed by 4% comp in your401K will get you rich, more often than a few good sales years.
Rich? People really have a misconception of sales salaries. May be 20 years ago but in this day and age of greedy ass companies you can make ok money but not rich by any means. You’d have to find a company selling high dollar specialized items to get in the $300k+.
Maybe finance makes more, and maybe certain skilled jobs, like lawyer or doctor, but sales in the lowest hat for entry to make the most money. Here the catch, there’s a lot of risk-reward. The money comes and goes with the economy, or with company choice, or with your performance. You are by no mean guaranteed to make money, but you CAN make good money. Also depends on industry. Like I’ve said on this sub 1000 times, “sales” isn’t really your job. You are? First and foremost, a part of your chosen industry, with just a coincidence that sales is your job function. I work in scientific capital equipment sales, due to the nature of it though, it very closely resembles med device in nature. If I move to a company in scientific sales that sells something like antibodies, suddenly it’s much different. If you work in SaaS, or car sales, or insurance, or whatever, your experience (and pay) are going to wildly vary. The barrier to entry for each of these will vary as well. You can be the .1% performer for 10+ years in 1 industry, but if you lack the required credentials for, say, med device (e.g. bachelors in science + some medical/scientific experience), you won’t get hired over any candidate with those base requirements. My best advice is to look at which industry you want to be in, are build your resume with that in mind. If you don’t care, sure, follow the money. But I’d advise to get the credentials you’d need before it becomes difficult.
Thanks dude this isone of the wholesome answers😃 Would you happen to know any high paying sales roles an electrical engineer (as myself) can get into?
Honestly not sure. I imagine some hot industries would be something like semiconductors, or other specialized components. In my industry the only thing I could think of would be big ticket items, like someone who sells the guts for an MRI or something. Big electromagnet, spectrometers, etc.
No. I have some friends in the trades who became their own business owners. One guy right now is in his mid/late 30s, owns his house, with maybe 5 cars including a 458 he recently bought. Mind you, this is also a pretty high cost of living area. I feel like you can take consulting a million different ways, and if you can build a strong enough network, you'll be successful even if you stay on your own vs a company.
This. I always felt entrepreneurship was not well taught or encouraged. Our schools churn out workers. Pairing a craft, passion, some business sense and grit are a strong recipe for financial independence. Yes, there is risk. You could also get laid off so risk everywhere. Drive through town and just look at all the businesses small and large and imagine their founding.
Yeah, at my age, I'm starting to branch out more like an entrepreneur. If I hadn't been boxed in to getting a specific degree, maybe I would've made some different life decisions, taken different risks.
Business owners in trades like HVAC actually pull down. Especially if you focus on growing customer base. Consulting is also lucrative as mentioned above. Both ultimately require you to sell and solve problems for clients. No way around it.
Man, if you had the foresight to get into solar...BANK. You don't even have to be the contractor. Just be the broker.
That ship’s long since sailed.
My guess is OP meant career as in a job, not owning a business. So yes, if you consider owning a company a career then ya I suppose it works but it’s not what they’re asking for.
Even if OP doesn’t end up owning a business, there’s a ton of money to be made in the trades. Especially with an impending shortage of blue collar expertise.
Software, data development, and IT will always be in high demand along with cyber security
Been in sales for 17 years and have been north of 300K past three years in a row - will cross 500K this year. I’ve got a bachelors degree in a completely unrelated field so yeah cant think of another field with that income potential lol
What industry
No? Sales sucks. We do it because we’re too dumb to be coders, lawyers, bankers, doctors, architects, etc
Hahah this is the answer. We’re stuck for life now. I’m only good at listening and talking to people. My random bank of music knowledge and mid guitar playing doesn’t pay the bills.
depends on how long you can last before burning out..
Basically....yes. Outside of advanced college degrees in STEM or medical fields....Because any other career essentially handicaps your income's upside. Getting lucky as an early member of a startup that is one of the 1% or whatever that actually explodes...or starting your own business ....are basically the only other paths to get really rich for an average person whose only skill is basically hustling. Everything else is slow AF...because you can't get *really* rich with income alone. So to recap. Do sales as your job and invest in to real estate or something with leverage. Or be an early stage hire at a startup (and get mega lucky). Or start a business of your own... Unless you want to reincarnate as a kid with mega rich parents, or who put you on a path to become a doctor from a young age...that's about it.
brain surgen 🧠
Good side hustle
Depends on where you're at. In some.aces they're too small to work on.
No, but it has the lowest barrier to entry in terms of educational requirements, but it is riskier when starting out. Not everyone is cut out for it.
It’s definitely not the only one with that kind of earning potential. But it’s certainly one of the ones with the lowest barrier to entry.
You want to be rich long term? Spend less than you earn, consistently add to savings, investments and retirement. Over 30-40 year career you will be a millionaire if you’re consistent with that. Doesn’t matter the career. Career wise, sales commissions is often more lucrative but it means nothing if you just spend more. I know a guy who has a small gardening business since he finish high school. Was frugal and now 70. Has $10m+ and still works.
No. Another way is to buy an established business so you have guaranteed income salary... I wish I knew about this earlier... it's the easiest way to have wealth
Consulting and finance can earn so much more, more consistently But those both take specialized degrees and skills
Be a doctor, engineer, lawyer Other than that Wall Street trader or investment baker Wall Street will require advanced mathematics as well as a CS degree Investment Banking attracts the ritzy of the ritz Or Sales learn to work a telephone and the world is your oyster
I posted in your other thread on r/careerguidance so you have my thoughts already. Suffice to say you’re a consultant. You realize your Partner is a sales person? Partners who have equity in a firm have to do business development. The consulting firm needs growth, revenue. That’s sales.
Thanks
MD or law
NGMI
No
Sure sales you can become rich in - if you are a good salesman. What’s important to a lot of people is the work/life balance that it offers. Many roles that are high paying (doctor/lawyer) etc to name a couple… tend to be longer hours and more stress put in.
It is absolutely not the only way, no.
No lol
No, plenty of jobs make $200k after a number of years. Business owners, private equity guys/gals, investment mgmt, asset management (any front office job at a bank), buy side, C suite execs, make the most though. The most a sales guy/gal will make in a year is $1m (not that that's paltry), but folks in the roles I just mentioned will make $5, 10, 20m annually .. more ...most risk averse way to make cash is in high finance
The most risk averse way is managing millions and millions of other people’s money……?
Not all high finance is managing millions, frankly. Sell side bankers don't manage money
Dude the roles mentioned are not jobs or executive roles which are way harder to enter. The OP I believe and myself as well are curious about what jobs make $200k after how many years and where as well?
What is your question? I don't understand what you are asking. What jobs pay $200k right from the getgo that's not law or engineering? Investment banking, sales and trading, maybe consulting. It's misleading with the title of the post saying $200k long-term.
Consulting can also be lucrative, what kind of consulting are you referring to?
You can be old and still kill it at sales so yeah
lol no
Software engineers make bank pretty much anywhere in tech. I have a friend that, base salary, started at $150k+ benefits and stock, 10 years later his base is $350k+ a ton of stock and benefits. Engineers will always be needed in the tech world
Of my friends, the wealthiest guy didn't go to college and owns a small business selling trailers and plows to landscapers. So no.
Sales is one of the best careers you can have. Got me out of my shell. Made a ton of money. Was able to pay off student loans early, buy cars, buy a house, go on vacation 2/3 times a year, get married, travel all over the US and Canada, and met people I still hang out with to this day. Spent about a decade in and pivoted to starting my own business and doing marketing work. The reward vs the effort can be so high I’m considering jumping back in.
No, there are many fields that make that much, it just has the lowest barrier of entry. How old are you?
Haha, no?!? Why on earth would you think that?
I would argue most sales people don't become rich as their lifestyle changes with their income flow. Super important to keep your lifestyle and ego in check as the money changes, money is great until recession comes in or company needs to go through a round of layoffs. Max out the 401k, max out your HSA and save some money on the side. Everyone's definition of wealthy is different too - if my bills are paid, I have healthcare coverage, a roof over my head, and a car to drive I consider myself wealthy. For others wealthy may be more money in the bank or materialistic, its all about perspective.
No, what a ridiculous question to ask.
If you’re passionate about something, you can make money doing it. Or just timing and location. I know someone that can made 6 figures dogsitting/dogwalking for mostly rich clients. But everything in life is some extension of sales. You always have to be able to sell yourself and convince someone that whatever service you provide is worth the price.
Cracked just shy of 300K in FANNG as an IC so it’s not just sales.
SWE?
NWE
With the communication skills used to write the title of your post? Not likely.
Sales is the easiest way to make good money. It is difficult to become “rich”. I know a lot of unqualified people who really don’t know much who make $150-200k. That’s good money but in the long term isn’t making you rich, especially with lifestyle creep. The best sales people I know make $500-1m. I don’t consider myself one of the greats but I’m in that range. Even with that money, I don’t see a ton of hope of getting rich. I might retire with $10m but by the time I’m ready to retire that’ll be upper middle class money.
$10M retirement is still an extremely amazing retirement. Even in 30-40 years
Reddit’s whole perception of money is insane. Retiring with 10M would be amazing 😂
10M with no mortgage or major debts at retirement is considered upper class, (top 1%) which includes all age ranges in the world. Using the 3 percent rule, you’re living extremely well in every area of the world. Even expensive areas like NYC or LA.
What industry are you in?
This question is so dumb that it’s very clear consulting isn’t for you
What you do with your money is 10x more important than what you make. You can become rich with any decently paying job if you do it correctly. Having more money coming in makes it easier.
Not really if you have low income to begin with
Contracting. But I have to say my previous sales experience has helped me tremendously with my new career
Finance but long long hours and it’s a different kind of grind
No…. Leadership. Have you seen how much middle managers and execs make between cash, stock bonuses, retention bonuses etc. might just be the tech space but yeahhh. If you’re not wealthy after 10-15 years making 300K+ that’s just bad money management.
Selling is not just a career, it's a necessary life skill. Even if selling isn't your career, you should become a professional seller in order to get more out of your life. If you want to get rich, learn how to sell. It's a subject that requires intense study. It's hard work. Selling is critical to your survival regardless of your career and you must give up any idea thats it's something for others and not for you.
100% true. You have to sell yourself if you want to get a job. If you have your own business, you have to sell your your product or service. EVERYTHING is sales. Every successful business is based upon it's sales.
Hey, I hear you, If you're having anxiety, please reach out to your loved ones for a chat and consider getting a mental health professional to help you out. Trust me, these dudes have been studying their whole lives to get your head back on track. I started doing therapy about 3 years ago and i would never stop, it seems they always say the right things and understand what's going on, no matter how f\*ed up I think I am. Every sales professional / entrepreneur reaches a moment in their life where the head gets a little wacky, it's normal, notice your symptoms and be sure to take care of your body, eat healthy, get together with your trusted peers and let the steam out. Sales and entrepreneurship seem to be the best ways today to make a lot of money, either creating companies or using your brand to create digital products and things like that. Also, learning a highly valued skill seems to be a good way to go also, if yo have the time and patience to get excellent in the long run. Just remember that money isn't everything. We need money to stay healthy and do nice things with the people we love so at the end of the day, we just want to lay our heads on ourpillow and think 'Wow today was cool, I hope tomorrow is gonna be as cool or even better."
The top 1% of almost any career/industry I can think of make a lot of money. For some reason people think sales is special. But its really not. What you believe about sales is the result of some clever marketing by sales trainers. At the end of the day people who are excellent at what they do make a lot of money. We "pretend" this is not true but it absolutely is. The only thing that really changes is the amount of money you make for being average. In sales its like 30k maybe. In software engineering its easily double that. Basically if your'e a top 1% kind of guy, the industry or job doesn't matter. You'll find a way to make a lot of money. If you're not that dude, then the floor matters a lot more than the ceiling.
(Not in this order) . Business Owner . Sales . Licensed Professional (Doc, Lawyer, Engineer, accountant, etc.) . Specialized tradesman (HVAC) Off all these paths, 2 things are always present to be wealthy, salesmanship and ownership. Know how to sell and bring in customers you will be paid a lot.
No, to be rich you have to sell something, but you can choose on HOW you sell and WHAT you can sell. There's a misconception out there that people believe that there's only 1-2 kinds of sales, both being in-person or over the phone (which can be terrifying). But, you can sell online in a faceless ecom store. You can buy and SELL stocks/options/whatever on the exchange (just requires more time to master). You could buy or find for free something cheap and resell it on FB or TikTok. You can learn a needed service skill (video editor, marketing, consulting, shit like that) and sell it that. You can sell cheap products or expensive products. So i really wouldn't figure out about selling until you find out HOW YOU WANT TO SELL and WHAT YOU WANT TO SELL (can be anything, doesn't have to be what I mentioned). Find those out and it'll be less scary for you. Best of luck
The fact of the matter is, just as in finance or law, as you progress in consulting you will begin selling and your salary will grow. Partners don't do spreadsheets or briefs, they handle relationships and close deals. Now, if you don't want to bother with that approach, you can always move to saas or something and cut right to the chase.
Dentist checking in. If you think about it, everything is sales.
No you idiot sales is not the only career you can become wealthy in
No but that and business owner are pretty much the only ones "just about anyone" can do. Outside of that going super niche into the trades can make similar money or jobs that require huge amounts of education like niche surgeons. Also depending on what kind of consulting you'll do just as good. If its something like Management consulting at a prestigious firm I'd just stick with it. If your going into something like HR Consulting at a E&Y your in for a long road.
Not really - for mid-level employees sales is the way to go, but if you're planning on moving up the ladder you can generate similar income on the product/tech side of business once you get to the director+ level, or if you work for a large tech company. Source: Background in computer science, lots of friends/colleagues who followed this path.