In Defense of Summer Sales
By Dan Monson
“The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The “summer sales” industry, though sometimes questionable and misunderstood, is more often legitimate than not. Tempted to do sales for years, I finally took up the challenge and sold pest control in Nashville, Tenn. The summer previous, I had worked four different jobs, and made 14K. I was proud of this, until my buddy told me he made 30k in pest control sales. I buckled down, sacrificed my summer, and made 40k last year. Point proven.
I could end here, but I feel such an explanation is like one of the newspaper ads that many people speculate about. The ads that show people’s earnings, while entirely true, do not reveal the true side to summer sales. As one who knows, I will outline some plain and precious truths about summer sales that may need some extra attention.
The truth is, summer sales is not a get-rich-quick type of business. There are typically 100 selling days in the summer, and four months is required to earn decent cash. There is nothing quick about working Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m.- 9 p.m., and sacrificing months of your life working full time.
Truth is, there are many different markets and companies that a person can sell for. The most popular companies for BYU students to sell for include dish networks, pest control and home alarms.
Truth is, summer sales require extremely hard-working and passionate individuals. Some call this ADD, others call it “charm” – it’s a unique person who can sell. Of all the people who go out, not everyone has what it takes. I believe this is one of the main reasons people often hear about bitter summer sales tragedies – these were people who didn’t have the necessary salesmanship and passion, trying to sell things they didn’t believe in.
Truth is, summer sales is the hardest yet most rewarding job I have ever had. Some people choose to do custodial at 4 a.m. and that’s their thing. Some people spend their summers cleaning up zoo cages for minimum wage. Some may even work for free at a boring internship that teaches them to file papers. Each person has the right to pick and choose his or her summer activities. I choose to work and grow at a job with amazing potential. In fact, I generated more than $130,000 in revenues for my company last summer. Talk about a resume boost.
Truth is, there are many different products sold, so stereotyping all summer sales as the same is pointless. I chose pest control because in many parts of the country, this service is in high demand. People don’t understand that I sold pest control to customers who were being bitten by ticks, fleas, ants and brown recluses. If you have studied these types of pests, you can appreciate why people don’t want them in their homes.
Finally, if you are considering summer sales, be cautious. Study the different products and pick one you feel good about selling. Find a good office with a manager you can trust. Make sure you know someone who sold for the company before and confirm they were paid as promised. If you work hard and are passionate, do your homework to find a good situation that is honest and right. And if you are one of the crazy ones who feels the need for speed, ignore all the flack, take the bull by the horns and see if you have what it takes. Remember, if you don’t succeed, you can always bail and work your old jobs, joining the thousands of others who question, fear and mock the sales industry.
