Is A Sales Career For You? (1971)

[Music] [Applause] [Music] what you gonna [Music] what will you do when you're finally on your own sooner or later each one of you will leave the textbook world of the classroom for the reality of living in the world of work [Music] a world none of you made but you can help make better a world that expects you to be self-reliant to pay your way time spent now planning for that world may be the best investment you will ever make this film will tell you about one career area wide open to young men and women in the world of sales before it is over you should be able to answer for yourself the question is a sales career for you [Music] did you ever happen to think of what our world would be like without salespeople to bring us new goods and services the one for instance who sold your parents on the idea of group health [Music] the one who sold them furniture the one who sold them your first pair of shoes [Music] the one who sold them their first house the station wagon their investments [Music] the family vacation yes you'll agree people who sell have played an important part in your world to date without them both our society and our economy would be completely different if you'd like to bring new things and services to people help them live better and happier a career in sales may be for you if you're enthusiastic about everything you do whether it be your studies sports your home life if you need an appearance like to dress well and are content to keep your casuals for days off if you're comfortable with people like to meet them hear about them if you make a good impression when meeting people if you like to be knowledgeable and can talk with conviction if you'd like to explain how things work and can impart the information readily if you're tactful and diplomatic if you have plenty of endurance as well as patience no matter what the situation this film may interest you for you may be a potential salesperson a job specialty with more and more openings ranging from retail store clerk to store manager from advertising to insurance [Music] from lumber to real estate from office equipment to office buildings careers that range through all business and industry science and technology [Music] careers exciting and meaningful for young people like yourself in the world of sales paying salaries in keeping with your energy initiative and ability with opportunities for advancement geared to your perseverance and personality careers with little need for specialized training beyond high school for many of the initial openings though continued study and education will help you advance quickly in a chosen field okay you say selling interests you but how do you know for sure your personal qualities are really the basic qualities to be a successful sales person you know you did enjoy selling candy in school to help pay for your school uniforms you also know you got a kick out of selling ice cream during the summer but does liking those things mean sales is your bag or that you'll be a success in selling always keep in mind success means different things to different people to some it might mean having a fine family and home and living on a good salary to others it might mean becoming a member of an elite sales group like million a year insurance salesman or a manager of sales of a large corporation in the higher income brackets but whatever your goal in life you will want to develop your personal qualities to the highest point possible not only your personality but your ability your know-how so that you know the product you're selling how it is made what it can do why it does it and where it can serve best in the world of business and industry people in the sales field today are accorded a respect that is their just do through their efforts whether retail or wholesale software or hardware services or designs it is the sales representatives the commercial travelers all the people who sell whose orders keep the factories running keep employment up keep the economy of the country on the upswing your high school education will serve you well in many of the sales occupations you should have a good command of english be articulate you should be good with math a knowledge of a language may prove a benefit in many unexpected situations so do your best distributive education may also be helpful courses in science will be of advantage in selling such things as dry cleaning chemicals wholesale soap products a good physique and plenty of stamina are needed in many sales occupations for most retail sales jobs you may have to stand on your feet for long hours in retail trade or wholesale software or hardware full-time or part almost everything you learn in high school will help you sell a college education two two-year or four-year is needed in many sales positions selling securities and investments for instance selling machinery requires a certain technical background as does the sale of medical equipment automation machinery and similar engineering developments now let's take a quick look at a few of the jobs open to high school graduates we'll start with retail sales a simple stroll through any one of our modern shopping centers will reveal the variety of sales occupations available sales people for rugs and carpets furniture for bedroom or the whole house shoes wigs candy and stationary men's clothing women's clothing furs drugs and potions and lots of notions pets poodles monkeys cats and rats boutique gifts radios and tv sets recorders and stereos for the technical minded auto accessories for the mathematically minded accident and liability insurance and for those with a green thumb nursery products flowers shrubs trees depending on what turns you on when you finish high school you might want to sell hotel and restaurant equipment printing supplies or typewriters and adding machines the field of sales for high school graduates is almost without limit again the choice is yours remember whatever product is really your thing it has to be sold and you can do the selling no matter how good you are at first keep in mind that a salesperson must learn must always keep up with new things whether you train in high school on the job or go on to higher education or go to night school while working continual personal improvement means advancement [Music] if you want to sell securities for example you will need a college degree graduate engineers sell safety equipment building and construction materials heavy industrial machinery but many a high school graduate has worked his way up through self training to qualify for the more technical sales careers by first proving his ability as a salesperson from tires and accessories to cars from nursery sales to farm equipment from household appliances to houses and office buildings land and farms from clerk to floor manager in a department store from clerk to owner of a retail store from office boy to insurance salesman to owner of an insurance agency enthusiasm for both your job and the products you sell usually pays off in increased sales paychecks and promotions many in sales earn yearly incomes comparable to doctors and lawyers when commissions are added to salaries and incentive bonuses geographically salespeople work everywhere a good many of those traveling every day have a career in sales your territory may cover the united states or parts of it or it may be overseas in a foreign land a number of companies need sales representatives to sell american wares in faraway places if you're a homebody and like to stay near home look for a sales job that will keep you in your area depending on the product of course there are plenty of opportunities to sell merchandise in your own hometown sales careers permit a certain independence other careers do not the commercial traveler the house to house canvasser the realtor usually can select their own vacation times work at their own convenience with wise financial planning other salespersons usually have generous vacation schedules with many fringe benefits those more independent do not have most salespeople have a comfortable lifestyle go on and find out about the many other careers in the world of work some other career may suit you best of all but if at last you believe that a sales career is the thing for you get all the information you can discuss it with a distributive education counselor and teachers who know you talk to your guidance counselor about your interests your counselor can help you with a lot of detailed information check in at your local us employment service office too have a talk with the youth service center counselor about sales careers bring your parents into the act too listen to their ideas then if your choice stands up you're on your way [Music] now what sort of education is best for a sales career a general well-rounded high school program is almost a must if you're not going on to college it is well to remember that for some of the higher paying selling jobs you will be competing against others with college educations enrolling in the distributive education course will provide unusual preparation for selling business schools technical schools junior and community colleges also have courses that can do much for you the best college program to follow for a sales career is business administration even after you start working evening school and correspondence courses can supply knowledge you feel you're missing opportunities and sales work will increase greatly during the next decade to meet the growing needs of the nation's rising population and the introduction of new products will create an even greater demand for salespeople if you have examined the alternative opportunities and if you now decide that selling is indeed the career for you get cracking on it plan prepare get the education and training you'll need then you'll be ready with thousands and thousands of other young people you'll be ready to carve out a rewarding and satisfying career in the challenging field of sales [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] what will you do when you're finally what will you really do you