I have sold both tangibles and intangibles. I did well at both. I actually got a two year degree in Insurance Sales when I was right out of a Viet Nam Era hitch in the Navy. I was lisnced to sell Life and Health Insurance--later securities. The health insurance sales I was with provided leads from abundant mailings. about one out of five leads were good. I covered mostly rural areas, so it was a lot of driving. Still I made a lot of money., until I began to question the ethics of the company I worked for. You must realize that insurance companies are not in the business of paying claims. They are very much about a good bottom line. The more revenues you generate and the less monies you pay out equals profits. All insurance companies operate more of less that way.
Reputable Names in Life Insurance are less inclined that way. But it is tough sales to get started. It largely depends upon making a huge list of everyone you know and sending them an announcement that you are now selling Life Insurance. Then you methodically start calling on them, and beating them up regularly about buying insurance. That was never my style.
You should also join the biggest church, all the civic organizations and develope "Centers of Influence", who will be ytour primary birddogs for finding prospects. These might be non-competing insurance salesmmen, Chanber of Commerce personell, Car Dealers, Real Estate Agents, etc. You essentially share leads. I never liked the feeling that your former best friends would cross hte street to avoid you when they saw you coming. I did alright, but I didn't like spunging off my friends and relatives (as it felt to me). Many people have no such compunctions and make a fortune in life insurance. I never sold Fire and Casualty Insurance, but it is my belief that it takes a few years to ramp up, but if you like sitting in an office for the most part, it can be very lucrative. Still not MY cup of tea, but maybeyours.
Securities is a different animal. It is largely phone sales and personal contacts. Whether bonds or stocks or other financial intruments, the commisions are usually front-loaded and you get a lot of money up front. It is one of the ways in sales of becoming filthy rich. Still many others are starving stockbrokers.
One big benefit to mnost types of sales is that each year that your original sale is renewed, you receive a small renewal commison. After a lifetime of building up such renewals you can conceivably retire on just your renewals without ever selling another policy.
For one inclined to legal matters, I recommend security sales or a reputable life insurance company. Like anything else, it requires a lot of effort to get through the first year or two, but then becomes much easier. You needs financially therefore must be offset initially by a wife's income or other windfall., or tolerating starving for a while.
I recently soke to an old copier sales refugee who just statted selling annuities. He had just made over eleven grand from one annuity sale.
There are many other types of sales. As a general rule, the harder/less enjoyable it is, the more it pays.Successful people learn to do the things that failures fail to do. An old saying, but worth repeating.
Copier and office equipment slaes is becoming more and more technical. If you are not so inclined, there are solutions. Most companies have Systems engineers, if you dare to allow theseright brained propellor heads lose on your customers. If you hire your own private comapany to handle such affairs you will not have to worry so much and will have more sales time. I USED TO USE A TRICK OF GETTING TO KNOW NATIONAL TECH PEOPLE WELL AND INVITING THEM IN TO HELP CONDUCT SHOWS OR MAKE CALLS OR WHAT HAVE YOU. YOU MAY BE SURPRISED THAT THIS IS WHAT THESE GUYS DO AND ARE OFTEN SCRAMBLING FOR PLQACES TO GO TO JUSTIFY THEIR HIGH-DOLLAR SALARIES.
Another consideration is to picki a fe product that are high-dollar sales and popular, and become a specialist on these items only. Make sure you ge the help doing you demos until you can do the best demo know to man--on that particular product. Then sell these big/popular items to big companies. I have mentioned it before. This is the way I got off to a quick start in the business. I would barter a lead for a lessor product for whatever to another salesman while I pursued the big fish. Consequently I made big commision as I maximized my time vs. payoff.
Some sales jobs are nothing more than order takers. This is not bad. Pharmacuetical salespersons fall into this category. It is a boring type of sales for me however, and doesn't pay that well. Medical equipment sales on the other hand is probably the ultimate both in knowledge/skill, and pay-back. Itis not uncommon for these folks to knock down a million a year.
In the end, hard sales work sucks. It just does. No one would choose to do it over having sex. So, if you need to make big bucks, choose your poison, do it well, and make sure it funds your fun hobbies, whether it be rebuilding old Mustangs (*as my son does), or travel, or treasure-diving. If you make enough money, you can stand almost anything until you can move up the food chain into management or get one of those National jobs, which are nice jobs in every way. The bottom line is, that if you are a sales superstar in anything, Emersons Lqw of compensation will hunt you down and reard you with your dream job, given time. So young slaespersons--just hang in there.