Tough, yes, but marketing job is not for the ghosts!

Dolapo Ojobanikan

Dolapo is a sales rep with a mortgage/real estate firm in Lagos

I was just in a recruiting firm the other day. Calls were being made to individuals to come in for an interview as a sales agent. “I can’t do anything marketing” some of them said. A good number of them even asked mostly rudely “what’s the difference between sales and marketing?” What?! Even if you don’t know,are you to ask an interviewer that? One even said that time is not convenient for me, the afternoon will be more convenient (that’s an issue for another day). A lot of people were eliminated for such responses. By the way, there are vivid differences between sales and marketing, thank you!

A little while ago when I was still a corper/fresher in the labour market. A “marketing” job was seen as either a no go area or a means to an end, even by me. A means to an end in the sense that it was something to keep you busy until you hit the “big game”-the NNPC job, the oil money!

I remember my first job. It was with one of the top real estate companies in Lagos (as a business development executive which I saw as “marketing” Wrong!), I aced the interviews and all, even with the MD, I used all the right terms but truth? In my mind’s eye, I was desperate for a job. I didn’t want this one but I had been at home for 5 months or so. I was tired, sad even. This had to do.

The connections had failed-they did not even care. This was something I had gotten by myself-through all the long hours on the internet, by only the grace of God. I had to put in my all and apparently, I did. I was so excited; at least, I had a job! After a brief period of success, it became dry. I was extremely non-chalant actually. My mentality? At least, I’ll be getting basic salary. Six-seven months, nothing. And the funniest part is that all efforts to get alternative offers proved abortive.

I was not even focusing on my bird at hand. I was getting only basic pay. No sales. I was usually downcast and all. Late last month/early this month however, I realised that some people were actually making mad money in these industries (sales and real estate). I heard and read then that in sales, there are ups and downs. There will be dry moments. Most opinions don’t give you any hope that sales can be extremely rewarding.

In a world where an independent sales agent in Lagos sold thousands of plots of land? (True story. And just so you know, he sold more than is stated in the example below). The commission on that is…. Ok, hypothetically speaking. A plot of land is 600k*2000 plots-10% commission=N120m. 5% commission=N60m, 2.5% is still N30m. Please do you think you can sell this for a company and they won’t get you a car, probably a house and maybe your own mini estate? So, what are we saying?

For some of us that need extra inspiration, I stumbled upon the story of a man named Tom Hopkins; one of the top guns in Sales and sales training in the US. (Please Google is your friend!) He branched into real estate as a result of poverty and struggle. He was 19 and married with a child; barely making ends meet. He had gone from company to company in search of a real estate salesperson job. He definitely did not look the part. Nobody wanted to hire him obviously. Someone eventually pity-hired him. In his first 6 months, he sold only one home averaging $42 per month. When he was down to $150 in savings, a man came into his office promoting a three day sales training with J. Douglas Edwards.

He invested his savings into this training. He then realised that selling was indeed a learned skill. He applied all he learnt and by 27, he was a millionaire salesperson in real estate. He set records that remained unbroken till this century. His last year as a salesagent, he sold 365 homes; that’s a home a day. Grand total, in a period of 6 years, he had closed 1,553 real estate transactions.

Lessons: He yielded to good advice and the opportunity and idea of his personal development; that made all the difference in his world. Stop complaining, read up and you will be surprised at the transformations that a wealth of knowledge can bring to the table.

The bottom line? The Holy Bible says “whatsoever thy hands findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”-Ecc 9:10 KJV