To Sell Is Human

02Sales jobs are booming worldwide, and we need more skilled salespeople than ever

Let's talk about sales. It's a big deal. Bigger than you might think. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in every nine American workers is in sales. That's over fifteen million people in the U.S. alone, all making their living by convincing others to buy something. And we're not just talking about the folks at your local car dealership or the real estate agent showing you houses. Salespeople are everywhere, in every sector. They're selling everything from airplanes to city governments, from cars to potential drivers, and from multimillion-dollar consulting agreements to $10 magazine subscriptions. Here's a fun fact: the U.S., despite having the largest manufacturing economy in the world, has more salespeople than factory workers. In fact, there are more salespeople in the U.S. than the entire federal workforce, by a ratio of more than 5 to 1. And the private sector? They employ three times as many salespeople as all fifty state governments combined. If all the salespeople in the U.S. decided to form their own state, it would be the fifth-largest in the country. Now, you might be thinking, "But what about the global financial crisis? And the rise of the Internet? Surely that's had an impact on sales jobs." Well, you'd be half right. Between 2006 and 2010, the U.S. did lose about 1.1 million sales jobs due to the Great Recession. But sales still remain the second-largest occupational category in the U.S., just as it has been for decades. And the Bureau of Labor Statistics even projects that the U.S. will add nearly two million new sales jobs by 2020. As for the Internet, it hasn't had the impact you might expect. Despite the rise of broadband, smartphones, and e-commerce, which were all expected to replace salespeople, the total number of sales jobs has actually increased. The proportion of the U.S. workforce in sales has remained the same: 1 in 9. And this isn't just a U.S. thing. In Canada, sales and service occupations make up slightly more than 25% of the workforce. In Australia, about 10% of the labor force is in sales. In the U.K., about 1 in 10 workers is in sales. And in the European Union, about 13% of the labor force is in sales. So, what's the takeaway here? Sales is a big deal. It's a crucial part of labor markets around the world. Despite the shift from manufacturing to services and conceptual thinking in advanced economies, the need for salespeople hasn't diminished. In fact, it's only increasing. So, if you're looking for a career with staying power, you might want to consider sales.

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