Working in Summer Sales: Professional Selling... Not a Mid- July Target Promotion

It was four years ago today that I was called by a friend about doing summer sales. "Hey man, this last summer I did summer sales- have you ever heard of it?" Being the broke college kid that I was, I said "heck yeah, I love getting super cheap things at Target on the clearance rack." Four years later, I am one and a half years removed from college and I consistently earn at least triple my classmates while working nearly half the year.

I know what you're thinking. "He's going to really pitch some small niche market job in a LinkedIn article?" Exactly. This isn't a job posting, but there is a significant reason the Utah Valley is flooding with startups, talent, and their universities are thriving like never before. The reason there is a cult- like following of a handful of companies in all over the west coast, in North Carolina, Florida, and parts of Virginia. The truth is, it is the best kept secret in entrepreneurship among those who are employed by these million- dollar pest control and alarm companies. Chances are, you've never heard of summer sales: that's why you're reading this article. Perhaps you have and you're supporting a fellow pavement pounder. Keep reading regardless- because the unfolding of a multi- billion, yes billion, dollar industry has just begun.

“I was hustling in everything I did,” says Mark Cuban, “Whatever it took, I was willing to do it."

So what is summer sales? Well, it is simple. Thousands of entrepreneurial minded 18+ year olds, college students and recent graduates choose to go perform the purest form of entrepreneurship for their summer break: door knocking. They turn down the grocery store job, move on from the lifeguarding job, and go make tens of thousands of dollars selling whatever they can via door to door. Yes, this is really happening. For most of my following, you may be thinking- duh, and that's because you're from the epicenter. The other half is thinking- that's Stone Age stuff. You're not right and you're not wrong. Door to door is one of the oldest forms of sales, but nowadays- Stemming out of large cities like Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Washington D.C., and Phoenix- thousands of door to door programs have been on the rise in recent years. It's even taken on the essence of sports with some companies making their own company branded apparel, traveling gear, and even sports equipment to recruit new talent. You won't find a ton of information out there because companies are kind of hush- hush on their opportunities and it's kind of- "to be one you've got to know one" landscape. Why would tens of thousands of people knock doors when so much technology is available? Isn't the whole- keeping up with the Jones's while I sign you up for services on the clip board a little outdated?

Getting out of the Comfort Zone

Kids these days are just not like us. We here it all the time. "Can you put your phone down and participate?" You may have thought a few times. In reality, people are sitting behind computers and usernames more than ever- this has lead to almost an inability to learn soft skills outside of reading a few books on negotiation and selling. Kids growing up these days don't have to use body language and nonverbal cues to convince their friend to trade them a Pokemon card- they just do it online via PokemonGo. Same goes with gaming consoles and even fantasy sports. Summer sales physically teaches people to jump out of their comfort zone by knocking doors, sometimes in the brutal heat of the summer, and going and making their own success. This isn't for everyone, of course, but most college students who are eligible could use a summer outside working on their soft skills and communication. Imagine if you never felt the anxiety of meeting a stranger or going to a blind date- that is what the experience eliminates. Now let's eliminate also the notion that summer sales is anything similar to the popular fundraising for high school sports teams and the whole "jump rope for heart (amazing organization)" door to door tactics. While these can be very helpful for summer sales once a rep is in the field- the major difference is that many people are more than willing to help out a high school kid with a local fundraiser, while, in summer sales a rep is selling directly to homeowner a- hopefully reputable- service.

Now what if you committed to knocking doors for nearly nine hours per day. Let's look past the heat of the summer, maybe you're not a sales person, and maybe you don't have the physical ability to power walk through a neighborhood all day: you have to understand there is immense growth from not only these professionals hardships, but also the diversity of personalities, people, and cultures you will learn from while selling. I personally have seen people 180 their entire lives from knocking doors. The feeling of closing a sale at such a young age in a difficult industry can turn someone who works hard in school and self educating, but may have some questions about their ability in the world, to an achieved student of life. The hard part will be teaching them to replicate the process and finding consistency to execute the next however many days.

Communication

"Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity, and the emotions to affect other people."

-Jim Rohn

It should go without saying that the basics of communication is a necessity prior to the summer. The summer sales operation will turn a sales reps entire way of communicating, if he has no prior experience in direct sales, into a pitch. This sounds terrible, I know. For the next 100 days of the summer the summer rep will be wired to close deals. 100 days after that he/she we will using their ability to influence on their friends and family without even realizing everyone around them knows he/she is trying to sell them. The real work that can be done in the summer is teaching a rep that they shouldn't pitch a customer, but have a conversation to influence a logical solution. Sometimes that solution is not buying a product/service. Maybe they do not qualify or have the means to afford. So, the basis of communication in many programs will be qualifying the buyer, subtly finding a need, and turning those needs into a want. Some industries it is much easier to find a need, like pest control when you see webs in eaves of an exterior wall of a home.

For those of you skilled and have made it tis far you may be wondering when nonverbal communication is discussed: we are here! Summer sales reps will also attempt mastery of nonverbal cues and communication such as a prospective client rubbing his/her chin or maybe relaxing by leaning on a door. These cues can lead the sales rep to perform the same task or ask for the sale. Top reps will find themselves doing both without even thinking. It is natural to move similar, think similar, and decide things similar to people we like and whom like us. For more information on nonverbal cues- check out audible for the hundreds of books written on the subject. For summer sales reps at my company, we stress the most important nonverbal communicators as head nodding and smiling. While we understand this influences a "yes," we also understand the science behind these actions and how they can actually lead to more positive thinking. After a successful summer selling, most reps will actually come home in a more positive state. A state of well being that could be considered more outgoing and exercising the "Tetris Effect" explained in Shawn Achor's The Happiness Advantage. The bottomline here is that while summer sales may be a direct selling industry, there is more to it than just pushing a products features.

Entrepreneurship

The entire summer sales industry was built by serial entrepreneurs. Men and women who had sold a summer or more and realized they could build an entire company on the idea of education and providing a quality service to residential and commercial addresses. While we would see these successful people as the entrepreneurs behind the business (you're not completely wrong), there are even more entrepreneurs in the ranks. Yes, employees that are entrepreneurs.

Store manager: Just how obscene an amount of cash are we talking about here? Profane or really offensive?

Edward: Really offensive.

-Pretty Woman (1990)

Because these industries rely on sales during the summer, those who decide to make a career out of it are paid handsomely because they are typically not easily replace, but they are also able to spend six to eight months on their own time. You will find many summer sales reps who have investment real estate properties, lawn care businesses, fitness gym's, even large franchises like Dollar General. These are not businesses you start with nothing. These businesses have primary funding at first from the earnings of at least one summer. Remember the positive and radiant rep that finishes the summer more outgoing with a knack for selling and marketing? He now is actually making smart decision's with his money. The benefits of summer sales not only primarily lie in personal development, but also in real assets. For example, there are college students who have worked under me who made enough money to purchase a house before graduating. I live in a beach town and this is not an easy feat in this market. A student I personally worked with after their first year out of school with a few summers under his belt literally bought a million dollars in real estate over the course six months. Interns who paid off their entire student loans. Managers who start their own companies in spaces like car rental, boat rental, rental properties. Many also continue to go into graduate schools such as business administration, public health, and even medical programs. For those who make it past a grueling summer, the rewards lie in the experience, but also could be laid where they begin a career in the following summer. How do these kids knocking on your door end up in such great paths with investment capital to put away for education, business, and even real estate? How much am I talking? "An offensive amount of money."

"Just keep taking chances and having fun."

-Garth Brooks

In all, summer sales consistently changes and challenges people to their greatest extent. We rarely find people that have gone through the exact program their company prescribes and works hard, and isn't satisfied enough to continue their career. When you run into a recruiter- make sure to check his/her companies database so that everything they are saying is accurate. If you are interested in selling and working in this incredible industry- be sure to connect with me and send me a message. There are a plethora of opportunities out there in summer sales & most are highly reputable, unfortunately some are not. Make sure to do as much research as possible. Chances are- the manager you are speaking with should be able to back up his talk- but in the case scenario that things get awkward due to deception, just get with his/ her higher up to clear things up because often this could be a managers first meeting or year with a team or office. My last piece of advice is to be all in. Your journey could lead you to an okay summer but a spectacular career- you will never know without giving every ounce of focus that you can.

Wyatt Janning, Aptive Division Manager

7,700 Summer New Accounts in 2019