One of my (now deceased) grandfathers made a very good living for himself as a salesman. He was a very good salesman. So good that he sold a bunch of stuff to a bunch of people, used the money to start his own sales business, then sold that business to a bigger sales business for a metric crapton of money, then retired.
I never got to know the man very well myself, he was a distant type, not really the kind of guy who would say “oh hey, look, it’s my grandson! Come and give grandpa a big hug!” More the type to sit on the couch watching football, smoking cigars and drinking scotch, shake my hand and say “how you doin’, kid?” then send me off to hang out in the kiddie room with my bratty cousins so that he could engage in “grown up talk”.
Later on, after his passing, my dad and I were talking. I mentioned how difficult it was for me to “get ahead” in today’s world. Work for a company for years and you’re lucky if they give you a 2% raise here and there, etc. He said,
“Have you ever considered going into sales? That’s what my dad did, and he was very successful.”
Thought about it? Sure. But what would I sell?
“Anything! It doesn’t matter. My dad could sell oceanfront property in Arizona.”
But there is no oceanfront property in Arizona…
“Exactly. But that’s just how good a salesman he was. And he made a fortune doing it.”
So… what you’re saying is, that… I should lie to people for a living?
“Not saying you should, just throwing it out there as an option.”
I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable doing that. Aren’t there more honest ways to make a good living?
“Plenty of honest ways to make a living, yes. But you’ve said so yourself, the most successful people in your own company are the ones who have brownnosed their superiors and thrown their coworkers under the bus.”
Yes. I don’t like that. I don’t want to do that.
“Well, then… you know how the world works. You either work it to your advantage, or you don’t. Totally up to you.”