At the mention of a marketing job, an average Nigerian job seeker shuts down. In fact, for most young career persons, a marketing job offer is no offer at all.
Anyway, before I start rolling, it is important I carry all our readers along. In most quarters in Nigeria, we refer to sales representatives or sales agents as marketers. Although, technically, marketing and selling are two different phenomenon, but for the purposes of this piece, permit me to use them interchangeably. Just have it at the back of your mind that when I say marketing jobs, I am referring to sales jobs.
I have come across lots of young professionals who wouldn’t dare touch a marketing job offer even with the longest pole. Don’t even mention it to them, or else they will blacklist your company as one of the most insensitive and inhumane recruitment firm. Understandably though, there are various reasons while most young professionals hate marketing jobs. Top on the list of their reasons includes unrealistic sales targets, commission- based remuneration (everyone prefers a salary at the end of the month whether they sell or not), field-induced stress.
However, I still believe that marketing jobs are the bomb because of its gains and prospects and no matter how much we try to avoid it, we are all selling something. Personally, I am building a career as a workforce trainer and career coach, but I still do lots of selling and I am still open to new challenges provided it is a product or service I would really love to sell.
Yes, I love marketing (selling) jobs, but even at that, I can’t sell everything. I choose my products. I sell the things I love and that is why I succeed in it. Most people fail as sales agents because they want to sell everything.
You want to sell pension. You want to sell banking services. You want to sell insurance. You want to sell real estate. You want to sell pharmaceutical products. You want to sell FMCGs. You want to sell telecommunication. You want to sell cars. You want to sell food supplements. You have tried to sell everything. No, it doesn’t work like that for everybody. Marketing is a rewarding thing to do if only you choose a product you love, a product you know and a product you have the market for and sell it. You will love it.
Marketing jobs are the bomb. It all depends on what you are selling and how you are selling it. Most people make marketing look tedious the way they do it. It is not all about getting yourself engrossed in activity and being busy. There is more to marketing (selling) than just hitting the road or an area without any plan and start harassing people from one office to another. No. Marketing is not all about dissipating energy unnecessarily and getting stressed out. If you learn the ropes of effective selling, you will agree with me that marketing jobs are the bomb.
Here are a few reasons why I strongly recommend a marketing job any day.
1. Marketing jobs are readily available in the labour market.
I am yet to find a company that will say no to you if you walk up to them with an offer of helping them improve sales irrespective of your qualification. Bottom line is the major reason why companies are in business in the first place and anybody who can help in improving that is given an opportunity to do so. A company can never have excess of sales persons (marketers). In case you are yet to secure a job, the quickest way to end your job search is to step out tomorrow as a sales dude.
2. It’s only a marketing job that gives you a stake in the company you are working for.
There is no limit to how much you can earn. All the biggest boys you know in the banking and telecommunication industry are bad sales dudes. Same applies to every other sector. Smart dudes still find a way to get involve in selling their company’s products or services even when their portfolio does not include selling. Selling doesn’t just get you more money, it also helps you climb the corporate ladder faster.
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