Now that I’ve been doing sales for a while, I have added some interviews for people who think they might want to try it too. The company runs an online ad that is very clear that it the work is telesales, that it is commission only, and it requires licensing. In this economy, it seems like lots of people would be open trying a new way to make money, but I am really surprised about how many people fill out a form requesting an interview that I end up not hiring.
My first issue is the hangup. As someone in sales, I’m pretty used to getting a hangup or two. What I’m still not used to is people hanging up in the middle of an interview. It’s the wildest thing. I totally get that telephone sales is not for everyone. All they would need to do is say, “Hey, I don’t think this will be a good fit,” or “No, thanks.” Instead it’s just silence and that’s it. I’m not an AI, I am a real person. For the benefit of the doubt, I usually call them or text them back and say, “Call me if you want to continue this,” but they never do.
The second thing I am surprised about that people don’t want to do any kind of training for the job. Life insurance sales requires a license, but it’s only 20 hours of an online course and a test. I have been to college twice, each time for several years at a cost of thousands of dollars. This job requires the equivalent of a two-credit class, and to me seems very reasonable. Tim had to do training for truck driving and has to pay fees for his certifications. Most jobs in this economy are somewhat specialized.
Another surprise is there are some people that already have their license and have experience that I cannot hire. They aren’t open to learn a new way to do an old thing. I interviewed a guy a couple weeks ago who has his license, but hasn’t sold a policy since before Covid. A bunch of things changed and everything is electronic now. He kept insisting that we compensate him for his mileage, and I kept trying to explain to him that it’s telesales using electronic applications and the U.S. mail. He just couldn’t wrap his head around it. 
And finally people are surprised that it will take a time commitment. We advertise that you can make $100K per year, but to make that kind of money you have to work at least 30-40 hours a week and some people don’t have have any time to work. This is a real job and I don’t know of anyone who pays money for doing nothing. If they did, we’d all be doing it right now.
