Sales is considered almost a dirty word. I have met a lot of people who think of sales as a job they would never want to do. I find it ironic given that No sales = No revenue = No company.

I started my career in sales and it has played a big role in shaping my personality.

Business professionals who complete a stint in sales are more likely to rise up the ranks and these are 5 reasons for it:

1.Best way to know your customer

The best way to know your customer is to have a conversation with them. Your marketing team can believe they have run a great campaign with amazing performance on their pre-defined metrics but if your customer doesn’t like it, your sales person will be the first to know. Marketers with sales experience are more likely to be successful at designing better campaigns to attract the target market since they understand their customer a lot more clearly.

2.Learn to be empathetic

Contrary to popular belief selling is more about listening than talking and it goes a long way in helping you become more empathetic to your customer. Good leaders are good listeners and empathetic to their team, a skill that can be learnt in sales. The best consultants are good listeners who are able to identify their client’s true problems by listening carefully.

3.Learn to negotiate and close

Every part of your life involves negotiating and it is difficult sometimes to ask for what you want: be it with customers, with vendors, channel partners and even your colleagues. Salespeople learn to listen, negotiate, overcome rejections and find a way to reach an agreement. Sales teaches you to close deals without burning bridges! Great sales people are great closers, a skill set seen in good leaders.

4.Gain confidence

Closing a sale is an exhilarating feeling and very few experiences(if at all) come close. Reaching out to potential customers, getting them to give you their time and their money and the success in doing so gives you a world of confidence. Your entire body language changes and exudes positivity. Have you met a good leader who didn’t come across as confident?

5.Learn to be patient

Sales isn’t always about the hot streak of closing deal after deal as Hollywood portrays it. While there are highs there might be stints of lows as well. Some days you’re just not able to close deals or get potential customer meetings no matter how hard you try. These times teach you to be patient, keep working and believe that the streak will turn. Patience is a skill everyone needs in their lives. Good leaders are patient and understand that the best things take time.

I would love to hear what you think.

Shomik Roy is a second year MBA student at Schulich School of Business, Toronto specialising in marketing. Shomik’s area of expertise lies in marketing strategy and scaling up sales and operations networks.