Simply Sales Talk: The high life of doing sales

Monday, December 08, 2014 Jes SimplySalesTalk , Travel 15 Comments

Hi Jes

I understand what you are going through.

People see you on the oustide but fails to see the inside you. I once had to reject a role that requires me to travel to diff places frequently. I would love to do that but for leisure purpose.

Travelling is so much fun. When it's for holiday.

Hi B,

It's actually not all bad. I kind of like traveling now especially when I don't have kids and the exposure to different cultures and practice are very helpful, I don't get bored with my job easily. Plus I get a regional view instead of just a small local view of what's happening in the market. Additionally it's easier to get a better job with these experiences.

I know I am contradictory but I like my job for now, it's just that it's not all fun and glamorous most times. I hope you rejected and have no regrets about it!

Hi Lizardo,

Yeah personal traveling is much more fun. But to travel, dine and sightsee for free, I cannot ask for too much. Plus I get to see a different side of the country every time I go there and understand deeper compared to only seeing the country once a life time. Thanks for dropping by!

After reading your post, I can understand that travelling around is not always fun, people tend to only focus on the advantages and it's overrated.

After reading your comments, however, it seems that there are more perks than downsides and you are enjoying it thoroughly. Contradictory? Yessss! :)

I believe it comes down to personality and family commitment. Some people don't like the unexpected and prefer the office. Some people like more family time. So its up to our priorities and it's awesome that you found what you like to do.

Hi Coftea,

I just want to say that there is 2 sides to every story. Oops, you found out i am enjoying! It may be only me because I like to meet new people, go different places and learn different things.. Staying stagnant in one area is not for me.

I think it's awesome too that I like my traveling job currently but hope this positive feeling will last long even after having kids. Thanks for the insightful comment!

Hi Jes,

I can understand how you feel. Business travel is not that great and the worse is the jetlag and the personal time taken away as one usually has to take a flight on Sundays or even Saturday for trips to US.

But that's the way to go!!! Just enjoy during each trip and enjoy the perks.

Cheers,
Naro

Hi Naro,

Seems like you have gone through all these and can totally understand what I am going through. Yeah, I am enjoying all the good food and free travel and high class hotel stays.. It's quite fun and time flies really fast. Just want to take advantage of this opportunity while I am young, mobile and curious.

Thanks for reading!

Hi Jes,

I'm not in the sales line. However, I've been to jam-packed week long trips to US and Europe where you only stay in one city each night.

After morning and afternoon meetings , head straight to the airport after the day's last meeting. Reach another city, take an hour or 2 to reach hotel. After reaching hotel, finish reports for the day and prepare presentations for the next day. Usually only get 3 hours' sleep, 5 if lucky.

And the cycle continues for 5 straight days. On Friday night, it'll be a flight back to Singapore.

The killer is the jetlag!

While there's perks for work travel, there's suffering! haha..

Anyway, I've already changed jobs and the travel requirements are more manageable and usually Asian country. Its slightly better for me now.

Cheers,
Naro

Hi Naro,

Yeah, jetlag is the killer. I like to go USA/Europe to shop but thinking about the long flights and the exhausting state is really not worthwhile. I think twice a year is the maximum...

oh, you are also travelling in SEA? May I ask what kind of job you are doing? I am curious about the jobs that require travelling..

Hi Jes,

Agreed. But thats why I feel that if one travels to US/Europe for holiday, it has to be a long trip, at least 10 days to make it worth it.

My job scope is mainly business development but might be changing soon.

Anyway, lets discuss via e-mail. My address is finance4uandme@gmail.com

Cheers,
Naro

Remind me of my corporate days...............hmmmmmmm
Absolutely agree on eating alone , flying alone, watching TV alone, and the reports in front of you to complete, haha....
Humans are funny and interesting. when we dont have it, we want it.
when we get it, we cant stand too much of it and want to get rid of it.
Balance? like walking on a 300m tight rope........tilt to the left, then more on the right..

Am reminded of Tipping Point by Macolm Gladwell (so glad i read this book) and i think is applicable in sales.... Once the adrenaline rush is over, we start all over again. the hunt , yes the hunt , smell of blood , hehe........

When the cycle ends, the mood follows.........and we need to raise ourselves up again once more till it gets too tough and we start searching for answers like - why am I doing this ? Is this it ?

I always believe traveling outside of SG to work is a blessing and one must grab the opportunity esp if it is sponsored by company. Learn the language, the culture, the ways of doing things and that over time will help shape your decision making, fortify your resilence and widen your outlook of life.

Mingling with the locals help a lot as it make you feel more at home and motivated to go to that city, not just about work but catching up with friends.

Have fun and explore and be safe.

i'm back with a bounce :))
got some crazy ideas to work on ...........
how about you?