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In a sure sign you’re never too old to take up a brand new job, a 78 year old from Bathgate has just landed a role as a sales executive.
Working for Arvill Plant and Tool Hire, this makes Eddie McLean the oldest sales person in plant hire in Scotland.
According to Eddie, it helps that having worked in the sector for so long he knows most of the people in the business.
If you’re considering a move into sales, what other plus points will your age and experience bring to the role?
Adaptability
Change is inevitable in every sector and sales is no different. But this doesn’t mean you can’t keep up.
In fact, you can impress on your new boss that, as a more mature member of the team, you’ve already successfully adapted to many changes, such as economic downturns, new legislation and perhaps even right now by transferring skills from a different sector entirely.
Confidence
The ability to maintain a positive attitude is essential in sales. Rejections are inevitable but with age comes a more resilient nature.
Everyone takes wrong turns or experiences career hiccups and you bought the T-shirt.
But having an unwavering faith in yourself and the product or service you’re going to be pitching is a skill to shout about.
Intuition
Reading people isn’t always easy, especially when you’re just starting out in your sales career.
However, for those who’ve been round the block more times than Pete the Postie, gauging reaction in potential customers and clients becomes easier with experience.
This is essential in situations where you have to quickly judge when to back off or when to push harder to make a sale.
Contacts
As our man Eddie points out, with age comes a wider and more varied book of contacts.
No matter what industry you may have worked in previously, you bring with you a pool of former business colleagues, not to mention a network of family and friends who themselves have contacts that are potential customers.
Reliability
Older candidates who have already proven themselves are often regarded as more reliable than gung-ho newbies.
Show your interviewer you have a solid track record in employment, and you’re offering them a sales executive who will be on time, on mission and on your game.
Whether you’re fresh from school or college or considering a late-life career change, you can find top Sales vacancies on s1jobs.