Thinking About a Commission Sales Job? Here’s Why You Should(Or Shouldn’t)

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Why Commission Sales Jobs Are Among the Highest Paying Sales Jobs

To me, commission sales is one of the best types of sales jobs to take. The biggest reason is that they are generally the highest paying jobs. The simple answer is like life: higher risk means higher rewards. Many jobs selling in-home, like selling home improvements, are generally 100% commission-based. This includes selling windows, roofs, bathrooms, kitchens, floors, HVAC, siding, and everything in between, like gutter guards and window blinds.

A lot of people find it scary and are therefore hesitant to do this type of job. They see a job they want, the income sounds good, but when they find out it's 100% commission, they become wary and back off. I agree—it’s not for everyone—but I also think it is the right job for more people than you think.

Viewing High Paying Sales Jobs Like Owning a Business

One way of looking at it is like this: Have you ever wanted to own your own business? If you had your own business, you are really working on commission because if your business doesn’t make any sales, you don’t make any money. If you wanted to have a business that makes you $100K a year, you would need a business that grossed a million dollars annually, and with a 10% net profit, that would make you $100K a year.

To get a business like that, you would either have to buy one or build one. Buying a million-dollar business would cost a lot of money. Building a business like that would require investing money to start it, putting in time to build it, and if I didn’t make any money, I’d be broke.

To me, having a commission sales job is like someone giving me a million-dollar business. However, it didn’t cost me anything. All I have to do is put in the sweat equity. You have the freedom of owning your own business with the upside of unlimited income but none of the drawbacks of investing your own money or being committed forever because you mortgaged your house to get the money.

I have no downside because, after a month, if I don’t like it, I can just stop and walk away clean.

Why Some Are Afraid of High Paying Commission Sales Jobs

The reason a lot of people I talk to are afraid of working on commission is the risk of not selling and the fear of not making any money. There is a risk involved—actually, less risk than if you had your own business. When you think about it, all sales jobs are commission in a way because if you don’t produce or sell, they will fire you, and you are back to square one.

The Fairness of High Paying Sales Jobs on Commission

Something else I like about commission sales is that it's the fairest form of pay—you get paid exactly what you're worth. If you perform below average, you get paid below average. If you perform average, you get paid average. And to get paid above average, you have to perform above average. You control how much money you make.

In other salaried jobs, you could outperform the person next to you by 10 times, but you're still going to get paid the same amount of money. What's the fun in that? There’s no ceiling to how much you can make. Again, there’s no floor, but it's all up to you.

That’s another reason I love working on commission. Just like running your own business, you are 100% in control of your income and results. Nobody else controls how much money you make. To me, it’s a good feeling to be in total control of my income.

What to Look for in High Paying Sales Jobs

The main thing I look for when taking a commission job is to make sure it's a real opportunity. Do they supply the leads, training, and tools necessary for me to be successful? Yes, it seems that a company can hire people with no risk because they only have to pay commission when you sell. But when the company provides the leads and everything else I mentioned, they are making an investment in me and therefore have a vested interest in my success.

People don’t realize that just to provide preset leads can cost the company $100–$200 each, and if they give you 10 plus a week, you do the math. Another thing I check for to make sure the opportunity is real is a simple one. All I have to do is look and see if one person is doing it, because if one person is doing it, then I know I can do it too. Everybody gets the same leads, the same opportunity, the same product, and the same pricing. So if one person can do it, you can do it too.

When to Avoid High Paying Sales Jobs on Commission

When would I not take a commission sales job? When you are almost broke. Most companies will give you some type of training pay to start and a draw to get you going, but in the end, it’s still a 100% commission sales job.

If you are near destitute and can’t survive for 90 days, even with the basic training pay and draw you may be offered, this is not the right time for you. In other words, if you don’t make a sale during the first month in the field, will you be okay? Otherwise, there will be too much pressure on you to make a sale, and it will come across in the sales call. Desperation is a sales killer. Get a regular job first, save some money, then take the commission-only job.

Some companies today give you a choice of a bigger draw but a lower commission rate. If you can afford it, always take the bigger commission rate because it will pay you more. I have worked on commission my entire life. Even as a manager, if someone gave me the choice of a base salary of $100K and commissions to bring me to $150K, I would rather have a job where they gave me no base salary but a realistic potential of $300K.

Love Sales? High Paying Commission Sales Jobs May Be Perfect for You

I also think it’s a given to not take a commission sales job unless you love sales. Don’t take the job because there’s nothing else out there or it’s the only job that will hire you right now. If you don’t love sales, you won’t have the passion to commit with your heart and soul and give the effort needed to be successful. You can’t work on something you don’t really love.

For the same reason, you need to be selling a product you believe in and would sell to your family.

For all of the above reasons, you also need to be very money-motivated. You won’t make $100,000 a year in commission sales if you’d be happy making $60,000. The people who make $100K won’t settle for less.

Ultimately, you have to decide if a commission sales job is right for you. If you are married, it’s a decision that has to be made by all parties, or it will make the job twice as hard.

Commission Sales: A High Paying Sales Job with Unlimited Potential

I still remember telling my wife, "Here are your choices. I can get a 9–5 job paying $60K a year guaranteed, and we have to see what things cost before we buy them. Or I can take a commission job where I won’t be home nights and weekends to start, but I can make 3x that amount, and you’ll never have to worry about what something costs. Every year, I can take you wherever you want for vacation."

The deal was, she had to stand behind my struggles at the start, but I would give it 100%. The rest is history—the good kind.