Sales. That's a word everyone hates and more often than not people automatically hate whoever is trying to do the selling. Sales is a transfer of belief, so if you believe in the product you can make your client believe in that product.

I work for a life insurance company and selling life insurance is difficult, but it's a necessary buy. Nobody believes they need it until either someone close to them dies or they have a near-death experience themselves.

I believe in life insurance because my mom died three years ago and didn't have any life insurance. I lost the car we had together from before she died this year. It was rough because I'd spent so much money on it and then the bank took it away. If my mom had life insurance, my family wouldn't have had to shell out $15,000 for her funeral. We also wouldn't have been struggling for a little bit after she died had she had life insurance.

Everyone hates salespeople, but like myself, we all have stories to tell. We're just trying to make a living just like anyone we're trying to sell to. We have lives and families the same as you all.

I left my job as a fast food manager to become a life insurance salesperson because I wanted to actually make a difference in someone's life. I'm required to teach every person I meet the difference between the two main types of life insurance.

If I can teach someone the difference between the main types of life insurance and then help to protect their family with life insurance, I will have made a difference in that family's life. In doing that, I will have also made a difference in my own life. I got to know someone well enough that they felt comfortable enough to allow me to help protect their family.

I think that's important in sales. You need to trust that person wants to do what's in your best interest. Sure, we want to make money, but if there's a chance of you getting rid of your life insurance policy our desire to make a lot of money off of that deal goes out the window. I can't speak for every salesperson, but for me and my company, we want everyone to have their families protected after they've died, so if that means you set aside a small amount a month for a low amount of coverage and increase it later on, then that's what we will do.

We all just want to make a difference. For some people, that difference is sales. For others, it might be a book or public speaking or maybe even poetry.