Summer Sales: Facts vs. Fiction

If you are a student in college chances are you have heard about summer sales. In fact, you have probably been approached by a student who has done summer sales before inviting you to participate in a summer of sales. You may have seen flyers promoting the fact that students just like you are earning big money during the summer selling pest control or home security systems. So is there any truth to these claims?

FACT: Thousands of students make well over 20,000 dollars each summer going door to door selling products and services. They will sell pest control, security systems, satellite and cable television and a variety of other products and services. These students are above average sales representatives who work 8-10 hours each day.

FACT: It is estimated that each summer over 100,000 students participate in selling products door to door during the summer, not all of these students will walk away from the summer with
big money.

FACT:Selling products door to door during the summer will help you learn invaluable interpersonal skills. Typically by the end of a summer of selling sales representatives are confident talking to strangers and closing the deal.

While it is possible for a student to sell during the summer and make 100,000 dollars, beware of guarantees. The nature of summer sales is commission. You make a sale and you get paid. Beware of promises that you will make X amount of dollars in a summer of selling. There are no guarantees in sales.

If you are considering a summer of selling, be sure to look at the facts and sift through the fiction. If something sounds too good to be true, ask for details. However, be cautious that you don’t discount true statements. Brian Swindlehurst, a university student who pursued summer sales said, “My friend approached me about selling, at first I was skeptical, how could someone make that kind of money in a summer? But I looked into it more and decided to give it a try. I went out and sold satellite systems during the summer and made more money than I ever thought possible, I have done sales for 3 summers now.”