Pros
I've been in outside sales for many years. A friend encouraged me to visit the office and consider a sales position. Two years later I have utilized the tuition reimbursement to complete a masters degree, experienced an internal promotion, was accepted to the Leadership Development Program, won a trip to another country, won awards, and learned an array of new consulting skills. This is real outside sales, and you must be built to cold call, prospect, conduct assessments, manage complex projects, and go the extra mile. We do a lot of training, roll plays, videoed selling situations. We have L&D professionals who support our learning. We make calls together and go into the field in teams and solo. If you can overcome the massive quantities of rejection that all salespeople face, wear suit/tie every day, bring energy to every encounter, and verbalize the differentiators of one of the most recognized brands in the world, then you might thrive here. The company is growing. There is a focus on internal promotions.
Cons
Outside sales is hard in every industry, and this is no exception. You have to research and call huge quantities of companies to earn the meetings and assessments that lead to success. Weekends are free, and we don't have to spend time away from family (territories are local), but the best salespeople here frequently work late on weekdays and are vigilant about responding to email/voicemail regardless of day or time.