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Salespeople are lonely, like wolves hunting alone, needing to find and capture prey independently; salespeople are virtuous, like cormorants fishing for their master, unable to swallow the fish in their mouths; salespeople are persistent and tough, like camels in the desert, never giving up until they reach their goal; salespeople are sharp and decisive, like leopards in the forest, pouncing once they lock onto a target; salespeople are fierce, like warriors wielding broadswords, willing to fight to the death for a mission... Yet salespeople often mock themselves as "hostesses": irregular lifestyle, forcing smiles and acting coy for the money in customers' pockets, selling their souls and occasionally a bit of their bodies, appearing glamorous in public but bitter in private.

Male salespeople often compare sales to picking up girls: you need thick skin, quick hands, and a variety of tricks, and you must seize the moment when the time is right, otherwise you'll always be "more than friends, but less than lovers"—what they call ineffective sales.

Behind the joy of success, only salespeople know the frustration and discouragement. In the movie "Cape No. 7," Aga, after failing in Taipei, smashes his guitar on a utility pole and shouts, "Fk you, Taipei!"—mirroring the feelings of many salespeople. Every day, those who can't endure the trials shout, "Fk you, Shanghai! Fk you, Chengdu! Fk you..."

The first six months of learning to be a salesperson are the hardest. Beginners start as the most basic sales representatives. The feeling is like a virgin's first time: full of anticipation but uneasy, mentally prepared for great pain, but when it actually comes, it's damn hard. The boss, like the man deflowering her, comforts you, "I'll be gentle, and soon you'll enjoy it," while simultaneously pressuring you with performance reviews—if you don't pass the probation, you're out. Butterflies are born by breaking out of their cocoons; people think it's painful, but maybe it's perfectly normal for them. Humans aren't born to be salespeople; the trials of transforming into a salesperson are far greater than a butterfly breaking its cocoon.

To survive, salespeople must grasp three treasures.

First, the mobile phone. The phone is also an essential tool for "hostesses" to make a living. Ordinary people use it just for convenience, but for "hostesses," the phone is key to business. Every popular KTV "hostess" has a large number of regular customers. If she takes a call in the middle of a session, she might be switching to a regular's table. If a new customer requests her by number, and he seems wealthy, generous, and not too annoying (not a groper), she'll proactively play with his phone, then use it to call her own number, saving her number in his phone. To avoid his wife's suspicion and to help him remember, she often saves it under a name like "Tax Bureau" or "Local Tax Bureau."

Unless she knows the customer is away on business, "hostesses" generally don't proactively contact new customers; they wait for the customer to contact them when lonely. After a few exchanges, you become her loyal "sweetheart brother."

Information is the first step in business. It lets salespeople know their target customers and lets customers find you when needed. Of course, salespeople are luckier than "hostesses" because they can proactively "harass" potential customers.

Second, the wallet. Only those who know how to live can work well. Especially for salespeople working away from home, maintaining a good working state requires settling your life properly.

Salespeople can't live a 9-to-5 life; sometimes they must rise earlier than chickens and sleep later than dogs. The better the customer relationships and the wider the network, the more social engagements, leading to the common lament: "In the world of business, how can you avoid drinking too much?" With reciprocal courtesies, by month's end, you're often broke, with no money for food or lodging—how can you then go out to do business?

"Water too clear has no fish." If company policies are too rigid and dogmatic, actual sales processes lack flexibility and quick response. No salesperson can claim to be 100% clean. Every company's financial management has loopholes, and supervision varies. Many salespeople, when poor, think of changes and find ways to falsely report or over-claim sales expenses to line their own pockets. Guilt follows, along with worries, and they must constantly cover up gaps, avoid issues, and justify themselves, which naturally hampers normal business. Not to mention if the truth comes out, ruining their careers.

So salespeople must not only carry a wallet but also plan their wallet and manage it well, ensuring that what's in it is their own money.

In a broader sense, the wallet also represents the company's strength and expense support. As the saying goes, "The crying child gets milk." Many salespeople hold a bottle and look for milk, not understanding or utilizing company policies to gain more resource support to boost performance. Instead, they complain about lack of support from superiors and use it as a condition for completing tasks or an excuse for failure.

Third, performance. 80% of tips come from 20% of regular customers. Only money in your pocket is a tip; only payment received is a sale. No matter how much effort and thought you put in, without results, it's not successful sales.

Many salespeople make fancy plans and talk eloquently in reports, but the actual orders they secure are few. Companies don't need salespeople to be orators; they need solid performance. Sales volume is the real measure. Bosses don't believe in tears; they only care about results.

A salesperson must be both a rooster that crows and a hen that lays eggs. If you only eat feed and don't lay eggs, you'll eventually be kicked out.

If you want to torment yourself, come do sales. If you want to challenge yourself, come do sales.

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