Sales jobs: what your element says about how you sell best

Sales is the most advertised job on every job board, and the one people leave fastest. Mostly not because they cannot sell, but because they landed in a style of selling that does not fit them.

Five ways to sell, five elements

The careers by element tool gives you your own element and the elements that support you, from your birth details. In sales, each element shows up as a clearly different style.

• Fire: sells with energy and presence. Shopfloor sales, events, products that need a demo, and deals closed in one meeting.
• Earth: sells with trust and consistency. Repeat customers, corporate accounts, insurance, and products that need after-sales care.
• Metal: sells with clarity and standards. Technical products, machinery, tenders, and buyers who want numbers and straight terms.
• Water: sells by listening and adapting. Solution selling, consulting, and customers who do not yet know what they need.
• Wood: sells by growing together. Opening new markets, partners, distributors, and anything that needs a network.

The supporting elements matter more than your own

Many people stop at their own element. What tells you where you will do well is the list of supporting elements the tool shows. If your element is Earth but Fire supports you, fast-paced sales with quick results will feed you more than tending an existing account list.

Check the timing before changing sales jobs

Sales pay follows results, so it is unusually sensitive to timing. Before taking a new sales role, open your 10-year path and see whether the theme of this period is "income and deals", and check the year-by-year timing to see whether this is an open year or a settling one. When both line up, a high target stops being frightening.

For employers hiring sales people

A sales team made only of Fire opens new customers fast and keeps none; a team of Earth keeps everyone and grows slowly. Use Team fit to see which style your "sales and business development" seat is missing, then post the job tied to that seat. Applicants who agree to share show their team fit before the interview.

Start by seeing your element, then search sales jobs that fit your element.