Every year, a survey is published that lists the nation’s best occupations as perceived by the general public. Supreme Court Justices appear in the top ranks, and as you might expect, surgeons make the cut--but why not telemarketers?

Before you dismiss the idea, consider this fact: Many of the most accomplished people in business today got to where they are because they learned to Reach Out & Sell Someone®.

For instance, billionaire David Geffen, fresh out of the mail room at the prestigious William Morris Agency in Beverly Hills, made as many as 300 calls a day to build his portfolio of clients. One thing led to another, and this powerful mogul, founder of Geffen Records and partner in Dreamworks Studios, rose to the very top.

Of course, telemarketing wears many disguises and uses various names. Stockbrokers and financial advisors are phone-folks, developing their books of business this way. In fact, if you look at many successful people across the economy, one of their greatest strengths is the ability to project their influence over the phone.

Here are ten reasons I believe telemarketing is a great job:

1. You can find work, fast, in nearly every city, in any economy, good or bad.

2. It’s a great place to start your career, because you don’t need a lot of formal education or experience to qualify.

3. You can do it part-time, while you pursue your studies, parenting, your real passion, semi-retirement, or another career.

4. Depending upon the compensation package in effect, you can earn full-time money for part-time work.

5. You’ll learn to communicate with different kinds of people and meet and converse with more individuals in a year than most interact with in a lifetime.

6. You’ll learn what selling, and practical persuasion skills are all about.

7. The techniques you’ll learn will be easily transferable to other occupations and careers.

8. You’ll have to deal with and overcome rejection, which is an ability that will take you far in life. (See my article: “Thanks For The Rejection!”)

9. Your contributions will be objectively measured and compensated, unlike in many other jobs.

10. You’ll succeed where most fail, and many fear to tread, and this will make you a very unique and rare individual.

I began my business life as a full-time collector for a finance company. Then, I graduated to outbound telemarketing for Time-Life Books, which promoted me to sales management, and then I launched a consulting career over the phone.

So, the next time I want to build my portfolio of clients, establish strategic relations with other firms, or sell my latest bestseller to a major publisher, guess what tool I’m going to use!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman © 2005

Dr. Gary S. Goodman is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service. Gary’s programs are offered by UCLA Extension and by numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. When he isn’t consulting, Gary can be found in Glendale, California. He can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com