Sales: The One Job That Can Make You Rich. So Why Do Indonesians Hate It?
There are certain things in life that instantly cause an Indonesian (or any Southeast Asian, really) to grimace in discomfort. Indonesia's traffic during Ramadan, a WhatsApp message from an unknown number starting with “Dear Bapak/Ibu,” and finding out your favorite food stall has jacked up their prices (again). But nothing, makes people recoil faster than hearing someone proudly declare, “I work in sales.”
It’s a reaction usually reserved for scandals, or family betrayals. Mothers will whisper their disappointment, fathers will look away in quiet shame, and friends will brace themselves for the inevitable sales pitch they assume is coming. "You're selling… what? Insurance? Herbal supplements? A miracle cream that cures everything?"
The reality? Sales is not just a job; it’s the job that keeps the world running. Every business, every product, every service exists because someone had to sell it first. And yet, in Southeast Asia, sales is somehow ranked just slightly above being a con artist.
This irrational distaste for sales is economically self-sabotaging. And it’s time we talk about why.
The Myth That Sales Is for “Desperate People”
Southeast Asia’s favorite urban legend: only people with no other options go into sales. You didn’t make it as a lawyer? Couldn’t hack it in IT? Your S1 degree in Business Administration wasn’t enough to impress PT Something Something Corp? Well, clearly, the only thing left is to become a door-to-door skincare rep and bring shame upon your ancestors.
In this part of the world, “real jobs” come with a government ID card, a cubicle, and a boss who never answers emails. The dream trifecta? Engineer, doctor, or PNS (civil servant). Anything else is just something to be endured until your cousin in Australia wires you a job referral out of pity.
But let’s entertain a wild idea: what if sales is the secret weapon of the wealthy?
Think about it. Every CEO you’ve heard of? A glorified salesperson. Elon Musk sold electric cars. Steve Jobs sold dreams. Jeff Bezos sold everything. Even your successful uncle, the one who always has an oddly nice car and no clear job description? Sales. Probably something shady, but still... sales.
Meanwhile, here we are judging someone for selling enterprise software while celebrating people who review bubble tea for a living.
Sales is a fast track. It’s one of the last few professions where hustle, persuasion, and grit still matter more than degrees. But sure, keep chasing that “real job.”
Desperate people don’t go into sales. Desperate people avoid it.
“But Sales Is Unstable!” Says the Person Who Just Got Laid Off
Every time someone brings up sales as a career option, you can count on a concerned friend or relative to lean in, furrow their brow with theatrical seriousness, and say: “But it’s so unstable!” Yes, thank you, career oracle. This from the same person who was laid off during a “strategic realignment” last quarter and is now refreshing Jobstreet Indonesia like it’s TikTok.
You see, the so-called “stable jobs” people cling to? Not stable.
Mass layoffs, restructuring, outsourcing to cheaper labor markets; these are the new HR love languages. And while employees in “real jobs” are busy praying their KPIs align with their boss’s latest mood swings, salespeople are out there actually earning based on performance, not politicking.
If you're relying on a 3% annual salary increase to keep up with inflation and Indomie price hikes, you're on financial life support.
Sales, for all its supposed “uncertainty,” offers the one thing every other job pretends to give: control. You make a deal, you make money. You close more, you earn more. It’s not unstable, it’s just not comfortable. And that’s the real problem for most people: they confuse “comfort” with “security,” then cry foul when the economy treats their comfy desk job.
But sure, tell me again how sales is risky while you’re Googling “how to freelance.”
If You Hate Sales, Congratulations, You’ll Be Poor Forever
If the phrase “I don’t like sales” has ever left your mouth, you’ve just declared, out loud, that you’d like to remain financially mediocre for the foreseeable future. Brave of you, really. Most people just suffer in silence.
Sales is the only profession that teaches you how money actually works. Not the “how to submit a claim for office parking reimbursement” money, but real, scalable, life-altering money.
Every other career teaches you how to follow instructions, please your manager, and wait patiently for your annual bonus. Sales, on the other hand, teaches you the one skill every rich person swears by but no school in Indonesia dares to teach: how to generate income from scratch.
Still think sales is for losers? Let’s break it down:
CEOs? Salespeople in suits.
Startup founders? Salespeople with pitch decks.
Influencers? Salespeople who learned to smile while doing it.
Crypto bros? Salespeople who just needed some misplaced confidence.
Meanwhile, the average office worker is out here updating their CV for the 17th time.
In Indonesia, we love to say we want kebebasan finansial, but the moment someone suggests a commission-based role that rewards performance? Suddenly it's “too risky.”
No, what’s risky is spending a decade in middle management, waiting for someone to retire so you can get promoted to a job that still doesn’t pay you enough to buy a house in Jakarta.
The Irony: Indonesia Actually NEEDS More Salespeople
Indonesia desperately needs more salespeople. Yes, really. The very career your extended family treats like a moral failing is the one the economy is begging for.
Startups are multiplying. Fintech, SaaS, and AI companies are popping up every week. Foreign investors are sniffing around Jakarta like it’s the new Berlin. And yet, when these companies try to hire people who can actually sell things, all they find are fresh grads with soft skills, vague dreams, and zero interest in “being pushy.”
You see, everyone wants to “join a startup” until they realize that startups don’t just need content creators and UI/UX designers. They need people who can pick up the phone, walk into meetings, and turn awkward small talk into revenue. People who don’t immediately break into hives at the idea of asking for money.
But nope. The average job seeker in Indonesia would rather spend three months fine-tuning their CV font than consider a sales role. Why? Because it’s not a “real job,” of course.
Meanwhile, a 25-year-old in London just landed a six-figure deal selling software you’ve never heard of to a company you’ll never visit. And he’s now working remotely from a Bali villa while you battle for the privilege of being a junior analyst.
This is economically tragic. The jobs are there. The money is real. But we’re too busy chasing “respectable” poverty to notice.
It’s 2025. AI is writing emails, designing logos, and probably preparing to replace your middle manager. The only jobs safe from the algorithm apocalypse? The ones that require you to actually convince another human to give you money.
And yet here we are, still treating sales like it’s some kind of career punishment. Still side-eyeing the word “commission” like it’s a scam. Still prioritizing “respectability” over actual income.
Sales isn’t a fallback. It’s the fast lane. It’s how people retire before 40, launch businesses with no investor money, and stop having minor panic attacks every time Shopee has a sale.
So the next time you find yourself recoiling at the thought of a sales role, pause and ask: Is the job the problem? Or is it just your pride masquerading as caution?
Your bank account doesn’t care about your pride. It cares about deposits. And unless your plan is to marry rich or hope for a miracle, you might want to get really, really good at selling something.