Jessica Saia: “At heart I was a beauty artist, but sales helped me reach my goals”

What inspired you to start in sales, and what were your first steps?

I started in sales a little over 3 years ago, inspired by an Upsell job ad that promised plenty of personal growth, high pay and a supportive team. At the time I was rather shy and had never had a paid job before. I needed money, and I wanted to become a better communicator and understand myself and other people better.

I found the ad thanks to my sister (thanks, sis!), who in my opinion spent far too much time scrolling through social media. I asked her to do something more useful and send me some job ads instead. 😀

Before I applied to Upsell, I had a job interview at a clothing shop where I wanted to work. It was a group interview, and after the trial day one of the girls talked about the job as if it were the best in the world, and that’s when I felt it wasn’t for me. After the group interview they told us they would contact the suitable candidates. I walked out of the office thinking there must be a much better job out there for me! And I was right!

A few days later I went to an interview at Upsell, and afterwards I was completely convinced that this was exactly the place where I wanted to work and grow. I learned the sales script like crazy and begged every universe out there to let me in.

Right after the interview I called my sister and told her excitedly about the job, the people and the opportunities, and promised her a share of my first pay. And guess what? I got the chance, and from my first proper pay I sent my sister 300 euros as a thank you. I’ll be grateful to her for the rest of my life for bringing me and Upsell together!

Tell us more about what you did before, and why did you choose sales?

Just before joining Upsell, I had graduated from an international make-up school and from vocational school, where I studied styling. By the time I finished make-up school, Covid was picking up speed and make-up clients were hard to come by.

At first I did sales and make-up at the same time. I did both jobs with only half my focus, and I wasn’t earning well either at Upsell or at the salon. After a couple of months of working like that, Anton (our CEO) wrote to me and said I had to decide which job I was going to choose. Doing two things at once, I wasn’t good at either of them. I chose sales, put all my focus on Upsell, and the next month my pay was 300% higher! One of the best decisions of my life! I chose sales because I saw that it develops me as a person, and of course my wallet too. I saw how it could change my life completely. And it did.

What would your life look like now if you were still working in beauty?

Oof, I’d probably be earning €1000 a month at most, sharing a flat with a flatmate I didn’t know, and I’d be an average grumbling young person at odds with myself, blaming everyone except me for my problems. I don’t even want to think about it any longer, it’s too ugly a picture. 😀

How do you make your dreams and goals come true? Do you have to write them down and set deadlines?

Above all, you need a burning will, desire, need and hunger. You have to want it with all your heart. When you want something that badly, you’re ready to give it everything you’ve got, even if at first it seems impossible. Making the decision is an important step. You need to think carefully about when, why, how much and how you’ll reach your goal or dream. Visualise it in your head and look at how things have gone so far, what you could have done better and what went well. Push yourself! You get what you deserve!

What was your biggest challenge when you started in sales, and how did you deal with it?

My home environment back then was full of challenges. The people I lived with told me every single day that this job was a complete waste of time, that I would never earn anything and that I was being brainwashed. They told me to quit and find myself a “normal job”. Guess what? They were my biggest free source of energy! My goal was to move out of there as fast as possible, and that’s exactly what I did. I’ve been grateful for their negativity from the very beginning, and it has helped shape the life I live today. Thank you! <3

Was it scary at first to work for pay based on results?

No, from the very start I liked the idea that I’d be paid according to my effort and that there’s no ceiling on what I can earn.

How do you motivate yourself on tough days in sales, and how do you stay positive?

I believe everything starts with me. I get on well with myself: I’m my own best friend, not my enemy. I don’t have hard days. Now and then I have hard seconds, or very occasionally hard minutes. If someone is rude, which is rare, I don’t take it personally. I stay motivated and positive thanks to my good nature, and I don’t expect others to do the same, because they probably don’t have the knowledge it takes. Keeping a strong mindset is possible precisely because of what I’ve learned at Upsell.

Do you have any rituals you have to do every day for your day to feel like a success?

No, I don’t put myself in a box. But every day I try to do something that makes me at least 0.1% better than yesterday.

How do you balance sales and your personal life, and what are your tips for keeping a healthy work-life balance?

I’ve surrounded myself with very ambitious and driven people, and my work and personal life are closely connected. I think that’s a real advantage. There’s one thought I sometimes tell myself at work when my focus starts drifting to my private life: “Work while you’re at work, then you can rest at home.”

What do you love doing most in your free time?

Visualising the future. 😀 In my head, I often live in the year 2029. I also love spending time with friends, playing board games together and going out. In summer I often go fishing and hiking. I read a lot of self-development books and enjoy doing crosswords. I used to do kickboxing, and I want to take it up again in the future.

You don’t see many young women selling in shopping centres. Why do you think that is? What would you recommend to women who are thinking about starting in sales but haven’t dared to take the step yet?

Women are probably afraid of something about this job. Maybe too much attention from male customers. We’ve had quite a few young women on the team, but only a few have stayed.

It’s a job where you have to work hard to succeed, and the competition is very strong. People are probably scared of pay based on results. But… if you’re a young woman who doesn’t want to depend on anyone else’s income and wants to be a total bosslady with your own money, then the best day to start was yesterday, and the second best is today! Don’t worry that you’re expected to be a great communicator and full of confidence, because you’ll learn everything you need along the way. I highly recommend this job to young women (and young men) who want to earn a lot, become better communicators and take their life to the next level.

Your all-time favourite quote, the one that speaks to you most:

If there’s one thing I will bet on, it’s myself.