Are You Suited for a Career in Sales?
I once heard someone say that she knew she was perfect for a career in sales. And why? She said it was because she loved to talk. It turns out she was very wrong.
Unfortunately, many people have misconceptions about what it takes to become a successful salesperson. Are you suited for sales? Here are some questions to consider in order to determine if you are destined for a successful career in sales:
Do you appreciate work that’s unpredictable at times?
Some people enjoy the repetitive nature of their jobs. When they start in their workday, they can predict pretty much everything that will happen over the course of the day. That’s not necessarily the case with sales. While you can set a schedule, you can’t predict what will be happening in the lives of your customers.
Managers have good and bad days. Corporate strategies change. Product sales go up or down. Each event has an impact on the people you will be meeting with. You can’t control what happens to other people.
You will never be bored when you’re in sales. Does that thought unsettle you or inspire you? Sales is for you if you like the idea of an unpredictable day.
Do you accept control of your destiny?
I’ll never forget the story one of my sales managers once told me. He said there was a salesman who always complained that he wasn’t given a “good” sales territory. The top salesman, he complained, had a better territory. So what did the sales manager do? He had them switch territories.
What do you think happened? The results also changed, but not in the way that you might think. The “good” sales territory suddenly had lower sales numbers; the “bad” sales territory had improved sales results.
In sales, the efforts of individuals do make a bigger impact on results compared to other careers. You make decisions on whom to call on and what to say. You have to deal with the results. You control your own destiny.
How does that sound to you? The successful salesperson accepts what happens and doesn’t make excuses. He or she picks up after failures and moves on. To be successful in sales, blaming others doesn’t work because you are still expected to produce sales—not excuses.
Are you a high-energy person?
The one common thread of all the successful salespeople I’ve seen is that they not only work smart, but they also work hard. There are some people who think they only need to work four hours a day to be successful in sales. I maintain that if you work more hours while working smarter, then you will be the most successful.
But doing this takes energy. People who don’t have the energy to push themselves to do more will not be as successful. I remember early in my sales career reading a book on sales success. (You are also reading regularly to improve your sales, aren’t you?) The author wrote, “You will be successful in sales if you make just one more sales call each day.” I implemented that strategy, and my sales results were always at or near the top of the sales team.
Simply put, those who do more in sales sell more.
The singer Bob Dylan once said, “A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do.” If you're ready to do what it takes to be successful, then sales is for you.
