How to Pick the Right Sales Job
The following is an excerpt from The Sales Survival Handbook. You can order the book here.
You’re ready to find a company where you can finally put your sales knowledge to use! But be careful – there are literally millions of sales jobs out there. But not all of them are created equal, so choose your new employer carefully and wisely.
Here are tips on finding the right company and red flags to watch out for along the way:
Try to find a company with a good reputation.
Tip: Conduct extensive online research about the company, including reading reviews from former employees if possible.
Red flag: The company is currently under investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
It helps to get a job selling a product that you truly believe in.
Tip: If you have to convince yourself that what you’re selling provides value, it means you don’t truly believe in your product.
Red flag: If you’re a vegan, selling steaks door to door will not be a good fit for you.
Make sure you feel comfortable with the person or people who will be your supervisor(s).
Tip: Ask lots of questions during the interview process to get a better idea of what you can expect if you decide to join the company.
Red flag: The sales manager interviewing you quietly pulls you aside and asks you to let him borrow some money and promises to pay you back as soon as possible.
Evaluate the office culture.
Tip: Before coming on board, ask if you can spend some time observing what goes on in the office day to day to get a better feel for what your work environment will be like.
Red flag: There are fistfights, and salespeople are betting packs of cigarettes on card games during the workday.
Find out how the compensation plan is structured.
Tip: Ask the hiring manager or sales manager interviewing you to provide a detailed breakdown of the comp plan and the average and median incomes of the company’s other sales reps.
Red flag: The sales reps at the company appear to be eating only canned tuna and microwaved beans for lunch.
Find out what kind of support the company provides for sales reps.
Tip: Ask management if it provides leads or if you will be responsible for sourcing your own business. Also ask about sales training and continuing education.
Red flag: The sales reps are prospecting for customers by yelling at random people walking by the office on the street.
Sell the employer on why it should hire you.
Tip: When the hiring manager asks if you have any questions, always ask, “When can I start?” and always follow up the interview with a thank-you note and multiple follow-up emails and phone calls, showing your tenacity as a salesperson.
Red flag: If you ask, “When can I start?” and the sales manager answers, “Never, you idiot,” it’s safe to assume you didn’t get the job.
Congratulations, your general introduction to sales is now complete.
You’ve found out whether sales is for you, learned how salespeople talk, caught a glimpse of what to expect as a salesperson, learned about the five stages of sales grief, and picked up some tips on choosing the right company.
In an ideal world, you’ve found an employer who treats you well, sells a wonderful product that helps people, and compensates you fairly while providing you with great sales support and training on all of the latest technology in your industry.
However, we do not live in an ideal world. We live in the real world, where you’re lucky to go an entire month without considering faking a catastrophic illness and using your paid time off (PTO) for a two-week bender in Clearwater, Florida. So if you find a sales job that offers at least one of those aforementioned things, it’s probably worth keeping.
You’re now ready to move on to everyday life in sales.
