The career of most sales professionals at each employer follows a predictable life cycle. This life cycle doesn’t apply to every sales professional at every company, but it applies to many.

Why There Is A Life Cycle
There is a foreseeable life cycle because of three primary reasons:

• Sales professionals are generally dynamic people by their nature. They get bored with routine and trivial task-oriented work. Eventually, almost every sales job seems to feel this way if there is no intervention.
• Many employers unknowingly are the cause of this life cycle. Treating sales professionals as “coin operated,” never changing anything about their job, and creating no job growth opportunities are examples of management behaviors that nurture this life cycle.
• Sales, if nothing else, is a work/reward occupation. If a salesperson believes the earning potential at his or her current employer is not in line with the amount of effort required, he or she will frequently look for greener pastures.

The 10 Sequential Steps Of The Life Cycle

1. New sales employees are enthusiastic and don’t know their limitations. They haven’t learned the limitations of their new employer either. Everything is possible. They achieve early success as a result.
2. They land some good accounts and get into the rhythm of things while still working on business development as time permits.
3. Things are going well; it’s time to start pacing themselves. They feel there is no need to prospect anymore. They’re regularly hitting their sales budget and their account base is firmly established.
4. They eliminate most of their “C” accounts because they’ve done a good job of developing their “A” and “B” accounts.
5. They drop many of their “B” accounts because they have substantially expanded their “A” account business. They don’t have time to service any customers (either old or new) other than their handful of “A” accounts.
6. They lose some of their “A” accounts with a significant negative impact on their sales and commissions.
7. Replacing the lost “A” accounts doesn’t sound too appetizing to them. The idea of prospecting to rebuild lost business and the thought of dealing with “B” and “C” accounts again is unacceptable to them.
8. They blame their employer and their employer blames them for their current situation.
9. They find a new sales job.
10. Go to step one.

Do You See Yourself?
I’ve been through this life cycle myself a few times. I’ve seen it in others a hundred times. However, most sales professionals have the ability to stop at step two and enjoy a prolonged and profitable sales career for both themselves and their employer. Where are you on steps 1 – 10?

©2010 Scott R. Sheaffer

Related posts:

1. 4 Reasons You’re Proud To Be A Sales Professional
2. Are You Happy You’re A Sale Professional?
3. The Four Mandatory Steps of Customer Meeting Preparation

Tags: career, customers, performance, Prospecting, salespeople

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