Anyone who has been in sales for more than a few months knows the frustrations of being a sales professional. It’s not an easy profession. Your sales manager is pulling you one way, your customers and prospects are pulling you another, and the clock is creating all kinds of problems for you too. If you haven’t lived this, you couldn’t possibly understand.

Right now, the selling profession is tougher than ever. The recession and its relative, “buyophobia,” aren’t helping at all. The media types are working overtime to ensure that everyone stays adequately depressed.

Sure There’s A Recession, But A Sales Career Is Where You Want To Be
I know there are days you’ve thought of parachuting out of your current employer’s airplane. Maybe you’ve even considered leaving sales as a profession altogether. But don’t. Let me give you some reasons to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

1. I have a GPS in my car. When I miss one of its instructions, it doesn’t get upset at all.  It simply figures out where I’m currently located and recalculates a new route to get me to the same destination. We can apply this principle to our sales careers. Yes, things are difficult now, but stop for a second, remind yourself where you are going and make corrections as needed. You can always “recalculate” in order to reach your sales goals. Take a fresh look at how you are selling.  “Do Overs” are totally acceptable in this profession.
2. Time in territory is the strongest single predictor of sales success. Think carefully before throwing away the relationships you’ve earned with your current customers before moving on to another sales organization.
3. Be careful not to blame your current employer for all of your sales frustrations. Virtually all sales professionals are having to work harder and smarter to achieve the same sales goals that came easily only a year or two ago. Don’t fall into the, “There are only two good jobs in the world, my last one and my next one,” mindset.
4. Stay in sales because it’s a great launching pad for your career in general. Sales and finance are where most Presidents and CEO’s come from. I never have understood, however, why bean counters are promoted. I’d rather put someone in charge that’s played the game rather than someone who has merely kept score.
5. Before you bail on a sales career, be sure that you’ll be happy making less money. Even though you might not be hitting your numbers now, you’re still probably making more income than 90% of most professions.
6. This too shall pass. Recessions don’t last forever; they just feel like they do.

Rx
Get yourself a strong cup of coffee and do the following:

• Plan a new sales strategy, if you need to.
• Appreciate the relationships you’ve built with your customers.
• Know that your employer wants you to succeed.
• Remember that sales is where corporations look for their future executives.
• Be grateful for the compensation potential you have as a sales professional.

Further reading:

• The #1 Predictor of Sales Success (and it’s not sales skills)

To receive this sales blog by email click here to receive by RSS click here. ©2009 Scott R. Sheaffer

Related posts:

1. Universal Sales Advice, Stay in Front of the P.O.
2. As a career salesperson, where do you best fit?
3. The Forgotten People Who Help Us Grow In Our Sales Career
4. The 10 Steps Of A Sales Professional’s Employment Life Cycle
5. The #1 Predictor of Sales Success (and it’s not sales skills)

Tags: career, performance, recession, sales advice, territory

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