Not so long ago we have started the series of career tips. We used to do it before, but this time our team decided to prepare and share recommendations related to specific careers/industries. Our first article was about property and construction career in which we listed several important tips on how to succeed in this industry. This time we would like to talk on a much wider type of career - sales. Most of us at a certain point of our lives have worked in sales so this theme is common to most job seekers regardless of their age or status.
Identifying The Right Sales Type of Job
As we all understand the term sales career can mean many things. So before you start doing something about your career you have to ask yourself several important questions. Is there any specific industry you would like to utilize your sales skills in. There plenty of areas where sales skills are much needed, i.e. pharmaceutical, real estate, engineering, IT, etc... If there is an industry that stands out for you it should be the one you have to focus on.
Another thing you have to define for yourself is whether you are more comfortable identifying and building a client base from scratch or you prefer working with existing customers and accounts promoting and growing relationships with returning customers. This factor is extremely important when you will be choosing a type of sales job for your career. After you picked the sales sector you would like to work in and identified whether you are a "hunter" or "farmer" you still have to define yourself either as an inside or outside sales professional. Usually, those who prefer identifying and obtaining new client accounts are outside sales professionals, while those who work with existing client base are considered inside sales professionals. However, it should not necessarily be that way. So you still have to answer this question for yourself. Are you more into contacting clients and prospects on their own ground? Then an outside sales environment is right for you. If you prefer clients and prospects coming to your ground then you should be working within an inside sales setting.
Finally, the salary question. Any type of sales job can offer different kinds of salaries. Sometimes you don't get anything if you don't sell anything. You live off the straight commission with no guaranteed base salary. Another option is to have a base salary plus commission (based on a cut of everything you successfully sold). A straight commission pay assumes a much bigger percentage while a salary plus commission rate will never a high percentage from the products sold. Both options are fine if you know what you are doing and how to do it right.
Only the Beginning
We understand that we haven't covered all aspects of a successful sales career in this article. This is only the beginning. A very important one though because if you don't know what type of sales career you will fit in it is unlikely you will be able to achieve any success in it. It is like a flower: before it will flourish it should be planted in the right soil and cared for. Something similar happens with those pursuing a career in sales.
