Lee Salz is a Featured Columnist for The Business Journals.
It’s that time of year again when salespeople lift their heads up from their cubicles to see if there is a better sales job out there.
So, what do I mean by “that time of the year?” Actually, it’s most every day of the year.
The way most salespeople are wired, they have an insatiable urge for more. More money, that is! Recruiters will often tell you that it is easy to get salespeople to consider a new opportunity regardless of their satisfaction level with their current job. As one recruiter shared with me, “The mere mention of the possibility of more money gets the wheels turning in the minds of salespeople.”
There is nothing wrong with desiring more income, but tunnel-visioning your job search based on the “more money” factor often leads to a poor employment decision. By focusing only on the six-figure earnings potential the role offers, candidates mistakenly rely on the employer to determine if he has what it takes to succeed in the role. If an offer is an extended, the candidate trusts that he has what it takes to thrive in the role — given that the company offered him the job.
This logic is flawed because hiring the right salespeople is a struggle for most companies. Executives will often candidly share that evaluating sales talent is not a strength of theirs…or their company’s. That means that sales candidates share in the responsibility of determining “fit” in the role. Quite frankly, sales candidates need to own this decision so they make the right decision for themselves. Do not rely on the company to determine if you are the person for the sales job! Figure that out for yourself.