“Salesperson” might not be the answer you expect to get when you ask a kid what they want to be when they grow up. But if that precocious youngster has done their research, they’ll know that sales is one of the fastest-growing and most lucrative career paths today. In this article, we’ll take a look at the sales career journey and why it might be time for you to start yours.
Typical sales career path
There’s no “correct” way to move through a sales career. But in general, the sales career path can branch from one of a few starting points:
Sales development representative
Inside sales representative
Outside sales representative
Base account manager
All four have strong opportunities for growth and high earning potential. Let’s dive a little deeper into where a sales career starts and how to achieve your career goals.
Career growth in sales
The sales industry covers a wide range of careers, from the small mom-and-pop shop owner to the VP of sales at a Fortune 500 company. That said, most people start their sales careers in the same place: by working as a sales (or marketing) representative.
These snappily named sales reps are the face of a company. They’re the ones interacting with customers, handling transactions, moving products, and influencing the all-important brand perception. Some people thrive in sales rep positions, especially if they work on commission. But even if your goal is to work your way up, this role is a crucial place to start.
When you work as a sales rep, you learn about every aspect of the business (including marketing, branding, pipeline, and stock). This experience will make you a better manager and supervisor as you ascend through the sales ranks.
How to grow your sales career
The key to growth is being open to learning. Even top executives must continue their professional development to perform at their best. According to renowned sales trainer Alice Heiman, there are four key practices to keep in mind when looking to advance your sales career.
Work for a company with a great sales culture
You don’t want to start your career with a company that doesn’t want to invest in you. Look for companies with low turnover rates and glowing employee reviews. Ensure the company provides coaching and training, too. After all, it benefits them when you perform well.
Level up your sales knowledge
Do everything you can to stay informed about the latest trends and most effective sales techniques. Subscribe to helpful blogs, read books, attend webinars, and listen to podcasts. As you become a sales expert, you’ll be able to help others on your team and establish yourself as a go-to person for answers—helping you move up the ladder faster.
Make your job about helping customers, not selling to them
You’re going to hear a lot about quotas during your first year in sales. While quotas are important for the company’s bottom line, they’re not necessarily a definition of success. You shouldn’t use aggressive tactics to push sales through just to meet your monthly quota—it’s not in the best interest of the customer or your company. Opting for manipulation over ethical selling will likely backfire and lead to customer churn in the future.
Remember: Your clients want a solution, not a product.
Listen to your customers
The faster you can internalize that the best sales are personal sales, the faster you will rise to the top. Your prospects are people with problems, not consumers with money. Practice active listening and consultative selling so you can focus on solutions in a customer-centric way. If you’re offering a product that isn’t going to solve a prospect’s pain point, don’t push it. You might have a different product that’s better suited to their needs and business goals.
Sales career goal examples
Sometimes, it’s hard to visualize the victories in a sales career beyond, well, making sales. Don’t let that deter you from pursuing a sales career. Here are some examples of goals you can set and achieve on your way to making more money and deepening your professional development:
As I said, there were a couple of errors, but the most glaring was that we didn’t fully understand how they were going to make a decision. Yes, I had a lot of people in my corner. But there was one group that I never really spent much time with. And ultimately, their gripes were larger than the kudos I received from my supporters. I had access to the chief influencer, but he democratized the decision to the team. I had a great champion, but he lacked influence and had less insight into the team against us.
If I had a complete understanding of how they were going to make a decision, I could have met 1:1 with the three people who were against us and likely won the deal. You can have all the right pieces in a deal, but if you don’t know precisely how the decision is going to be made (by whom, on what date, in what format, etc.), you’re setting yourself up for failure.”
“Two impactful lessons come to mind. The first is that I can create my own destiny with a great outbound plan. Feeling great about your product and wanting to tell the world about it is one of the most fun aspects of the job. I was taught how to develop a ‘Destiny Plan’ for my franchise, and through effective targeting and a focused multichannel outreach, I was able to help 22 companies improve their operations over three years.
The second one was learning to translate the excitement around a great meeting and product fit to a financial return for the customer. Sharing with clients that there is a process to get them from their “as is” process to their “to be” state and what that means to the stakeholders is key. In other words, should they buy my solution, improve the cafeteria, or pave the parking lot? What’s the best investment for them, and how can I prove that it’s mine?”
“While in a sales cycle, I always have a couple of contacts that I maintain a strong relationship with. In theory, this sounds great, but it also can become your blind spot.
It’s great in that they will hopefully point you in the right direction, push for your product, share information privately with you, and be a part of closing the deal. However, it’s easy to be blindsided if it turns out that your “champion” doesn’t have the influence or run in the internal circle necessary to get the deal across the finish line, or doesn’t understand the ecosystem as well as they portrayed. What’s even worse is if they aren’t as loyal as you thought.
While I still develop these strong relationships today, I have learned over time to continuously test them and make sure that they’re the real deal. I do this by asking tough questions, involving other members of my team, requesting sponsor meetings, etc.
I’ve also learned to take a step back from a deal to see what’s missing and to identify the exact role a champion plays in the overall picture. Otherwise, the very deal that was going to help get you reach your quota may fall apart and leave you wondering what went wrong.”
Learn more sales lessons for your career
Oftentimes, the best way to learn is from the sound experience and advice of others. Reach out to sales professionals in your network to gain a deeper understanding of their work and what they enjoy (and don’t enjoy) about it. This will help you determine whether or not a sales career is a good fit for you.
If you’re ready to take the leap, start beefing up your sales knowledge, writing your sales resume, and prepping for your first sales interview.
