Picking a winner: my top tips for starting and progressing your career in Sales
When I took my first Sales job at the age of 19, it was more luck and timing that I ended up where I did. 20 years later, visibility of choices available online has only made the task of deciding your next move that much harder.
In my time as CEO at Austin Fraser, I have been focussed on making Austin Fraser first and foremost a great place to work. Understanding from an employers perspective how we can harness our peoples careers. Here are my top tips to help you navigate your career in sales;
- Focus on sectors with bright a future - AI/digital disruption has certainly played a part in the demise of certain careers, and positively impacted so many others. Sales opportunities focused on products to consumers, in particular high volume, low yield, have been affected the most, and this will only continue. When was the last time you walked into a phone shop to purchase a mobile? Picking a sales career that requires a high level of consulting (highly technical and/or consumer to consumer) will continue to be in demand.
- Join an organisation on the move, growth = opportunity. Make sure you ask the right questions to any potential employer to validate - what has been the growth (people, revenue, investments) year on year, what is the market potential, how do they intend to disrupt it? ask to see the plan.
- What’s their purpose - It’s a good indicator that the person you meet can explain the company’s purpose and vision. If they do not know the answers, then you are unlikely to get it once you start. Why do they exist and what do they stand for? Every journey has its ups and downs, on those difficult days and weeks, what will keep you connected?
- What do they stand for - values are the eco system that enables us to cohabit in an inclusive, positive and productive way. It is the heartbeat of the organisation. Do they inspire you? Do they match yours?
- Continuous Improvement - change can be challenging, but executed well is essential to the long term sustainability of any company. If you continue to do the same thing, at some point the organisation will likely reduce in market share. Organisations can get static and lethargic. What have difficult decisions have they made for the long term, as hard as that might have been? See my previous article for a deeper insight https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140924153553-22194772-secrets-of-success-continuous-improvement/
Being in the right place at the right time will certainly help you progress your career, but it doesn’t automatically guarantee you success. It will certainly elevate you, by being surrounded by great people and a business on the move, but you need to seize the moment, you will only get out what you put in!