A sales career is the fast track available for a successful career that rewards you for the work that you do. In any job market, companies are hiring for sales people, meaning that you can start a career in sales at any time – and once you’ve established yourself in a sales career, you can always find new opportunities. Here are just three of the great reasons why it’s time to look at a career in sales.

1. A sales career places virtually no limits on your income.

A sales career is the quickest track to a six figure income, because businesses know that the more their sales team sells, the stronger the business will become. This makes companies hesitant to put limits on what a sales person can earn. Commissions for major sales are generous, and depending on the industry, a sales person might be able to earn six figures annually with only a few closes each quarter. Make no mistake, these larger deals take more effort and hard work to land successfully, but a career in sales is the only career that offers this kind of opportunity. Those in other positions must wait for annual salary reviews with incremental pay raises, with no guarantee that they will ever reach the six figure mark.

2. Few careers offer the flexible schedule of a career in sales.

A sales career is inherently flexible, because successful sales people are largely empowered to make their own schedule. Sales managers are aware that no one knows the needs and availability of a major client like that client’s sales person, and make effort to ensure that the sales person is able to schedule time with a client when it’s best for both parties. Additionally, sales people usually find a comfortable schedule for prospecting that fits with the schedules of potential clients and their own personal schedule, generally giving the sales person latitude in the day to be able to run errands, participate in activities with their children, and accomplish other tasks.

Although a sales career does put additional demands on a sales person’s time, such as business lunches and dinners, weekend meetings, and travel, the increased flexibility during the day is usually more than enough of a benefit to make a sales career more attractive than other careers – especially combined with the other benefits offered by a career in sales.

3. A sales career builds transferable skills.

Not only do great sales people need to have important skills like problem solving, a strong work ethic, and the ability to learn quickly, but other skills integral to sales that most without sales experience don’t have, such as:

• The ability to identify sales opportunities that others have missed.
• Consulting skills to help companies recognize where offered products or services fit into their business model.
• Negotiating skills to meet the needs of both parties in a transaction, making sure that everyone benefits from a deal.
• A mastery of the art of the close: Knowing the right time and the right words to gain a commitment.

Not only do these skills make a great sales person hard to replace, but these skills are transferable. An experienced sales person can apply these skills to every step of their sales career, even if they decide to move to another company. This adds to a sales person’s job security, because companies in business to succeed are always hiring for sales.

If it’s time for you to make a career change, a career in sales might be on the horizon. Contact a sales recruiter who can help you find the best placements for your experience and skills and give you the inside track to a rewarding sales career.