Those who have never worked in sales may rightly wonder what it is like to work in a sales career. Considering how happy sales people seem to be at work every day, those who are not a part of sales may wonder what it is that they are missing. A sales career has numerous advantages for those who have the drive to succeed in sales, and the personal and financial benefits can be huge. These are just five of the top advantages that a sales career can offer.
It sometimes seems as if some careers encourage people to adopt habits and personalities that do not match up with their natural inclinations. In a sales career, the opposite is true because sales people have to be themselves with their professional contacts to build trust and achieve success. This allows sales people to express their personalities and demonstrate initiative on a daily basis.
People who are successful in sales have unparalleled opportunities to develop new skills, meet new people, and try new challenges. Every day in sales is different, and targets that move from week to week mean that a sales person’s work is never boring. This offers sales people opportunities to constantly uncover new opportunities. Opportunities for advancement in sales are also abundant, although unlike in other industries sales people are rarely pressured to move into positions that are not a fit. In fact, many of the most successful sales people would rather be out selling than doing anything else, and their organizations are happy to see the continued results.
A sales person who can deliver reliable results is rarely in danger of having their position outsourced or eliminated. Sales people who can go above and beyond are in an even better situation. Because sales are the cornerstone of a business’s success, the sales department rarely faces the same budget cuts in adverse economic conditions as other departments do. What’s more, the skills and abilities that sales people develop in their day to day work and in sales training are translatable to other sales positions, including positions that offer advancement. When opportunities arise, a sales person is well equipped to take the next step in his or her career.
Sales is one of the few careers that consistently allows professionals to point to concrete accomplishments. The results of a sales person’s work efforts are clearly measurable and the benefits that a sales person brings to an organization can be well defined, because everything that a sales person does can be assigned a metric. The number of calls made, the positions of prospects reached, and the volume of sales achieved are always known quantities. This allows sales people to feel accomplished in their work and have those accomplishments recognized by others, which is one of the most rewarding feelings any career professional can recognize.
The secret that successful sales people share shouldn’t be a secret at all: A sales career is actually fun. Sales people love what they do and look forward to work each day. The people and the work are varied, which brings a further sense of enjoyment to people working in a sales career. The flexible hours and financial rewards also contribute to the sense of fun that sales people have on the job.
If you are wondering if a career in sales is right for you and thinking that now might be the time to make the change, contact an expert sales recruiter for help with the transition. A sales recruiter can help you find the position that is right for your skills, interests, and career goals and get you started in your new – and advantageous – sales career.
Claire has 4+ years of experience in sales and recruitment. As a Director of Client Services, her main objective is to connect great people to great companies by building strong relationships with both top clients and candidates in the sales industry. She specializes in sales roles of all seniority levels for both enterprise and start-up clients North American wide. When Claire isn't networking with top talent, she enjoys being outdoors, traveling and spending time with friends & family.