SOS - Save Our Sales rep

When you think about selling is it a career or is it just a job? Are you putting in your time, treading water? Or are you continually improving yourself, getting training, hanging out with the seasoned professionals?

If this is just a job, the odds are that you find doing sales, especially solution sales, long term, big ticket or diagnostic selling to be a tough course at best, or a nightmare at worst. If you are not in this profession for the long haul, get out early and save yourself a ton of grief. If you’re here for the duration, get training from a number of different mentors and advisors. Industry experts say top performers in sales consistently:

• Read books or listen to audio programs regularly on sales, leadership or related business topics
• Attend sales, team building or leadership training at least once or twice per year
• Have a mentor and/or sales coach to guide them through the rough waters

The top performers have invested as much time and money into their professional development as an accountant or an attorney. If you’re not investing in your professional growth, if you’re waiting for your manager or your company to invest in you, you may find this a long wait. If you need new skills and cash flow is tight, many sales training organizations have payment plans available, though they may not advertise it.

Bottom Line: Invest in yourself and your career. You’re worth it!