The most important question to ask yourself before taking a sales job
It's "Can I actually sell this thing?" Here's how to answer.
I’ve heard people say that a good salesperson can sell anything, but I have not found that to be the case in my career.
So, while there are many considerations to make in taking on a new sales role, I'd say the most important is whether or not you’ll be will be successful. And by successful, I mean: Will you be perceived as having achieved your quota or goals and be well compensated for your efforts?
In other words, will you actually be able to sell the thing?
The answer isn’t about the account list you start with, since maintaining an existing one can be as tough or as lucrative as starting from scratch. Rather, it depends primarily on the product’s legs, your own interest in it and the market’s need for it.
The three things to look at to make sure you’ll be able to sell:
1. The life cycle of the product
I started my career selling newspaper ads. This used to be a great job, and probably still is for a few people. But as advertisers cut their print budgets and spent more money on broadcast and digital, the goals became harder to reach. Plus, as revenue waned, most newspaper offices became depressing due to layoffs and budget cuts.
The lesson: It’s important to choose a product that people need and will continue to buy for the foreseeable future.
That’s not as easy as it sounds. When I sold ads in peer-reviewed medical journals, I thought there would always be funding for medical research. But then came funding cuts from The National Institutes of Health as well as a movement for open-access journals that anyone could read for free, rather than having to pay for. Many medical journals suffered much the way newspapers had just a decade earlier.
What to look for: A product that has legs is key. Of course, you can easily be surprised by changes in the marketplace as I have been.
So what’s most important is picking a company that seems nimble enough to adapt in order to remain profitable—what has the business done in the past to pivot to changes?—while constantly learning new things to keep yourself marketable for the sales careers of the future.
2. Your personal interest in the product
Some people think software is cool and interesting while someone else might love selling the peace of mind of insurance. It’s really a matter of preference. But I’ve found that it’s easier to sell something I am interested in, and to people that will enjoy working with. That way, I can recommend it with integrity.
I got into newspaper advertising sales because I actually wanted to be an investigative reporter—until I found out what first-year reporters earned. Selling advertising was a great way to work for a newspaper while earning more money. And when advertising went online and budgets became less predictable, recruitment advertising was a perfect way to help people find jobs and employees while using the skills I had developed in newspaper sales.
What to look for: Take a gut check by practicing a pitch for the product. If it comes relatively easy to you, or you find yourself engaged in it, that’s a good sign.
Also, think about who the target customer will be. Whether it’s CEOs, consumers, marketing directors, human resource directors, or someone else, do you want to spend all day talking to people like that? It’s an important consideration.
3. Your market’s need for the product
Great sales relationships are built on empathy for and understanding of your clients’ needs.
While some may be good at selling something that does not solve a need, they generally won’t maintain long-term relationships with their clients. And long-term relationships are an important part of a successful sales career.
I'm lucky enough to work with a product that I know will fulfill a need within the world of recruiting. One of my favorite clients does recruiting for an international lighting company, and has had the very challenging task of hiring regional sales people in Europe. I knew that I could help her with that. And in the year and a half we have been working together she has tried some forward-thinking recruiting strategies with me, like buying micro-sites and recruiting services—which resulted in multiple hires.
What to look for: Ask people who would be in your target market what they think of the product and company you are considering. (Besides helping you understand the perception of the product, this also helps you build a starting “Rolodex” of clients you can bring on board with you.)
You can also get a sense of demand for the product by reading reviews on sites like Glassdoor.com to see what other sales employees think about their roles and the product. Additionally, use LinkedIn to see if people in your networks have worked in sales for the company; if so, get in touch to see how long they stayed and what they have to say about the experience.
These three tests should help you get a sense of your potential success. But ultimately, even after running through them, you’ll still have to take a leap of faith. Just as your sales manager, no doubt, hopes that you will make your quota, you’ll cross your fingers and hope that you will indeed be able to sell the product that you have picked.
Jessica L. Benjamin is a senior account manager for Monster Worldwide, where she works with Monster’s customers to increase their success in hiring top talent. Follow her on Twitter @JLBHireCalling.
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