Sales career training, coaching, and planning are indispensable success factors.
Life-long sales careers can be incredibly rewarding. It makes sense to make progress on purpose rather than leaving it to chance. Sales career training and coaching offer a reliable means of creating momentum.
What training is required for sales?
The sales career training needed for sales depends on where you start from. The most immediate need is sales knowledge - knowing what you are selling, the problems or issues it helps with, and the market you are selling into. A fourth essential for complete sales knowledge is knowing the organisation for which you are selling. Usually, all of the sales knowledge you need can be found online.
Next is communication skills. Since how we communicate is a deep-seated set of skills that we have evolved over our lifetime to date, improving communication skills demands persistent and consistent effort over time, Regular training and coaching help sellers understand their strengths and weaknesses from a sales perspective and take action to develop their abilities.
Perhaps more important are sales methods, processes, and procedures. If you learn what successful salespeople do and do the same, you should expect to achieve similar success, given an equal ability to influence and persuade.
Sales career training is another layer. In the government, the military and most large structured employers, a well-publicised hierarchy maps out potential career paths. Career progression opportunities are much less defined for salespeople. Those who anticipate a lifetime career in selling do better with a career plan. Sales career training helps professional salespeople make faster progress.
What is sales job training?
Sales jobs have lower barriers to entry than other well-paid roles. Qualifications are often less important than the ability to present confidently and persuasively in interviews. Sales job training can be interpreted in two ways, training for getting hired and training to do the job. We offer both.
The Value of a Sales Career
Money is most often cited as the primary reason for taking on a selling role. For many, a declaration of intent to pursue a sales career is as unpalatable as telling one's parents that you want to be an actor.
Yet finding new business opportunities and turning them into orders is amongst the most highly valued abilities in commerce today. Getting a job in selling is much easier than keeping one long enough to build a solid history of success.
Successful salespeople can expect high earnings over the course of a career yet many fail to learn the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities.
What does sales career training address?
While most businesses provide reasonable product training, few pay enough attention to sales skills and methods. Salespeople are often left to learn soft skills by themselves.
Those who learn how to consistently deliver sales results are quickly promoted into management. Selling successfully is a route to the top job in businesses today. The ability to marshal sales resources to bring in the essential lifeblood of a business, a constant flow of new customers and profitable orders, is held in high regard.
Not all salespeople aspire to take on the top job. Many fare better by remaining in a sales role while steadily increasing their business contribution. This path can lead to a fulfilling career without the need for management progression.
Salespeople who can remain at the top of their game, who can continually increase their productivity and corresponding results, may continue to be perceived as high performers, right up until retirement.
This career strategy has some drawbacks. The businesses that employ such super salespeople can change direction or focus in a way that makes the need for such accomplished individuals less important.
External events such as market shifts, takeovers, and macroeconomic swings can leave salespeople without the accounts that have fed them so well over many years.
There comes a point in a salesperson's career when it becomes difficult to compete for jobs with the next generation. Yet not everyone can become a manager.
Fortunately, salespeople don't have to be in a management position to multiply their contribution. Other career strategies can lead to fulfilling roles that offer more reliable employment towards the end of a sales career.
Taking responsibility for coaching others leverages experience, fulfils a needed service, and adds value that justifies senior levels of compensation.
Product development, internal consulting, and key account management also offer career progression opportunities that don't necessitate taking on management responsibility.
Sales career forethought, planning, and appropriate preparation lead to greater overall earnings, more satisfying roles, and a reliable income for mature sellers.
For those just starting out, thinking about career planning, career development, and ultimately retirement may seem unnecessary. So many don't realise its importance until their sales career plateaus.
What can I do if my sales career plateaus?
If your sales career has plateaued, it’s an opportunity to assess your current situation, identify areas for growth, and take actionable steps to reignite your progress. Here are some strategies to consider:
1. Evaluate Your Current Position
Analyse Your Performance: Review your sales metrics, identify trends, and determine where you may have stalled.
Seek Feedback: Talk to your manager, colleagues, or mentors to understand how others perceive your performance and potential areas for improvement.
Assess Your Goals: Revisit your career objectives and ensure they align with your current role.
2. Enhance Your Skills
Invest in Training: Attend workshops, webinars, or courses to refine your sales techniques and learn new methodologies.
Develop Industry Knowledge: Stay updated on market trends, competitors, and innovations to bring more value to your clients.
Develop Soft Skills: Improve communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
3. Expand Your Network
Build Relationships: Connect with professionals within and outside your organization to gain fresh perspectives and opportunities.
Join Professional Groups: Participate in industry events or sales-focused communities.
Seek Mentorship: Find a mentor who can guide you based on their experience.
4. Explore New Opportunities
Take on Challenging Projects: Volunteer for projects or accounts that push you out of your comfort zone.
Change Focus: Consider targeting a different market, industry, or product line that excites you.
Look for Leadership Roles: Aim for positions where you can lead teams or mentor junior salespeople.
5. Reassess Your Mindset
Stay Resilient: Sales plateaus are common; use them as an opportunity to grow rather than a signal to give up.
Adopt a Growth Mindset: Embrace challenges, learn from failures, and celebrate small victories.
6. Consider a Career Pivot
Sales-Adjacent Roles: Explore roles like sales training, customer success, or marketing that leverage your experience.
Change Companies: If growth opportunities are limited in your current organisation, consider moving to a company that offers a more dynamic environment.
Entrepreneurial Ventures: Use your sales skills to start your own business or consultancy.
7. Set New Goals and Metrics
Focus on Long-Term Goals: Reframe your career aspirations to include new milestones.
Break Down Objectives: Create smaller, achievable steps that build momentum.
Track Progress: Regularly review your accomplishments to stay motivated.
Taking proactive steps will help you regain momentum and advance in your sales career. Sometimes, even small adjustments can have a significant impact on your trajectory.
Get some professional help. Consider sales career training or coaching. Start by requesting a free sales career consultation.
Article by Clive Miller
If you are interested in a sales career, need to renew sales career momentum, or recognise a need for for sales career training, we can help. Telephone +44 (0)1392 851500. We will be pleased to learn about your needs or discuss some options. Alternatively, email custserv@salessense.co.uk or use the contact form here.
