When you hear the word "sales" what immediately comes to mind for you?
If you’re like most people you might picture something like this...
Regardless of what it conjures up for you, the modern sales specialist is a reputable and potentially lucrative profession and career path.
How do you know if sales specialist is right for you?
What Sales Specialists Do
They sell products and services to drive company revenue.
They help customers by finding the right products or services to meet their needs.
They do that by:
Asking questions to assess customer needs and understand the problem to be solved
Educating customers about the options available
Demonstrating the product or service
Making recommendations based on specific customer needs
Closing the sale by obtaining the customer’s permission to proceed
To be successful, sales specialists develop in-depth knowledge of:
Customers and their wants and needs
The products and services they sell
The Upside
You aren’t limited to an industry - sales specialists work in virtually every industry
It’s very social - you interact with new people every day
You have a direct impact on the salary you earn - huge salary upside if you consistently achieve or outperform your quota
Opportunity to travel - meet with clients, attend conferences or trade shows, etc. (depending on industry and company you work for)
Opportunity for entertainment perks - build relationships (eg. social events, dinners, etc.)
Are You A Risk Taker?
سوال
Which of the following describes how you feel about risk?
The Downside
Sales has an image problem - for some people the word “sales” conjures up negative images and feelings (pushy, manipulative, etc.)
Your life is quota-based - you’re chasing your quota every day
Your income fluctuates - no results means no money
At times stressful - your boss is pressuring you to achieve quota, customers don’t always want to talk to you, income is variable
Need to be “always on” - can drain your energy
سوال
How do you respond when you hear the word "no"?
Does It Pay The Bills?
The average salary for a full-time sales specialist is:
$59,039/year (CAD)
$60,045/year (USD)
Salary varies widely depending on the employer, the industry, their geographical location, and commission structure.
Sales Specialist Might Be For You If…
You thrive on human interaction and building relationships
You like initiating conversations with people
You’re a self starter; you take action and get things done
You’re fired up by the opportunity to earn more based on performance
You like the idea of travel as part of your role
You like entertaining people, eating out and going to events
Find A Different Career if...
Dealing with people all day, every day doesn’t light you up!
You’ll be calling, emailing, video conferencing and generally communicating with people day in day out.
The pressure to achieve sales quotas wears you down.
Sales quotas are the backbone to every sales job. And you’re under pressure to achieve them.
Despite potential upside, the idea of a variable monthly income is very scary.
Most sales roles have some sort of commission-based pay. Achieve quota, achieve commission. Miss quota, lose commission.
The thought of repeated rejection makes you want to run and hide.
Not everyone you want to talk to is going to want to talk to you. Sales can be an emotional rollercoaster.
Take Action
Is a career as a sales specialist something you’d like to try?
Start by identifying the sales specialist skills you already have and those you want to develop:
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