Does your current career lack autonomy? Are you required to be at the office from 8 to 5? Imagine a job that doesn’t have time cards to punch, a boss that walks up and down the office at 8:00 am to see who is tardy, and it pays you more than teachers, police officers, and most other professional jobs. A job that if you feel like taking a coffee break with a friend or colleague during work hours is o.k or even encouraged.
We are talking about a sales job. While you still have office responsibilities and the need to show face. A big part of your day is carved out for face to face appointments with your customers. So if you’re personality isn’t meshing with the whole cubicle thing you might want to consider sales.
Top 10 things a sales rep is accountable for:
- Accountable for growing sales. This can be stressful for some, but as long as you are continually filling the funnel with qualified prospects and moving your customers along the sales cycle, sales tend to fall in place. It’s a numbers game.
- Accountable for paperwork: processing orders, expense reports, planning and forecasting.
- Accountable for customers: You need to know and understand their needs and be there for them before your competitor is.
- Accountable for product knowledge: You have to be a credible expert here.
- Accountable for competitor knowledge: You will lose sales if you cannot differentiate your product from the competition.
- Accountable for Delivery and Install of new orders. You need to make sure this is a positive experience, this can be a make or break time for your reputation and relationship.
- Accountable for product presentations: Speaking in front of small groups to show how your product or service can fit into their business.
- Accountable for collaboration: Working with all relevant internal stakeholders to be more successful.
- Accountable to lead: Great reps are great examples for their peers.
- Accountable to 1st line manager and organization: Your #1 customer is your manager, this person has direct access to upper management to catapult your career.
I hope you enjoyed my post on Considering a Career in Sales? Please comment or post a question below if you are looking into a sales career. I would be more than happy to give you some guidance.
Jason B. Douglas 