A recent survey found that 67% of salespeople are unhappy with their current position or company, and over half of them are actively looking for a new job. That is almost two-thirds of all salespeople who are unhappy getting up every morning and going to work! Now, some people find this statistic to be staggering, but it doesn’t surprise me at all, and there are three reasons why. First, on average companies have 50% more salespeople than they actually need to hit their number. If you don’t believe me, look around your own company. What percentage of the sales force is consistently at or above quota?
The fact is that companies knowingly hire more salespeople than they actually need because it is easier to manage the business. They don’t have the time or talent to adequately develop the salespeople that they have, so they hire more than they need knowing that most will not make their number but will sell something that will contribute to the whole.
A $100,000 sale by someone who is 35% of quota is no different than a $100,000 sale by someone who is 235% of quota. When you hear people talk about sales being a numbers game – this is what they are talking about. Get the reps to produce as much activity as possible and generate as many proposals as possible, and some will stick, but most won’t.
So obviously with this approach to managing the sales organization, you are going to many more unsuccessful and unhappy salespeople than those who are fulfilled in their roles and making the income they want to achieve.
The second reason I am not surprised is this: Almost all of the salespeople who are not making their number consistently and are unhappy in their current role are not doing anything outside of what their company provides to improve!
87% of all salespeople are not reading books on sales improvement, they are not enrolling in programs to improve their skills and proficiency, and they are not seeking the advice and knowledge of others who could help them to grow. They are just showing up every day, doing the same prospecting activities, following the same process, and waiting for more training and guidance from their manager or company. 87% of them do not take any personal responsibility for their success.
Elite salespeople – the ultra-high performers, know that to be self-made, you need to be self-taught. They don’t wait for anyone or rely solely on their company to provide them with the knowledge and resources they need to improve. They proactively seek out support and make it a priority to constantly learn and improve.
And the third reason why I am not surprised that there are so many salespeople that are unhappy in their current role plays a little bit into the second reason, and its this. They are doing nothing to distinguish themselves to potential employers.
If you happen to be in this group of salespeople who are either actively looking or thinking of looking for a new role – I have some good news. There is a tremendous shortage of good salespeople and a huge shortage of great salespeople. I don’t care if a company isn’t actively looking or you don’t see the job you want on Indeed – every company in the world will make room for good salespeople. I promise you. I get calls and emails every single week from executives at companies across all industries who are looking for good salespeople. It doesn’t matter how well they are doing financially – they all need good salespeople.
But with this huge potential pool of candidates out there, why are so few of them being hired and so many salespeople just settling for another job?
The reason is what I said earlier – almost all of these salespeople who are actively looking for a new position are doing nothing to distinguish themselves. They are just throwing out resumes and hoping they will get an interview, and if they do, they are killing their chances for getting hired from the moment they open their mouths.
Unfortunately, this is why so many salespeople aren’t successful in sales, because this is the same approach that they use when meeting with prospects and customers. So that’s good news for you because you can quickly distinguish yourself from everyone else with just a little effort, and here’s how.
Let’s talk first about how companies actually decide who they want to interview and then how they decide whether or not to give someone an offer. So from a base level, when you are looking to make a career change in sales, you have a sales opportunity and your product is YOU and your target buyer is the sales leader who has the power and authority to make hiring decisions on the spot.
And yes, there is ALWAYS someone within an organization who can make a sales hiring decision on the spot. It doesn’t matter what the official HR process may be. HR doesn’t make hiring decisions – they just implement the hiring decisions that have been made.
So what characteristics would a sales leader be looking for in a strong salesperson? And think about it this way.
Imagine that you had a group of sales leaders from different companies all sitting at a bar having drinks and talking about their best salespeople. What do you think they would be saying?
Well, I’ll tell you exactly what they would be saying. I never have to worry about what Michael is doing. He is always on top of all of his deals. He researches everything and is always in control of the buying and decision process. He works only with the people who have the authority and power to make decisions and his close rates are three times higher than everyone else. He is proactive in dealing with problems. He rarely needs my support, and when he does, I drop everything because I know it will help him and me win business. He is totally outcome-focused because he sets short and long-term goals and drives himself to achieve them. He has a tremendous work ethic and is confident in his abilities but he is also humble and the first to admit when he doesn’t know something or screwed up. He has high emotional intelligence and is an expert at managing his emotions and those around him to achieve positive outcomes. And he is a master at maximizing his comp plan. I wish I had 100 more of him because my life would be ten times better.
That’s what all of them would be saying about their top people. And even if they had a full salesforce, they would make room for all the Michaels they could get their hands on and convince to come to work for them. That would be sales leadership Nirvana – to have an entire sales force of Michael’s.
Now, notice I said "convince to come to work for them" because they would be competing to get Michael.
Knowing that this is what a potential sales leader would be looking for, let me tell you what 90%, maybe even 95%, of all the resumes and cover letters employers receive look like. They look like this wall. They are generic. They are boring. They are not inspiring. They offer no differentiation or motivation to want to bring someone in for an interview.
So when employers are looking for salespeople sort through the applications and resumes and cover letters, the first pass goes like this. If they don’t have a specific career objective or summary of accomplishments at the top, they get tossed. If they go straight into experience listing companies and positions, they are going to get tossed. Nobody is going to take the time to try and decipher through a listing of previous job roles if you have what it takes.
If the career objective or cover letter doesn’t speak specifically to the position that is available – it gets tossed. The vast majority look and sound like this. “A disciplined, self-starter who is seeking a sales position to utilize my prospecting and customer relationship skills to contribute to the organization’s success.” Tossed.
When you look at the work experience, is it just a generic list of what someone did? Managed a territory of 75 accounts. Responsible for driving sales in XYZ territory. Was 125% of quota and for two years and a President’s Circle member.
I’m not saying those are bad things, but guess what? Everyone’s resume says the same thing! Less than 10% of resumes and cover letters described HOW someone made those accomplishments!
Think back to what I said a sales leader would be looking for. They want to see that someone was proactive enough and outcome focused to provide that information for them in a concise way. It may seem small and simple but the impact is HUGE on whether or not you get an interview. And if the resume makes it through the first pass, there is going to be a quick check of social media beginning with LinkedIn.
If the photo is non-professional, meaning, cropped from a group photo or someone’s favorite photo of themselves but not reflective of the professional expectation. Strike 1. Then they are going to look at Facebook and Instagram and Twitter and if there is anything there that is remotely a red flag – Strike 2 and 3.
For those that do get an interview, most blow it in the first 3 minutes with the answer to this difficult question. “So Michael, tell me about yourself.” The answers to that question have killed the chances of millions of salespeople. So tell me about yourself. Many times, people will seem surprised by the question and will say something like, “Gosh, where do I begin!”
Not only have I seen it firsthand, but I have also talked to so many sales leaders who are astounded by how unprepared salespeople are to answer that simple question! They have pitched them a slow softball to promote themselves and they completely blow it!
Most of the time, they start reciting their resume, meaning they talk about their employment history. Again, if you think back to what sales leaders are looking for in their salespeople, the answer to that question, ‘So tell me about yourself’ should be under 3 minutes and needs to check all of those boxes.
Now, even when a candidate gives a crappy answer to this question, most employers will accommodate this and continue through the interview, but they have already made up their minds. I would never do that. If a sales candidate came in unprepared to answer that question I would immediately call them out. If they are going to be that unprepared and proactive for what should be one of the most important things they do in their professional life, do you think I want them to be taking that same attitude and approach to my prospects and customers?
Now, as I said earlier – if you are in this large group of salespeople who are looking for another opportunity – there is good news!
First, most of your competition sucks! The odds are definitely in your favor if you take the time to really focus on how you present yourself at all levels. Resume, cover letter, social media, interviewing. It’s not hard, it just takes some dedicated focus on who is your audience and how they are going to perceive you.
Second – you are selling what should be the easiest thing in the world to sell – yourself! And you know your competition, so you just need to differentiate in the key areas, which leads to the third piece of good news! You are selling to salespeople, and good salespeople love to be sold to well! They will always buy when someone sells to them well! They are dying to have someone come in and make their lives easier! So this should be an ideal sales opportunity for you. You know your product and solution better than anyone else. You know your competition. You know your audience and their decision criteria. You have direct access to power and authority. You know for certain that they are going to make a buying decision. Everything is aligned perfectly for you. It is the perfect selling situation!
So, if you have been struggling to get the attention of potential employers or getting interviews but not getting the offers you want, then here are 3 questions you need to ask.
#1 How much time have you spent really focusing on what your next sales leader is looking for in a salesperson?
Have you spent any time thinking about a scenario like I described earlier, with a group of sales leaders at a bar talking about their best people? Have you taken the time to read a book about how to hire salespeople? There are lots of them out there, so go on Amazon, do some research, and pick one.
#2 How much time have you really spent doing a talent assessment of yourself?
If you are like most salespeople, 80% of your focus is figuring out how to overcome some deficiencies in your past. Maybe you haven’t been a consistent performer. Maybe you have some job-hopping in your history and spending less than 2 years at a company. Don’t worry about those things in the past. Just focus all of your energy on convincing someone of the lessons you learned, the mistakes you made, and what you have done and are going to do to not repeat them in your next job. It is really much simpler than you think if you focus all of your energies on it.
Remember – sales leaders are looking for salespeople who are smart, who are humble and who are hungry. So use those three traits to assess your talents and build your story.
And the third question – How much time have you spent role-playing an interview?
I don’t mean just in your head or by yourself – how much time have you spent in front of someone else answering questions or convincing someone that they should hire you? If your answer is like most salespeople, it is zero. That’s okay because that is in the past. The good news is that neither have your competitors. So make that a priority – it is easy to do – maybe uncomfortable – but easy – and you will catapult your level of confidence and become someone that sales leaders will want to hire.
If you want some help in getting yourself prepared for this process, then check out my new program called Personal Branding. This is a ground-breaking program designed specifically for salespeople at all levels, regardless of experience, background, or previous success – to position themselves to get their next sales job.
Whether it be a promotion within their company, better territory, a position with a new company, or even a sales position in a brand new industry – Personal Branding will help you get there.
It is a comprehensive program that covers everything you need – from the basics of creating resumes and cover letters that get attention, how to establish a LinkedIn profile that supports your next role, how to prepare for the toughest interviews you will ever face, and how to tell your story in a way that will make employers want to hire you.
I’m really excited about this program, it is has been 5 years in the making, and can be a game changer for you. I put some information about the program in the link below, so go check it out.
Regardless of what you think may be a negative in your past, that is nothing but fear and self-doubt in your head.
Fear is nothing more than a story and you can absolutely change the story and change your life
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