Looking for a Sales Job? 3 Tips for Choosing the Right Company

Growing up, I never aspired to be in sales. I specifically did not want anything to do with sales or selling. As a young, impressionable 16-year-old, I spent a summer internship at an accounting firm. At least once a day, the Managing Partner's assistant would come to the doorway of his office and announce that there was a call on hold for him. He would ask who it was, and, upon hearing an unfamiliar name, he'd practically spit the words, "it's a salesman; get rid of him." That was my impression of sellers - annoying gnats to shoo away.

However, as often happens during a career, several years after I began my journey in Marketing, an opportunity presented itself. It was to sell a solution that I was using, and I found it so intriguing that I decided to give it a chance. Looking back, I'm grateful that I did because sales is a wonderful profession filled with opportunities to help others make difficult and important decisions. In addition, I loved having a quota and such clear performance measurement criteria. If I delivered anything less than 100%, I needed to improve. If I attained over 100%, I was doing a good job. If I achieved over 200%, I felt like a rockstar!

I recently participated in a mentoring call with a newly minted college graduate, and unlike me, this young man is eager to launch his career as a sales professional. He started working a few months ago, and already he feels like he may have made a mistake and selected a company that isn't equipped to help him learn and grow. In addition, he's isolated at home given COVID rules, and he is finding it hard to ramp up. While I shared advice on making the most out of this situation, I couldn't help but think about the guidance I would have shared if we spoke before he accepted his first sales role.

It's very common to approach an interview process thinking, "I hope they pick me," and focus on answering questions and earning an offer of employment. However, when choosing a sales position, especially early in your sales career, it's important to reframe your objective and instead think, "I hope I find a good company to work for." You don't just want a job; you want to take a step in the right direction to advance your overall career. To choose wisely, keep the following in mind:

1. The company's heart should be in the right place. I once had the good fortune of listening to Guy Kawasaki address a group of aspiring entrepreneurs. Guy worked with Steve Jobs as Apple's software evangelist and later became an author, venture capitalist, and acclaimed public speaker. His advice to entrepreneurs was this: Make meaning. If a company's goal is to make the world a better place for someone else, it will likely be successful. However, if the company's objective is solely to make money, there is a good chance that the enterprise will fail. When thinking about joining an organization, make sure that you feel that they are doing what they are doing to make the world a better place for their customers. If that is their primary motivation, that will drive solid decisions that will positively impact you and your customers. Beware if you sense that a company's North Star is predominantly related to chasing financial riches.
2. The solution should excite you. I have met a few sellers during my 25+ year career that didn't care what they sold. They could sell ice to an Eskimo and be happy to cash their commission check. However, most sellers I've worked with are looking for something more. They want to impact the lives of their customers and feel fulfillment and satisfaction along the way. If that is what you want, seek to represent a solution that excites you. As an added benefit, you will find that passion persuades. If you are passionate about the product offering and believe it improves the life of your customer, that will carry over into your conversations with potential customers and help influence their decision to buy from you. When researching potential employers, look for companies that offer solutions that resonate with you. Your belief in the solution and your pride in representing it will contribute to your success.
3. The company should have a (good) plan to help you build skills. There is a lot to learn when ramping up to sell a solution and it takes time. You need detailed product knowledge - what does the solution do, and how does it work? What workflows is it impacting? Why do people buy it - what problem are they trying to solve, or what objective are they trying to achieve? You will need to learn what customers say about the solution and how the solution provides value. You also benefit exponentially from being in an environment that will help you develop and refine critical sales skills that have nothing to do with the product itself, such as communication, presentation, objection handling, negotiation, and time management skills. Some companies have a formal training program while others do not. The company doesn't necessarily need a proper training department so don't be discouraged if they don't have one. They do however, need to have a good plan to train you. Bear in mind that if the entirety of their plan is "you're going to shadow Bob" that is not what I'd consider a good plan. And, if they don't offer formalized sales skills development classes, the interview process is a great time to ask if they will support your attendance at sales training sessions led by external experts once or twice a year.

Landing a job is just one, single step in your overall career journey; the bigger and more important issue is making sure that you select a company where you feel you will be successful and build (or continue to build) a solid track record of overachievement. Therefore, it's important to qualify the opportunity for employment to make sure it's a good fit - that you believe in the company and its mission. Be on the lookout for a company willing to invest in you because if they aren't, then the question to ask yourself is - is this company the best choice to help me achieve my overall career objectives? When you prioritize selecting an environment that will help you develop your expertise as a sales professional, you have taken a big step toward setting yourself up for your own success.

Happy selling.