A Sales Career Can Set You Free

If Australia isn't the most expensive country in the world to live in, it is certainly starting to feel like it. ScoMo said quite correctly recently that our Government has the highest reliance on income tax revenue of any country in the world except Denmark. Demographia reported in January of this year that we also have some of the most unaffordable real estate in the world. Hong Kong came in as number one unaffordable at 18.2 times median income. Sydney came in second at 12.2. Melbourne is in sixth position at 9.6.

Now let's add in every day expenses like electricity, gas, motor vehicle registration and insurance, council rates and of course food. According to numbeo, Australian staple foods cost us 25% more than the U.S., 12 % more than the UK, 18.5 % more than Singapore's and our food is even 9.7 % more expensive than France! OK, I'm depressing you now so.....enough. But as an obvious result of all the above, many Australian income earners are feeling "stuck". Annual wages growth for private sector workers is less than 2% and it is very difficult to get ahead.

So what does this all have to do with your career in sales? Well, in sales you have significant control over your income - a luxury many others should be envious of. Your On Target Earnings will have a substantial incentive component that you can either achieve through your own and your support staff's activity, knowlege and skills .....or not. Don't tell me now that your target is not achievable. If so, why did you sign up for it? Salespeople have negotiation skills! If your remuneration model doesn't stack up, your sales skills are readily transferrable and the sales job market is strong, get serious about finding a more attractive role.

How you can earn more in your current sales role - starting today?

• Increase your percentage dollar productive time
• Double your prospecting activity
• Increase stakeholder coverage in all new opportunities to increase the close rate
• Find more new opportunities in existing accounts
• Improve your selling skills so that you can be more effective in every interaction
• Start calling every person that you have ever sold to at least two times per year
• Get your database under control and get it working for you
• Set a target and double your opportunity pipeline within 3 months
• Start earlier every day
• Upskill your sales support to do more and better
• Make a genuine commitment to yourself that you will be the ABSOLUTE BEST SALESPERSON THAT YOU CAN BE

What I tell you that should give you real confidence, is that I am yet to meet and train, coach or manage a salesperson who could not do better in some area of her / his game.

The facts ....... my numbers from working with more than 100 companies large and small over the past 15 years.

1. 15 % of salespeople have insufficient capability to achieve solid performance in their role (the reasons are quite diverse) and should be doing something else for a living
2. 25% of salespeople are underperforming and have the ability to achieve solid performance
3. 25% of salespeople are achieving solid performance and have the ability to achieve high or elite performance
4. 20 % of salespeople are achieving high performance and half of those could achieve elite performance
5. 15% of salespeople are achieving elite performance

The great thing about a sales career is that you always have the opportunity to and can do better. In sales you are never as "stuck" as most others. Work harder. Work smarter. Get better. Drive your own career and with that your income- and use it to set yourself free.