After an extensive first job search, you got your foot in the door as a sales rep for a good company. Since that time, you built your skills and gained experience, but you might be feeling like you’re ready for more. Have you outgrown your first sales job? Here are three signs it might be time to move onward and upward.
You’re Not Excited By What You’re Selling
To demonstrate genuine enthusiasm in front of clients, sales reps need to believe in what they are selling. At first, you might have been excited by the products or services you’re selling, but over time, that excitement may have waned. Perhaps you know about flaws in the product or you know the service doesn’t really deliver the results it promises. Whatever the reason, if you’re no longer interested in what you’re selling, it’s probably time to move on.
You’re Not Getting Support
Sales teams need support in a variety of ways. They need collateral from marketing teams, they need assistance from an admin, they need access to tools that facilitate the sales process and they need managers who lead and coach effectively. If your job does not provide these things, you’re probably wasting too much time on activities that do not generate revenue – and therefore are not generating commissions for you.
You’re Not Growing
If you’ve been at your current job for at least three years and you’ve been rocking your goals but you’re not growing professionally, it’s a bad sign. A good manager will invest in talented salespeople to help them grow as professionals and ultimately grow their earnings. They will send you to effective sales training, they will work with you to land and close bigger accounts, they will offer advice and mentorship that you can use to develop in your career. If you’re still selling to the same sized accounts and you’ve not received any training or development, you’ve probably outgrown your position.
Similarly, it’s time to move on if your income isn’t growing. Some companies cap sales commissions, which means you have a defined ceiling that you cannot ever breakthrough. If you have reached that cap, it’s a good time to look for something new where earnings are not capped, or they are capped at a much higher level. Great companies value their salespeople because, without sales, no company can survive. If you literally cannot earn any more than you’re going to make this year, it’s time to take your talent elsewhere.
Are You Ready To Advance Your Sales Career?
If you have outgrown your first sales job and you’re ready to work in a fast-paced, high-growth industry where you can earn more and spread your wings, talk to the recruiters at The Charis Group. We are the leading sales recruiting firm for the industrial safety and PPE industries and we can help you take a step forward in your career. We look forward to helping you achieve more.