Trying to break the Sales Job Cycle
Anyone have advice for me on how to get out of sales? I recently completed an MBA in two years going full year, full time. I graduated with honors, have twenty years experience in sales/business development and all I'm being offered are sales jobs. I've been in sales too long to want to start out straight commission ever again. I really thought the MBA would shake up my resume, but what I'm finding is recruiters only look at the three bullet points on my resume (employment history) and completely look past the fact that I have a fresh degree. I would really welcome any advice.
What are you trying to break into? What kind of sales did you do? Maybe you need to change your resume around....and put the focus of your experience on what you are trying to get into instead of what you did...for example, how can your sales experience lead you to what you want?. Many people in sales can get a job in marketing or even a job of selling an idea or concept such as traininng people to become loyal to a product. It's an indirect way of selling but it is also teaching and training. If you supply more info you might get a better reply. Ive been in sales a long time and I 've never worked for straight commission, there are certainly many more options for sales people. Why do you want to get out of sales? What is your MBA in? I never had any luck with recruiters, too many of them tried to put me in jobs that would have been no good for me at all. Found them to be very self-serving. I've got about the same amount of experience as you and get tired of the pressure and running around sometime...but love the freedom of sales and the incentives. What is it about sales you are not liking, maybe you can get a different kind of sales job? need more info
I have to tell you after going back and re-reading what I posted I sounded like I was just kvetching. I' ve worked in advertising sales for 20-ish years. As for my resume, the advice given to me by two career specialists, professors and friends is to strip all references to "sales" out of my resume. To achieve this, and retain truthfulness about my employment history I renamed it Business Development. I' ve chosen to use a functional resume format to emphasize my recent graduation and take the emphasis off of sales accomplishments. Since an MBA is really designed to be a generalists degree there is no specialization associated with mine. Right now I' m considering returning to school and either getting another degree in Organizational Behavior or Finance. I think this would add to the parts where I lack experience. To be honest, my only apprehension is being over-educated and under-employed. I would eventually like to have a Ph.D. or DBA, just as a personal accomplishment; that is down the road a bit though. Since my experience is primarily in the newspaper and publishing industries I should lean toward those fields. However I feel I have a broad range of soft skills and core competencies that could be applicable to most any industry. The company where I work presently is small and has a very flat organizational structure and we tend to wear a lot of different hats. This has given me a chance to learn new skills and hone existing ones. The one thing I have noticed is a natural gravitation my co-workers have to ask for my guidance/mentorship in resolving issues or developing ideas. I' m not trying to puff myself up, but my peers seek me out as if I were their manager (when I am not,) including MY manager. I have a natural leadership quality to my working style coupled with an outgoing personality which you need in sales. What I don' t like about sales is having my commission plan switched (almost on an annual basis). I also don' t like unrealistic sales goals. I once had my goal doubled year over year. Give me a stretch goal and I' m good...but that one was setting me up for failure. I don' t appreciate being managed by someone who has never worked a day in sales in their professional life. Its hard to respect someone who has never walked in the trenches and is not customer centric. I realize this sounds like I' ve had a string of bad managers; some were bad, most were ineffectual and feckless. I agree the freedom and getting out to see people is great, but the long hours and spending so much time in my car is grinding. I once spent a week long vacation in Las Vegas, in the Guest Business Office closing three deals, emailing my graphics people, managers and clients. My husband was not amused. I told him to look at it from the standpoint of tax write offs. That' s the gallows humor of being in sales. I' ve had the same experience with recruiters and head hunters. But if you think about it, they are paid to fit round pegs into round holes. I have to laugh about a recent experience I had with a recruiting company. An article I read in a local business publication discussed how the Finance and Banking industries are looking for MBA' s who don' t necessarily have experience in those fields. (This was an interview of a local recruiting company.) So I emailed them; they responded almost immediately asking for my resume. I sent it over and they offered me a job as a recruiter with their firm saying this is what they felt I was qualified to do. I thought your message and advice were great. With regards to recruiters, I' ve had 3 experiences with them in 20 years. 1 was good, 2 were bad. Right out of college I met with one who tried to scare me into a job by telling me it could be the last offer I would get. Fortunately I did not take his advice. I had another who told the company I was interviewing with about another offer I had. This "my client is in demand" strategy back fired when the company just assumed I would take the other position. The last recruiter I dealt with was good. She coached me, updated my resume, and made sure I was early for the interview. I' m sure if given the chance, she would have dressed me too! Sounds like you really work hard but isn't it time to set some boudaries in your life? Why did you work on your vacation? Couldn't you have gotten some help from a colleague while you were away? I would tell clients they have to have ads finished before I leave or organize for them to work with a colleague while Im away. I try to get as much done as possible before I leave. I've done just what you've done, advertising sales and I'm over it. But, my time off is my time off. It's just not worth it for the stress and resentment it causes, what's it going to say on your headstone Mrs. So and So sold a lot of ads?!!! haha! But seriously, perhaps you need to put some boundaries in your work life. When I interview, i tell them how committed I am and a hard worker but I also tell them I require balance and time with my family. I've managed to negotiate a three week vacation in my last two jobs. Also, I've never worked for a company where my boss wasn't selling himself, so I can't relate but it must be frustrating. Maybe that will be something to watch out for in the next job. As far as the education goes, I think there is a very good chance you will be over-qualified for some jobs as you are not going after a specific degree. Even though I think it's noble, I'm not sure how I see it helping you unless you get specific skills/education in something you'll need for your next career. For the commissions, put it in writing for a year and re-negotiate after a year. I'm always renegotiating!! I've had many talks with my boss about reaching my targets and their feasibility and if I'm producing, they want to keep me happy and are willing to bend a bit so I'll stay. Anyway, it's always the same at any company, you reach your targets, they set them higher. What about becoming an account manager where you manage a set number of accounts instead of going out and getting new business constantly? Or become a sales manager where you can lead the team (since you are so good at it?) Even sales in a completely new industry can be enough of a change sometimes. Or what about inside sales instead of outside? or....take a break from sales and take a lower paying job just doing something you love until you don't feel so burnt out and are ready to get back out there with some re-newed energy? I'm thinking of going and working for a florist as I've had a gutful of eating lunch and phoning clients in my car every day! As for your resume, I found it very helpful to get Resumes for Dummies. Lots of good ideas for resumes for other industries. Remember, pepper it with action words that relate to the given industry you want to work for and don't forget to relate your accomplishments to money/financial gain, improved productivity, anything that can be quantified in numbers. I'm 44 and tired of the pressure of sales and am thinking of going into marketing. We'll see, I understand what it's like to run around. I'm also thinking of starting my own business. At least all the hard work will be for me and not lining someone elses pockets. Give me your thoughts. Sage Advice. Sounds like we are kindred spirits. My first sales job I got too comfortable to change. My second sales job I got too scared to change. My present job holds no challenges, but it is a very comfortable, safe place to work.
I wrote an excellent business plan for my MBA. It is totally do-able. The only hitch (aside from initial capitalization), is my business partner has a baby on the way and I really need to be more gainfully employed to pull this together. We plan on looking at it again in mid 2008.
Sounds like you've got a plan. Just one thing, your partner and the baby.....will she still be able to commit to all the hard work of establishing a new business with a new baby as well? That concerns me.... I quit my job last thurs. and now I'm not sure what to do. I had a job that I was doing well at in another industry but my boss was abusive (if you care to read my post it is Great new job, abusive boss) I'm so relieved but now I'm back to square one. I've hardly made any money for the past two years while I've been trying other things. None of them worked out and had nothing to do with my hard work or performance....which is pretty bad as I could not change anytning and really worked hard. First job was real estate in a new city. The bottom fell thru on that one and I blew $5K in savings. I have a friend that has gone thru $100K so I am glad I got out when I did. Second job: got laid off, worked for a publisher related to real estate. There were problems with distribution numbers and again, advertising was affected by the local real estate industry. Boss quit before he was fired, new publisher already quit (four mos.) and second sales mgr. is gone on leave!!!! No one was doing any better than me! Third job: Doing great, new industry and currently over $70K out in proposals. Too bad the boss lady was insane!!!! Never been treated like that in my entire life. So relieved to quit. But now what? I feel like I'm back to square one!!! any ideas? Don't want to sell ads any more and am sick to death of pressure and running around. What can I do with all my marketing experience, savvy, that will allow me some freedom? Even income is not enough to motivate me, time off and autonomy is more important. Any ideas? The career counselor at my university told me that 85% of all jobs are found through networking and only 4% online. She told me about a fellow alum who was recently laid off. Apparently he did a month-long marathon of informational interviews, no less than three per day. He landed these interviews networking through people who know him and his abilities. She said at the end of the month he had nine unsolicited job offers. The hard part for us sales types is that we talk non-stop to people all day and when we go home that is the last thing we want to get stoked up to do. I guess when I think of networking I think of schmoozing at chamber of commerce meetings. But networking is simply nothing more than talking to people. That should come easy to us sales folks. For myself, because of my lack of enthusiasm for networking perhaps I need to flip it around and look at it as an opportunity to secure leads to sell something...myself. Look at a number of different industries...look at your hobbies....look at companies you would like to work for and then start searching for people who work there or people who know someone who works there. And ask for informational interviews with people who are doing a job that sounds interesting; even if it is not something that is a perfect fit or a job opening. People love to talk about themselves and you' re offering them an opportunity to do just that. Plus you' re not interviewing for a "job" you are interviewing to find a way out of sale. I' ve been told by career experts that a lot of jobs are never even posted internally or externally; by the time they do the company may already have an idea of who they want. Get close to anyone who can walk into a hiring manager and say they know you. In all honesty...that sounds like good advice for me too. (I' m really good and handing it out...lousy on execution). As for my business partner. Once the baby is here in early 2008 and she recovers, we' ll start small and do fine. As for quitting your job...a great big congrats. I worked for a pin head who didn' t have an original idea in his head. He never had time to talk and refused to come to my aid when a client was verbally and disgustingly abusing me. I can take some of that because I' ve been in the trenches for 20 years. But this client was a mental case. He directed his insults and me personally...totally way off base. My manager had to "cancel" at the last minute, leaving me to deal with this Neanderthal (no offense to Neanderthals intended) all by my self. (He was a chickensh). This manager always had to"jump off the phone". I had something else in mind for him to jump off. When all was said and done in a sort of twisted way, I actually mourned not having that job; once realized I had survived I felt so much better. I look back on it as a learning experience: I WILL NEVER ALLOW MYSELF TO BE TREATED LIKE THAT AGAIN....by clients, co-workers or managers. In fact I often counsel our new-to-sales sales reps on how to deal with verbally abusive clients. I' ve already started doing that casually but I had not realized there was a name for it! I' ve spoken to someone in fashion and someone in design.....things I' ve always been naturally good at and attracted to. What a great idea. I' m going to really turn this into a strategy so it will save me from taking a job too soon and regretting it. I know exactly how you feel about the schmoozing. You talk so much during the day, who wants to do more after work?! I' m beat! However, it' s all about "makin' hay while the sun shines" and right now there is no other time during the year that there are so many parties and chances to mingle iwht people just becuase it' s "the season!" I have no fear about asking someone for a job, in fact, that' s how I got my last three jobs! I also search out places I WANT to work and not neccessarily wait for an ad in the paper. I don' t bother with middle men, I can sell me best. Back to networking, I have some tricks. go right from work while you are still on that work mode energy once you go home, you are DONE! Scan room, read nametags and ask host/ess if there is anyone there you need to meet! They will usually guide you to a person they think can relate/help you or you help them. and that' s how it starts. I' ve met plenty of people that can' t directly help me but I have some cool cards from other industries that I refer people too or maybe one day consider doing something fun like them....selling latin american art? or selling yachts? Why not? I do know at my age, I want options. While money motivates, it ' s not the end all be all. i had the chance to myself for money with the last job, and boy, I thought I was a great actress until ol' dignity stepped in and said Ah, no. You' re done puttin' up with this sh*t!!! Now, I' m just a bit angry as she still owes me some $$ and is really relishing her control. she even got nasty discussing my non-compete. I just say, hm-mmmmm. i' m just waiting on my money!!! Ok, I' m getting angry better stop now! time to get off the computer and enjoy the holiday, right Ms. PDXMBA? Let me know your progress over the hols, if you like. I' m looking forward to "getting out there" and enjoying myself. People are always attracted to happy, self-confident people..."hey, who was that?" | |
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