Ace Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Anyone on here work in sales or account management, be it for weeks or years? The firm I work for may have an opening for a trainee freight account manager (posh title for sales), and compared to my current position it would be a great opportunity to "do something" with my career, as I'm a few weeks from turning 30. However, I have no previous sales experience whatsoever, and I'm wondering whether or not I'd be cut out for it. I've had a bit of bad luck with redundancy and bad employment in the last two years so I'm beginning to consider a real change in direction. Just looking for some success / horror stories from other salespeople on here to help me mull over whether to pursue it. I'll go into more detail about my current position, employment history and current situation if I get any responses to this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc_p Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Personally, I tried it and hated it, I now stick firmly to the pre-sales/consultancy side of things, no targets to get in a panic about. The thing with sales is that you either love it or hate it IMO, I deal with end users and resellers a lot and I enjoy helping get the massive multimillion pound deals(hell, I even get paid commision on them) but if it all crashes down, I don't lose out on money and I don't get some angry boss shouting at me and pressuring me to get more deals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverSoop Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Personally, I tried it and hated it, I now stick firmly to the pre-sales/consultancy side of things, no targets to get in a panic about. The thing with sales is that you either love it or hate it IMO, I deal with end users and resellers a lot and I enjoy helping get the massive multimillion pound deals(hell, I even get paid commision on them) but if it all crashes down, I don't lose out on money and I don't get some angry boss shouting at me and pressuring me to get more deals. I'm self-employed...much better lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted June 23, 2011 Author Share Posted June 23, 2011 Personally, I tried it and hated it, I now stick firmly to the pre-sales/consultancy side of things, no targets to get in a panic about. That was one of my major concerns - whether or not I'd hit monthly targets, etc. But after asking a few questions of some of our existing sales team, the set-up is loosely as follows: You earn a basic salary (I understand it to be upward of 22k) regardless of performance If you meet your monthly consignment target, you earn a fixed bonus (starting at about 500 quid) If you meet your monthly revenue target, you earn a percentage of the TOTAL revenue (not just revenue over the target) If you make the required number of sales calls and customer visits, you earn yet another bonus. As far as I could make out there are no penalisations for failing to meet targets; effectively if you can live on the basic salary, it's a win-win. In addition, you get a company car and mobile as well, and they are not earned based on performance either. There seem to be few downsides other than having the proverbial monkey on your back if you consistently fail to meet targets. The regional sales manager is a bit of a tosspot as well. Some of the more established account managers (2 years plus) at my firm are targeted to gain 11-12000gbp revenue each month, meaning that they are taking home about a grand every month on meeting that target in addition to the basic wage. I refuse to believe that I'm being blinded by the money; but I'm looking at my current job, it holds no challenge or incentives, with a fixed salary (which is perfectly passable but not where I'd like to be) and I don't really see any opportunities for progression if I keep doing it. To make it slightly worse, we were recently acquired by a global brand in the industry, and the new owners have just announced plans to uproot our current office (next to Lakeside), move the operations and warehouse to Dagenham (doubling my round trip journey to work), and move the sales to Dartford (the office for which would be within walking distance from my flat which overlooks Bluewater). As a sidenote, I work in freight forwarding / logistics, so our salespeople sell a service to our customers, rather than a tangible product; possibly the hardest thing to do. Considering all the above, it seems too obvious to attempt the switch into sales, which is what concerns me. Too many upsides, not enough downsides that are immediately apparent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benedwards64 Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 I work in sales for an IT reseller and have done for a couple of years now. It was a grad scheme so the basic is pretty low, but in my second year I took home a decent wage for someone my age (24) and it's looking good for the next year too. It's not necessarily the safest job to go into - attrition rates in the first year are very high, either people consistently fail to hit targets or find that sales isn't for them. You need to be very honest with yourself here - I'm assuming a lot of your job will be telephone-based, with face-to-face meetings as well? Consider how much you actually like talking to people on the phone, how good at it you are, and how well you come across to other people. If you're cold-calling, chances are you'll be speaking to people who get 10-15 calls a day and you really have to make yourself stand out to make any progress. You need to be thick-skinned, to - people often won't want to talk to you, but you need to win them round. I'm lucky where I am, because the customers I obtain via cold-calling I get to keep, so 2 years in my role is about 90% account management and 10% cold-calling. I had dabbled a bit in domestic sales a few years perviously, but otherwise this was my first taste of it. I don't want to put you off, mind. Sales can be a very rewarding (not to mention lucrative) career. If you're not hitting targets you want to be with a company that works with you to resolve any issues, rather than just stack the pressure on. As long as you're open, personable and articulate (you write very well, which puts you head and shoulders above about 90% of the population already!) you should be OK - you just need to be willing to get out of your comfort zone and push yourself a bit. It sounds like this is the sort of challenge you're after anyway, so I'd say go for it. Don't be put of by selling a service, either - companies are constantly reviewing service-providers so there's plenty of opportunity out there if your offering is up to scratch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Havard Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 I have been in sales for about 15 years and for ten of them I have been mobile, direct sales. You have to be organised and determined, wake up every morning and start a fresh if you had a bad day previously. I once did cold calling, door knocking for what is now Virgin Media. I lasted just over 4 weeks. I now sell pumps and technical equipment to contractors and get involved with design engineers. It isn't really a hard sell but you are always going to have the same customer base and if you shaft or lie to anyone, word soon gets around. There have been days where I have thought about jacking it in and others when I have thought it was the best job in the world. The free car, laptop and mobile phone also helps when you see how much other people have to pay to buy them. It's not for everybody and a lot give up prematurely. I have stuck with it and that was one of the best decisions I ever made. H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share Posted June 24, 2011 You need to be thick-skinned, to - people often won't want to talk to you, but you need to win them round. I'm lucky where I am, because the customers I obtain via cold-calling I get to keep, so 2 years in my role is about 90% account management and 10% cold-calling. I had dabbled a bit in domestic sales a few years perviously, but otherwise this was my first taste of it. Funny enough, the few people within the company who I trust to give an unbridled and unbiased opinion also used the same terminology: thick skinned. Don't take the rejections personally. Every day is a new start. Whatever happened yesterday is done. Also, the role here would also be the same as yours after approx two years: nearly complete account management, maintaining the customer you already have, rather than going out on the road in an effort to win more; simply because your portfolio gets to a point where the customers you already have account for practically all of your day. At the beginning it is about taking a few leads, starting a portfolio and winning people over, and that's the hardest part. I suppose once I have the knack of a sales meeting, adding to the customer base should become easier, which leads to more consignments taken on, giving more revenue, etc. I inted to speak to a few more people just to reinforce what I've already heard, then I think it'll be time to speak to my current manager, and then the sales manager here, about a prospective switch. We all have to start somewhere, I suppose. And if i'm totally honest with myself, I'd rather take a risk in gaining a potentially lucrative career than stagnating in my current position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Havard Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 If you don't have a go, nothing will change. Just be ready for some difficult days, they do get easier and experience in dealing with customers is everything. If you treat your clients as you would like to be treated as a customer, you won't go far wrong. Good luck. H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tDR Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Personally, I tried it and hated it, I now stick firmly to the pre-sales/consultancy side of things, no targets to get in a panic about. The thing with sales is that you either love it or hate it IMO, I deal with end users and resellers a lot and I enjoy helping get the massive multimillion pound deals(hell, I even get paid commision on them) but if it all crashes down, I don't lose out on money and I don't get some angry boss shouting at me and pressuring me to get more deals. Sounds like you have a similar job to me - who are you with? I've been in Pre-Sales for a few years working for a software vendor and mostly enjoy it, though we do feel the pressure of the number in our organisation but ultimately don't carry the can as the sales guys do. I'm a Technical Account Manager so a bit of a hybrid - my background was working as a consultant in data management / virtualisation / storage and before that an SE. Previously I clicked the buttons... Now I talk a good game, do high level solution architecture, proposal responses, quoting etc. I'm tempted by sales in this same company as it is even more lucrative with slightly higher base and the same again to be had in commission, but put off by the constant pressure and forecasting related activities. Cheers, Brian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted June 27, 2011 Author Share Posted June 27, 2011 If you don't have a go, nothing will change. At its simplest form, I think that is the conclusion I've reached. If I do nothing about it, I'll always be staring out of the window watching the established sales guys and girls walking to their shiny company cars and wondering "if only I'd taken the plunge". Better to regret something you did, than something you didn't do. And "what if" is one of the worst regrets to have. Time to have another chat with the sales manager, methinks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 My brother works in sales and he really enjoys it. To be honest, it's the perfect job for him. He could literally sell anything to anyone. He was always a hit with old ladies growing up and used to sell gardening services to them. That's when we knew he'd end up in that type of job. After college he started working for an internet security company - although he didn't have any experience he was really cheeky and asked the director of the company if he'd got the job based on his interview. The guy thought he could see potential and hired him. 6 years later he was the top seller and making A LOT of money in commission. He moved to Australia last year (travelling and just kind of stayed). He now works within sales for a company out there. I think it's like anything really - you've just got to suck it and see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Is it the fear of not knowing that is stopping you, or do you feel that you are not up to the job? You will never find out unless you try, give it a go, you never know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted June 27, 2011 Author Share Posted June 27, 2011 Is it the fear of not knowing that is stopping you, or do you feel that you are not up to the job? You will never find out unless you try, give it a go, you never know To a point, yes - it's a jump into the unknown, and like most others I am my own worst critic and tend not to believe in myself as much as other people might. I don't think that is a bad trait per se, but for sales it could be a hazard as quite a bit of the job is based on bravado. And I don't believe for a second that you simply MUST have the gift of the gab, talk the talk, whatever you want to call it. I'm sure there are other people like me in sales who are just prepared to get their head down, get the job done to the best of their ability and do it honestly and efficiently. I fully intend to follow all this up with our sales manager, who spent an hour last Friday evening telling me it would be a bit of a coup for her to get me into the team (an hour she could have spent tackling the evening rush hour traffic at the Dartford Crossing), so maybe I should read something into that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippyboyo1 Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 been in sales for 10 years 4 of them on the road as a rep/account manager.give it a go ull soon find out if its not for you.cold calling is the hard part,just got to take all the "no thanks" with a pinch of salt and find the yes's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted June 27, 2011 Author Share Posted June 27, 2011 been in sales for 10 years 4 of them on the road as a rep/account manager.give it a go ull soon find out if its not for you.cold calling is the hard part,just got to take all the "no thanks" with a pinch of salt and find the yes's I quite like the idea of going out on the road, meeting potential customers and putting the case across, then successfully building up the business they put through us and managing the account, building relationships etc, simply because I like to take pride in what I do at work; on the other hand I'm acutely aware of the risk involved in taking a leap into the unknown. But nobody was ever successful without taking a calculated risk or two. The general consensus away from this forum seems to be "man up, you fool - you'll be fine". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creative Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Im in real estate. I started out in sales and hated it! It just wasnt for me. There were alot of kickdowns day in, day out and i hated trying to convince somebody i didnt really believe in myself! I quit sales and moved into property management. It was better but got tired of stupid landlords! I then had the chance of moving into business devolpment and havent looked back! I only have to convice people why we are good..... Can deal with that thanks! Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesy Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Ive worked in media sales for 11 years now. It can be the best job in the world when your out on the road meeting clients And securing massive campaigns. It can also be absolute sh!thouse when targets and deadlines are piling up all around you!! Working in advertising sales can be tricky as you dont have a tangable product to sell, youre just selling 'space'!! But id say give it a go mate, if u like talking to people, enjoy negotiating and pitching to people you'll love it. My passion for media sales is growing thin now and maybe soon will be looking at what else is out there, but id say try it out for yourself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted June 29, 2011 Author Share Posted June 29, 2011 It can be the best job in the world when your out on the road meeting clients And securing massive campaigns. It can also be absolute sh!thouse when targets and deadlines are piling up all around you!! Working in advertising sales can be tricky as you dont have a tangable product to sell, youre just selling 'space'!! But id say give it a go mate, if u like talking to people, enjoy negotiating and pitching to people you'll love it. My passion for media sales is growing thin now and maybe soon will be looking at what else is out there, but id say try it out for yourself That's what I'm beginning to think. Aside from the personal gain should I do well, I like the idea of going to meet new people and potential customers and being proud to represent the company and what it offers in terms of freight and logistics solutions. It'd just be nice to actually see the results of my work in terms of actual targets rather than just looking at my payslip every month and failing to be surprised because it shows the same numbers as last month. And the month before... I like to take pride in my work, and do the best that I can possibly do: I've gotten to a point now where I think I should like to see that reflected in what I am given by the company in terms of reward. I see some of our current examples of salespeople and it's horrible to admit, but I look at some of them walking to their company cars at the end of the day (particularly the one who looks like Fergal Sharkey) and think "surely if that pleb can do it, I must be able to do it, and better than him". All about bettering and improving myself and my career, really - what better time to do it than in time for hitting 30 years of age? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 So, have you spoken with the sales manager yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted June 29, 2011 Author Share Posted June 29, 2011 So, have you spoken with the sales manager yet? Since collaring her on Friday, yes. She was kind enough to give me a lever arch file containing the 13 week induction programme for new sales people, and I've agreed that I will study it to gain a more rounded knowledge of the role (my knowledge of freight forwarding stretches back to 1999, it's just the sales techniques I need to pick up); in return, she will, unofficially and off the record, give me first refusal when the next opening appears. It seems the lowest performing salesperson currently at our office is looking destined to be released (failed his three month probationary period), and the sales manager cannot see him lasting much longer; not a nice thing for her to say about one of her employees, but ultimately she has to put the company first, or it's her who has to face the questions from up high. It's a matter of learning the "theory" from the induction file, and biding my time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted June 30, 2011 Author Share Posted June 30, 2011 This is quite amusing, well it made me laugh anyway. I discovered today that the Fergal Sharkey lookalike mentioned previously in this thread had recently gone on holiday for two weeks; before he left, he made sure he called each of the customers on his portfolio and told them not to book any shipments while he was away because "they won't get dealt with as I'm not here". His customers, no doubt surprised and disappointed at the attitude, duly obliged and put their business elsewhere and his figures for the month didn't increase at all while he was away. In a sales position, where revenue and performance is paramount, that must be tantamount to career suicide... I'm beginning to think he won't last very long at all if that is how he looks after his portfolio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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