Finding the perfect sales job

Finding the perfect job can be a life long journey. For those that don’t know, sales people tend to be jumpy and look for new career paths frequently. While out in the field sales reps run across a lot of companies and a lot of other sales reps. Frequently the grass will look greener on the other side. Reps change jobs in hopes of better salary, better support, more leads, and more perks. But those criteria should all take a back seat to my top reason to change jobs.

I am fortunate to have worked with a lot of brilliant people and Ken Kumpe is probably the most insightful person I have ever met. I would like to pass along a lesson he taught me about searching for new opportunities and what to look for in a company. I remember vividly eating wings for lunch with him when he said, “Eric, when looking for a new opportunity don’t concern yourself with the income, benefits, and other details – focus instead on the people. Once you have found a company where the people fit, all the rest will come.”

It took a while for it to sink in, and he had to tell me it a couple of times (Hey, I never claimed to be bright!). I found what he said that day to be really powerful because when you find yourself surrounded by the right people you will find success. Think about it for a bit… the right people means you will be happier at work. Happiness means you are being treated fairly, the products/services rock, your boss is honorable, and co-workers feel the same.  Because you are happy your sales will improve. Ultimately, the company becomes a place made up of successful people.

The problem though is how do you find this situation before you are actually employed with the new company. Here are some suggestions to help you on your quest for the perfect sales job.

• Talk to current and past employees. With LinkedIn and other social networking sites there are many ways to get a hold of current employees. Use these tools to get an inside feel to how the company operates and runs. If possible try to get an interview with a current sales rep.
• Talk to their customers. This might be a little more difficult as most companies will not publish their book of business. But again, using social networking sites like LinkedIn you can look for referrals to find contacts. Once you get a hold of someone you can typically determine if the company is a well oiled machine or not.
• Trust your gut. During the interview process you will get a feel for whether or not it will be a good fit. Try to look past all the sales mumbo jumbo they are telling you to get you on board. Get down to the important details like employee turnover and sales revenue for current reps. I can guarantee a sales rep will not be leaving the company if the company is treating them right and helping them become the best they can in sales.

Some warning signs I would keep an eye out for:

• Interviewer allows interruptions. This one absolutely baffles me how an interviewer will allow interruptions during an interview. No way would they tolerate you taking a phone call, and you should not tolerate them taking one. This is a huge red flag in many different aspects and may mean your potential boss is a micro-manager and/or disorganized.
• High employee turn over. This is a no-brainer but it essentially means the company is poor at evaluating talent and has too high of expectations (which leads to firings), or cannot support their sales reps with a good product/service (which leads to employees leaving).
• Employer is really focused on your book of business, not you. When coming into a new company with expectations of bringing your book of business they only care about that business. In most cases you will be disposable to the company if your book does not follow you. These situations tend to be short term solutions and I would advise against joining a company because they want your book of business.
• Non-compete agreements. I understand the premise of a non-compete and the goal to protect the company’s customer list, but the best protection is to create an environment where the sales rep will not want to leave. If a sales rep does not have a non-compete the employer will be more apt to treat the sales rep fairly and provide what is necessary for them to succeed. I would suggest of being wary of any company that requires a non-compete and to never sign one.

This is a slow process, and it is best to handle this while you are working for a company you know to not be a great fit. If you are desperate for income and work you are not able to be as picky for the company you work for. I would love to hear comments for other sales people out there and lessons they have learned from working for different companies.  If you love or hate the company you work for tell us why so other reps can learn.