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Career change into sales??? (1 Viewer)

ragincajun

Footballguy
I have been in Purchasing for the last 15 years or so.  I am not sure if I am getting tired of Purchasing or if I just am not enjoying what I am doing currently.  With that said I am contemplating a switch over to the sales / relationship management side.  One of biggest strengths is my ability to build relationships and ensure that people are taken care of or at least feel like they are.  With that said I am hesitant as I would essentially be starting over, etc.  Pointers or schtick?

 
Do what makes you happy.

If that's sales, go for it. Maybe find a way to dip your toes into the water w/o giving up what you currently have if possible. 

Good luck.

 
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Nobody really comprehends the pressure until you have a number on yourself or your team. Everybody thinks it so easy,  but there is a reason good sales leaders and salespeople are well-compensated.

If you believe you have the skills and can handle some pressure, the income will def be better than the purchasing side.

 
I was in sales for 20+ years and made very good money for the majority of that time. I stayed in it because a) That money, and b) I didn't know what else I could do. I eventually got to the point where I just said screw it, and went back to school. I just got to a point where I hated literally everyone, and would get physically sick to my stomach on Sunday nights when I knew that it would all begin again Monday morning. YMMV, but I just couldn't do another business lunch or golf outing and be able to look at myself in the mirror. And the upshot is that I really did believe in my product (still do).

 
So there are some aspects of Purchasing that I really do enjoy.  Part of me thinks I should just hang out until I find one of those types of positions.

 
I have been in Purchasing for the last 15 years or so.  I am not sure if I am getting tired of Purchasing or if I just am not enjoying what I am doing currently.  With that said I am contemplating a switch over to the sales / relationship management side.  One of biggest strengths is my ability to build relationships and ensure that people are taken care of or at least feel like they are.  With that said I am hesitant as I would essentially be starting over, etc.  Pointers or schtick?
Sounds like you are more interested in Account Management. There are AM positions that have some of the commision/income benefits of Sales but don't involve prospecting or closing. But instead of the unique skillsets of prospecting and closing you must have great follow up, problem solving skills, and a general service mindset.

 
I've done sales and can do sales, but I'm not a closer. I'm a technical sales engineer who builds relationships, builds trust, investigates your pain points, offers solutions to show value with no vapor ware and I try to close based on that. 

 
There are two types of workers -  those that have uncapped income (sales, business owners, executives with bonus/stock structures) and those that have capped income (8-5 jobs like acctg, IT, admins, etc).   I've done both and you can make a good living in both.  IT for instance obviously pays well.  But if you want to max out your $s, find a position where your income is not limited ...  like sales.  Sure there is pressure.  At times a lot.  But the hard work pays off IMO.

 
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Let me have your attention for a moment. So you’re talking about what? You’re talking about, #####ing about that sale you shot, some son of a ##### that doesn’t want to buy, somebody that doesn’t want what you’re selling, some broad you’re trying to screw and so forth. Let’s talk about something important. Are they all here? … Well, I’m going anyway. Let’s talk about something important. Put that coffee down. Coffee’s for closers only. Do you think I’m ####### with you? I am not ####### with you. I’m here from downtown. I’m here from Mitch and Murray. And I’m here on a mission of mercy. Your name’s Levene? … You call yourself a salesman, you son of a #####? … You certainly don’t pal. ‘Cause the good news is you’re fired. The bad news is you’ve got, all you got, just one week to regain your jobs, starting tonight. Starting with tonight’s sit. Oh, have I got your attention now? Good. ‘Cause we’re adding a little something to this month’s sales contest. As you all know, first prize is a Cadillac El Dorado. Anyone want to see second prize? Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is you’re fired. You get the picture?

 
Sounds like you are more interested in Account Management. There are AM positions that have some of the commision/income benefits of Sales but don't involve prospecting or closing. But instead of the unique skillsets of prospecting and closing you must have great follow up, problem solving skills, and a general service mindset.
This is exactly the job I’ve just accepted after having been in the legal field for 17 years.  My current job isn’t law, it’s client management.  I would have never entertained actual sales (I’m pretty certain that the phrase “cold calling” is a dirty one within that industry based on my soon-to-be boss’ reaction to me saying it). 

 
Sounds like you are more interested in Account Management. There are AM positions that have some of the commision/income benefits of Sales but don't involve prospecting or closing. But instead of the unique skillsets of prospecting and closing you must have great follow up, problem solving skills, and a general service mindset.
see, this I could do. I loved the travel, providing education, and problem solving parts of the job. I will at some point in the future be looking for that type of job. I will, however, never, ever carry a quota again.

 
Let me tell you my story now that I'm retired.  When I graduated from college in '81 I took a job in IT consulting with one of the Big 8 Accounting firms.  I was a programmer, sales consultant, customer support rep, IT Director, and then a Sales Rep.  After that I eventually moved back into IT management and ultimately ended my career after about 15 years as a VP of IT.

Of all the jobs I held, the Sales Rep job was the most fun and rewarding. I sold software systems/packages to large corporations and my income was limited only by my effort.  In my industry it was not uncommon for a sales rep to be one of the top paid people in the entire org.  It's not unheard of for a software sales rep to make in excess of $300K or more.  

And it was fun. I traveled to nearly every major city in the US, and many countries in Europe, and China and Australia.  When I traveled I had the budget to take my clients to the best restaurants and events.  It really was exhilarating.

My older son is majoring in IT and Supply Chain and I'm encouraging him to go into Software or Systems sales. Depending on the industry or market you're in, it really can be an incredible situation.

 
I switched to medical sales from IT health care after doing that 12 years.  I was 40 when I moved. I’m 50 now and make more than double I did in IT and absolutely love everything about my job. I say go for it!  Nothing worse than regrets in life. 
 

agree with the post above mine. IT or medical is where the money is. 300k is doable in either field (I know this first hand. If things work out I could top 500 in 2 years. LOOK AT ME) I was applying in both and just ended up here. Same company for 10 years. 
 

I travel when I want. My overseas travel is mainly Asia so I basically get an Asian vacation at least once a year. 
 

Heck I’m posting this from my hotel room in Anaheim CA. Here for a tradeshow. I live in MN where it was 10 degrees today.  It was 70 and sunny here.

 
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What kind of sales are you imagining here?

Nobody is quitting their career to sell used cars or vacuums door to door.
Feeling guilty?   :D

All sales.  Not all lies are large, life destroying ones....but they happen all the time.  Accept it.  Sales need to be closed and sometimes the truth needs to be bent a little bit.

 
Feeling guilty?   :D

All sales.  Not all lies are large, life destroying ones....but they happen all the time.  Accept it.  Sales need to be closed and sometimes the truth needs to be bent a little bit.
That wasn't my experience in corporate software sales.   Establishing relationships and trust was extremely important, but the real pros had no need to BS or lie.

 
Feeling guilty?   :D

All sales.  Not all lies are large, life destroying ones....but they happen all the time.  Accept it.  Sales need to be closed and sometimes the truth needs to be bent a little bit.
Not at all, BS and lies wouldn't fly in the operating room.

Nor would I imagine any professional level sales.  Lies and BS and bending the truth might get you a sale, they will definitely lose a customer.

Most professional sales are going to require you keep the customer, and thus the BSers and liars are weeded out fairly early.

 
That wasn't my experience in corporate software sales.   Establishing relationships and trust was extremely important, but the real pros had no need to BS or lie.
It is not rocket science:

  • understand the product/service you are representing,
  • understand what your customer is doing
  • talk to them about how your product fits into what they are doing
The lies and BS come out when you don't do the first two and try to do the third.  And you won't last long with this.

 
Feeling guilty?   :D

All sales.  Not all lies are large, life destroying ones....but they happen all the time.  Accept it.  Sales need to be closed and sometimes the truth needs to be bent a little bit.
For a short period of time my son was selling Medicare advantage plans. He felt like much of his job was to lie to, or take advantage of the confusion of, old people. He hated it and felt bad whether he made a sale or didn't make a sale. He now does medical coding and makes much less money but feels better about his job.

 
For a short period of time my son was selling Medicare advantage plans. He felt like much of his job was to lie to, or take advantage of the confusion of, old people. He hated it and felt bad whether he made a sale or didn't make a sale. He now does medical coding and makes much less money but feels better about his job.
That is hit and run sales.  If this is what people are referring to as sales.. OK.  Yes, this type of sales rewards manipulative efforts.  

This is very different from what those of us who are doing sales for a career are doing.  

 
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Depending upon the product or industry, sales can be great or a grind as a profession.  To @rajincajin, how difficult would it be to get back to your current job (perhaps different company) if you did take the sales job?  If sales does not work out, you should be able to get back into purchasing.

As for those who think sales people are slime, customers also lie, cheat and steal -- a lot.  There are good and bad people on both sides of the equation.  

 
20  years in sales now and most of it in the k-12 space. sales is not for everyone, for sure, but you'll learn a lot about yourself either way.

 
Feeling guilty?   :D

All sales.  Not all lies are large, life destroying ones....but they happen all the time.  Accept it.  Sales need to be closed and sometimes the truth needs to be bent a little bit.
I absolutely NEVER lie. Never. The relationship ship is way way more important than any sale. I would rather lose a million dollar project than lie even once to the customer. Better to be honest and get the next sale with them. I have sold to the same engineer multiple times as well as the same company multiple times. I never lie. I’d likely be fired if I did. 
 

Heck when I start a new project with the customer I tell them exactly what I just posted. 
 

Heck in the medical field jobs are plentiful. I just turned down a headhunters offer. 160k base, car and up to 80k bonus. 

 
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Feeling guilty?   :D

All sales.  Not all lies are large, life destroying ones....but they happen all the time.  Accept it.  Sales need to be closed and sometimes the truth needs to be bent a little bit.
it surely happens, but overall I think that you watch too many movies

 
it surely happens, but overall I think that you watch too many movies
Like I said, it's not always a straight up lie like "This will definitely be 7 inches" and you know it's only 5 inches.   :oldunsure:

A lot of times, it's something like....let's say a part has an average lifetime of 7 to 10 years.  The salesman will advise the potential customer that the part should get close to 10 years and never mention the lower possible 7 year lifetime.

Not hating but it is what it is.

Verstehen Sie?

 
Nobody really comprehends the pressure until you have a number on yourself or your team. Everybody thinks it so easy,  but there is a reason good sales leaders and salespeople are well-compensated.

If you believe you have the skills and can handle some pressure, the income will def be better than the purchasing side.
Is this true?  Because I never thought Sales would be easy.  Do people really think that?  I thought it was known that it can be cutthroat and stressful.  

 
Like I said, it's not always a straight up lie like "This will definitely be 7 inches" and you know it's only 5 inches.   :oldunsure:

A lot of times, it's something like....let's say a part has an average lifetime of 7 to 10 years.  The salesman will advise the potential customer that the part should get close to 10 years and never mention the lower possible 7 year lifetime.

Not hating but it is what it is.

Verstehen Sie?
Sir, I think I can help you out with this.  I've been selling my patented Sheik's Penis Ruler™ for over a decade on this site.  How about I put you down for a box?

 
Like I said, it's not always a straight up lie like "This will definitely be 7 inches" and you know it's only 5 inches.   :oldunsure:

A lot of times, it's something like....let's say a part has an average lifetime of 7 to 10 years.  The salesman will advise the potential customer that the part should get close to 10 years and never mention the lower possible 7 year lifetime.

Not hating but it is what it is.

Verstehen Sie?
I understand everything except Verstehen Sie

 
Depending upon the product or industry, sales can be great or a grind as a profession.  To @rajincajin, how difficult would it be to get back to your current job (perhaps different company) if you did take the sales job?  If sales does not work out, you should be able to get back into purchasing.

As for those who think sales people are slime, customers also lie, cheat and steal -- a lot.  There are good and bad people on both sides of the equation.  
From my experience, I went from an airline MRO engineering position where I was responsible for landing gear.  We were having issues with leaking seals.  The company I reached out to offered a solution that I implemented successfully.  I told other colleagues from other airlines about our success with the product which led to me being courted by the seal company.  I worked there a little over 3 years.  Allot of travel and self-induced stress (meeting quotas, sales numbers, customer visits, etc).  It was very easy to get back into the aviation MRO industry as my experience was very desirable in that market.  I had multiple offers on the table once I made the decision to look elsewhere outside of the sales realm.  

Sales had it's perks, and I was successful, but it just wasn't for me.  

I hope this helps you come to a decision and honestly, I would not have done a thing different.  It's all part of the learning curve figuring out your career goals and aspirations.

Good luck!

 
I am a great BSer.  I could easily get back into my current field with my network.  I could also easily get into the Procurement consulting side. Around MRO, etc.  I am in the industrial world so I was thinking Large industrial equipment, i.e. 7 figure purchases or the software side possibly with a niche supply chain software given my expertise.  I am not 100% sold on it as of yet as I really do love some aspects of Purchasing and am actually good at it.  I can BS with the best of them though.

 
I am a great BSer.  I could easily get back into my current field with my network.  I could also easily get into the Procurement consulting side. Around MRO, etc.  I am in the industrial world so I was thinking Large industrial equipment, i.e. 7 figure purchases or the software side possibly with a niche supply chain software given my expertise.  I am not 100% sold on it as of yet as I really do love some aspects of Purchasing and am actually good at it.  I can BS with the best of them though.
I call BS :bs:

 

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