Escaping "Sales"
Discussion
I've been working in external sales for a few years now. I have a background in project management and field service, both electrical and IT fields.
The question is, what is next after sales? Is the answer just "More sales"? As that appears to be all anyone is interested in placing me for. I'd quite like a return to something a bit more operational, with proactive problem solving, but I don't seem to be considered for those roles.
What routes have people taken once leaving sales?
I'm quite keen on a change at the moment, and have been investigating positions abroad, unfortunately nothing has come of that so far. So, I'm very open to suggestions, apart from personal service type positions.
The question is, what is next after sales? Is the answer just "More sales"? As that appears to be all anyone is interested in placing me for. I'd quite like a return to something a bit more operational, with proactive problem solving, but I don't seem to be considered for those roles.
What routes have people taken once leaving sales?
I'm quite keen on a change at the moment, and have been investigating positions abroad, unfortunately nothing has come of that so far. So, I'm very open to suggestions, apart from personal service type positions.
TVR_Steve said:
I've been working in external sales for a few years now. I have a background in project management and field service, both electrical and IT fields.
The question is, what is next after sales? Is the answer just "More sales"? As that appears to be all anyone is interested in placing me for. I'd quite like a return to something a bit more operational, with proactive problem solving, but I don't seem to be considered for those roles.
What routes have people taken once leaving sales?
I'm quite keen on a change at the moment, and have been investigating positions abroad, unfortunately nothing has come of that so far. So, I'm very open to suggestions, apart from personal service type positions.
Technical sales? The question is, what is next after sales? Is the answer just "More sales"? As that appears to be all anyone is interested in placing me for. I'd quite like a return to something a bit more operational, with proactive problem solving, but I don't seem to be considered for those roles.
What routes have people taken once leaving sales?
I'm quite keen on a change at the moment, and have been investigating positions abroad, unfortunately nothing has come of that so far. So, I'm very open to suggestions, apart from personal service type positions.
I went from sales to running my own business. You aren't the first person to have struggled to escape.
TVR_Steve said:
Louis Balfour said:
Technical sales?
I went from sales to running my own business. You aren't the first person to have struggled to escape.
Thank you for the encouragement. My current role is technical sales.I went from sales to running my own business. You aren't the first person to have struggled to escape.
The reason that some became stuck in sales was the money. They could not afford to change jobs.
I started my own business because I was about to lose my licence for totting up. It would have been the second time and I did not think the firm would support me. It spurred me to do something that I probably should have done anyway.
Strategy or Sales Leadership!
Pre sales - Is sales but strategy is sufficiently different. If you can cement a reputation for delivering on your number you could consiser training/coaching/leadership.
I’ve moved back into a more direct sales role as i was missing it bit i enjoyed the coaching role i had for a large sales force. I was just far enough disconnected that it wasnt my fault when it failed but close enough to still get comp.
Likewise selling Contact Centers/telephony. I really enjoyed the time in strategy until someone not as bright as me above me said No. hence i jumped ship and i am back (happily) in sales.
Reality when you’ve “done” sales you have typically moved about the org a bit, imho the best ones have anyway and you are ideal corp leader material. Onward and upward!
Pre sales - Is sales but strategy is sufficiently different. If you can cement a reputation for delivering on your number you could consiser training/coaching/leadership.
I’ve moved back into a more direct sales role as i was missing it bit i enjoyed the coaching role i had for a large sales force. I was just far enough disconnected that it wasnt my fault when it failed but close enough to still get comp.
Likewise selling Contact Centers/telephony. I really enjoyed the time in strategy until someone not as bright as me above me said No. hence i jumped ship and i am back (happily) in sales.
Reality when you’ve “done” sales you have typically moved about the org a bit, imho the best ones have anyway and you are ideal corp leader material. Onward and upward!
A natural progression from Sales is Marketing.... Sales being a function of Marketing.
Marketing itself is a very broad church with responsibilities ranging from the dull number crunching data analytics to the fun, sexy stuff like advertising and social media. Ultimately it's all about the commercial success of the company but with a more strategic emphasis. Sales people can make good marketers because they have been on the front line so know what's possible and what's not.
Marketing itself is a very broad church with responsibilities ranging from the dull number crunching data analytics to the fun, sexy stuff like advertising and social media. Ultimately it's all about the commercial success of the company but with a more strategic emphasis. Sales people can make good marketers because they have been on the front line so know what's possible and what's not.
Thank you for the replies and encouragement, I'll try to respond as best I can;
Although feel free to follow me on Instagram
Sporky said:
System design, away from the sales side? Or pre-sales if that's enough less salesy, and consider it the start of a diagonal shift.
My current role assists in design of overall systems to an extent, I don't think that it would be something to interest me in the long term.anonymous said:
[redacted]
More accurate would be "Technical consultant". I greatly enjoy going to site and problem solving. I dislike pressure from targets, KPI's and even relationship management can be wearing. vaud said:
Bid/tender management in a large IT services firm?
Soft sell (you aren't the sales lead but need to convey the right sales messages, etc), needs good PM skills (often hard to find), commercials, be adaptable, etc. Lower pressure than sales but can still earn good money.
This sounds interesting and I will look in to it as a path, thank you.Soft sell (you aren't the sales lead but need to convey the right sales messages, etc), needs good PM skills (often hard to find), commercials, be adaptable, etc. Lower pressure than sales but can still earn good money.
cavey76 said:
Strategy or Sales Leadership!
(snip).....(snip)
Reality when you’ve “done” sales you have typically moved about the org a bit, imho the best ones have anyway and you are ideal corp leader material. Onward and upward!
This is ideal. Operations interests me, and I do consider myself to be ambitious. I do not have a traditional foundation for higher management though, my path so far has been vocational and self taught. I am aware that not having a degree (Business management of otherwise) is restrictive for me.(snip).....(snip)
Reality when you’ve “done” sales you have typically moved about the org a bit, imho the best ones have anyway and you are ideal corp leader material. Onward and upward!
StevieBee said:
A natural progression from Sales is Marketing.... Sales being a function of Marketing.
Marketing itself is a very broad church with responsibilities ranging from the dull number crunching data analytics to the fun, sexy stuff like advertising and social media. Ultimately it's all about the commercial success of the company but with a more strategic emphasis. Sales people can make good marketers because they have been on the front line so know what's possible and what's not.
I appreciate the suggestion, thank you. I do not have the correct skillset or mindset for marketing. Marketing itself is a very broad church with responsibilities ranging from the dull number crunching data analytics to the fun, sexy stuff like advertising and social media. Ultimately it's all about the commercial success of the company but with a more strategic emphasis. Sales people can make good marketers because they have been on the front line so know what's possible and what's not.
Although feel free to follow me on Instagram
If you're in IT sales now, how about some sort of 'Solutions Architect' role? You get to leave the selling (and the targets) to others, while you're still working with customers to build a service/product etc that they need, plus looking at market trends, designing new services etc. SA's typically come from a mix of sales or technical backgrounds - might be useful for you?
TVR_Steve said:
<snip>
I am aware that not having a degree (Business management of otherwise) is restrictive for me.
<snip>
Just spotted this bit after my previous reply. Unless you're 21 and specifically applying for graduate roles, not having a degree will make literally no difference once you have some actual employment history. Practical experience and personality will be what employers are looking for I am aware that not having a degree (Business management of otherwise) is restrictive for me.
<snip>
I went directly from sales to becoming an RAF pilot. Sounds weird but I really enjoying selling but I could never have done it long term. I don’t know how salesmen last tbh, being a military pilot was pretty damn intense at times but selling was constant relentless pressure. Much respect to you…
seiben said:
TVR_Steve said:
<snip>
I am aware that not having a degree (Business management of otherwise) is restrictive for me.
<snip>
Just spotted this bit after my previous reply. Unless you're 21 and specifically applying for graduate roles, not having a degree will make literally no difference once you have some actual employment history. Practical experience and personality will be what employers are looking for I am aware that not having a degree (Business management of otherwise) is restrictive for me.
<snip>
It gets you on the shoulder whispering in the ear of the sales leaders and you are at the heart of the business.
Kudos to the RAF pilot above complimenting the ability to resist constant pressure that sales people display. I'd say that and being able to get on with people, not taking it too seriously and honesty are what have given me a leg up in sales. Dont be so sure you want to escape. Might just be the company?
20+ years in sales here. It's definitely not a career for those who don't handle pressure well, it's relentless and seeing your number reset to 0 every month can seem daunting. After a variety of roles (FMCG, advertising, print & copy) I've found my groove in IT for the last decade. I get to be as technical as I want and my customers like that they can pick up the phone to me and have a proper conversation; many IT reseller account managers just don't have enough knowledge across a broad range. I hold a number of the technical accreditations for the company I work for.
To use a boating analogy, once you get up 'on plane' over the water, it's great. You just have to keep remembering to keep working on enough at the top of the funnel to keep the pipeline topped up. And get used to losing - it still knocks me from time to time losing a major project (especially one where you've put a lot of time and effort in) but you can't win them all and sometimes it's for things that are out of your control.
One of the things I like is that no two days are the same, the people, projects and technology are always changing and it keeps you on your toes.
To use a boating analogy, once you get up 'on plane' over the water, it's great. You just have to keep remembering to keep working on enough at the top of the funnel to keep the pipeline topped up. And get used to losing - it still knocks me from time to time losing a major project (especially one where you've put a lot of time and effort in) but you can't win them all and sometimes it's for things that are out of your control.
One of the things I like is that no two days are the same, the people, projects and technology are always changing and it keeps you on your toes.
Edited by Funk on Monday 19th July 22:25
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