Career change to sales
Discussion
Hi everyone
I'm looking for a change. This change must include fairly decent earning potential and not need any qualifications as all I have are a handful of GCSE's, and 8 years experience as a technician in an engineering workshop environment.
I'm in that money trap now where I need so much to pay the bills so finding it hard to make the change, but I love a challenge, enjoy dealing with people and have really enjoyed what exposure I have had in sales in the past. A lot of the more junior sales roles offer training to enthusiastic candidates with passion but minimal experience which also appeals.
I'm starting by looking at sales in the side of engineering I currently work so I can use my experience if poss.
I have some questions which I'm hoping some sales bods could help me with..
Which jobs advertised are decent and which are Mickey Mouse, and how do you tell? I say this, because we've all seen those 16k basic 70k OTE ads out there, some of them scream scam! Others seem more realistic like 18k +commission etc.
How realistic are the OTE figures and are you likely with a reasonable amount of natural ability and effort to receive much by way of bonus and commission? I'm not looking for a get rich quick job here, I just want to be realistic about what's achievable.
I hear some stories about working outrageous hours and travelling non stop, and also some about working from home and having an excellent work life balance. If you would, could you please describe your work life balance and the pros and cons of your job for me?
Any comments welcome and thanks in advance for any constructive input.
I have arranged to shadow a reasonably successful salesman who's a family friend so that I can get a greater insight also in to if it's the right move for me. If not, I will look at other avenues but I'm hoping it'll be a good experience.
Cheers
Phil
I'm looking for a change. This change must include fairly decent earning potential and not need any qualifications as all I have are a handful of GCSE's, and 8 years experience as a technician in an engineering workshop environment.
I'm in that money trap now where I need so much to pay the bills so finding it hard to make the change, but I love a challenge, enjoy dealing with people and have really enjoyed what exposure I have had in sales in the past. A lot of the more junior sales roles offer training to enthusiastic candidates with passion but minimal experience which also appeals.
I'm starting by looking at sales in the side of engineering I currently work so I can use my experience if poss.
I have some questions which I'm hoping some sales bods could help me with..
Which jobs advertised are decent and which are Mickey Mouse, and how do you tell? I say this, because we've all seen those 16k basic 70k OTE ads out there, some of them scream scam! Others seem more realistic like 18k +commission etc.
How realistic are the OTE figures and are you likely with a reasonable amount of natural ability and effort to receive much by way of bonus and commission? I'm not looking for a get rich quick job here, I just want to be realistic about what's achievable.
I hear some stories about working outrageous hours and travelling non stop, and also some about working from home and having an excellent work life balance. If you would, could you please describe your work life balance and the pros and cons of your job for me?
Any comments welcome and thanks in advance for any constructive input.
I have arranged to shadow a reasonably successful salesman who's a family friend so that I can get a greater insight also in to if it's the right move for me. If not, I will look at other avenues but I'm hoping it'll be a good experience.
Cheers
Phil
Sales can be very financially rewarding, as long as the OTE is reasonably achievable and the accelerators are in place to incentivise further. This is something you need to examine at interview and don't be afraid to ask.
I moved from Accounting to Sales last year, and it was the best moves I ever made but only because the sales role was related to accounting and all of my 20yrs experience was able to be leveraged for the products I am selling. Key is making sure you have a knowledge and/or passion for the product/solution you are selling so that you can be more credible with prospects.
One thing that surprised me, and why I mention the interview above, is how sales environments are so money motivated. That might sound strange but coming from back office roles where interviews and conversations never seem to touch personal compensation, at my interview it was all about how much you can earn, what car you can buy, how much x earnt last year etc. It's all they care about. That's why it should be something you can approach easily during the interview.
The best compromise with sales is of course a decent base salary, with 100-150% OTE on top. If you're looking at 18k with an extra 52k as commission (70k OTE), i'd say that's not a great ratio and puts additional pressure on the selling part. Don't forget that you also are unlikely to hit targets early on and so you need to judge if you can live on the base salary for anything up to 6 months. A lot of sales is keeping existing clients happy and you don't get paid for that bit usually.
ETA: I went from a 9-5 job to something that is far less flexible, so W/L balance can be compromised a little. I am on occasion working late closing deals and answering emails at weekends so that I meet client demands. It's part of the job as you're never really out of contact.
I moved from Accounting to Sales last year, and it was the best moves I ever made but only because the sales role was related to accounting and all of my 20yrs experience was able to be leveraged for the products I am selling. Key is making sure you have a knowledge and/or passion for the product/solution you are selling so that you can be more credible with prospects.
One thing that surprised me, and why I mention the interview above, is how sales environments are so money motivated. That might sound strange but coming from back office roles where interviews and conversations never seem to touch personal compensation, at my interview it was all about how much you can earn, what car you can buy, how much x earnt last year etc. It's all they care about. That's why it should be something you can approach easily during the interview.
The best compromise with sales is of course a decent base salary, with 100-150% OTE on top. If you're looking at 18k with an extra 52k as commission (70k OTE), i'd say that's not a great ratio and puts additional pressure on the selling part. Don't forget that you also are unlikely to hit targets early on and so you need to judge if you can live on the base salary for anything up to 6 months. A lot of sales is keeping existing clients happy and you don't get paid for that bit usually.
ETA: I went from a 9-5 job to something that is far less flexible, so W/L balance can be compromised a little. I am on occasion working late closing deals and answering emails at weekends so that I meet client demands. It's part of the job as you're never really out of contact.
Edited by Jefferson Steelflex on Wednesday 8th November 08:56
Most jobs advertised in sales with 10/90 splits are s
t to be honest. They're going to be brutal and most people likely last 6 months (ie probation period) and either leave or get fired.
Likely you'll never make that kind of money unless you're also brutal and just dont give a fk about anyone.
t to be honest. They're going to be brutal and most people likely last 6 months (ie probation period) and either leave or get fired. Likely you'll never make that kind of money unless you're also brutal and just dont give a f
k about anyone. Hi Phil,
To follow up my last post, in engineering at least there are a lot of sales roles that aren't too commission-based. I have a decent salary and we get a bonus based on how the company does that year, but it's not like "you sold item x, 5% of that money is yours"
I find of sales roles it's also better because you're also selling something that can solve a person's problem. Sales is naturally targets-driven, depending on how reasonable they are can affect how you find the job.
There is a website called Just Engineers that might have something.
I don't know if this is the kind of thing you're aiming for? http://www.justengineers.net/job/sales-engineer-95...
I've travelled round the world with my job. it can be difficult, depending on your home situation and how partners/kids deal with being left on their own for a week or two. But then again I've seen places you couldn't pay to see.
I think the 18k+52k OTE jobs are really for B2C (Business to Consumer) sales jobs, the what I'd consider more sensible salaries and targets jobs tend to be business-to-business. It's the difference between trying to blag 1000 grannies to spend a tenner each with you (which is where being very typically salesman-y comes in) and selling one £10,000 piece of equipment as part of a larger contract, which is a bit more out of your control.
But it depends on your outlook, you may well love the cut-and-thrust of closing the deal every day using your wit and charm, etc.
Feel free to email me if you have any more questions.
Dan
To follow up my last post, in engineering at least there are a lot of sales roles that aren't too commission-based. I have a decent salary and we get a bonus based on how the company does that year, but it's not like "you sold item x, 5% of that money is yours"
I find of sales roles it's also better because you're also selling something that can solve a person's problem. Sales is naturally targets-driven, depending on how reasonable they are can affect how you find the job.
There is a website called Just Engineers that might have something.
I don't know if this is the kind of thing you're aiming for? http://www.justengineers.net/job/sales-engineer-95...
I've travelled round the world with my job. it can be difficult, depending on your home situation and how partners/kids deal with being left on their own for a week or two. But then again I've seen places you couldn't pay to see.
I think the 18k+52k OTE jobs are really for B2C (Business to Consumer) sales jobs, the what I'd consider more sensible salaries and targets jobs tend to be business-to-business. It's the difference between trying to blag 1000 grannies to spend a tenner each with you (which is where being very typically salesman-y comes in) and selling one £10,000 piece of equipment as part of a larger contract, which is a bit more out of your control.
But it depends on your outlook, you may well love the cut-and-thrust of closing the deal every day using your wit and charm, etc.
Feel free to email me if you have any more questions.
Dan
I work in defence sales and my commissionable element is 30% of my basic salary. Whilst it’s a relatively low multiplier, the overall compensation is extremely good. I run a team of 4 people, selling various things into emerging markets throughout Asia, Middle East, Africa and Latin America and we are consistently flat out.
The travel itinerary is pretty formidable (e.g between now and Christmas, I am scheduled to be in 14 countries over 3 continents, starting tonight with a flight to Australia) as most of the end user engagement has to be face to face for security reasons.
Sales can be a superb career, but it is a career ruled very much by the heart and emotions. Very few other jobs present you with such euphoric highs and terrible lows. Go into it with your eyes open and figure out how achievable the targets are; anyone can offer telephone number OTE’s and set unattainable quotas...
EFS
The travel itinerary is pretty formidable (e.g between now and Christmas, I am scheduled to be in 14 countries over 3 continents, starting tonight with a flight to Australia) as most of the end user engagement has to be face to face for security reasons.
Sales can be a superb career, but it is a career ruled very much by the heart and emotions. Very few other jobs present you with such euphoric highs and terrible lows. Go into it with your eyes open and figure out how achievable the targets are; anyone can offer telephone number OTE’s and set unattainable quotas...
EFS
Edited by schmalex on Friday 10th November 14:50
A couple of things spring to mind, here.
Firstly, stop giving a toss about "meeting people" and start caring about money. Sounds callous, but I've never met an altruistic sales director. I have met an awful lot of extremely wealthy ones.
Secondly, a realistic OTE will double your salary. If your base is £18k, anyone talking about more than £35k with £40k as a stretch in Y1 is yanking your chain. You see this a lot in recruitment, offering fresh grads a six-figure OTE with a £20k base. It's nonsense.
On the subject of recruitment, it might be a decent way to go. Plenty of BD exposure, lots of training with the right firms and the chance to stay in your engineering space.
Alternatively, if you live in or near Chester, I might be able to offer you a foot in the door (a long shot, I know).
Firstly, stop giving a toss about "meeting people" and start caring about money. Sounds callous, but I've never met an altruistic sales director. I have met an awful lot of extremely wealthy ones.
Secondly, a realistic OTE will double your salary. If your base is £18k, anyone talking about more than £35k with £40k as a stretch in Y1 is yanking your chain. You see this a lot in recruitment, offering fresh grads a six-figure OTE with a £20k base. It's nonsense.
On the subject of recruitment, it might be a decent way to go. Plenty of BD exposure, lots of training with the right firms and the chance to stay in your engineering space.
Alternatively, if you live in or near Chester, I might be able to offer you a foot in the door (a long shot, I know).
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