So, you’re looking for a new sales gig. (Or you’re in a sales job and you’re wondering if it’s right for you).
I have heard so many horror stories this week about people in the wrong sales environment that I just had to put together a bit of a primer for finding the perfect fit for YOU!
Before we start though. Check out this event: Your Job Search Goes Social with Sima Dahl I am attending and I want you to consider it, too. Sima is even offering the event FREE to people who are unemployed – on the honor system. She is clearly about making a difference!
Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/
So , we’re going to make this the week of finding your dream job. Here’s our five step primer to getting you the right gig for you.
Monday: Doing the Due (Diligence, that is)
Tuesday: Finding the right boss
Wednesday: Show me the money (How do you want to get paid?)
Thursday: Investigate, Investigate, Investigate
Friday: Accelerating Onboarding and Ramp Up
Are you ready to get started?
Doing The Due (Diligence)
The first and most important thing you must realize is that YOU are important. When a person takes a job, it is the same as being in business for yourself with ONLY ONE CLIENT. I want you to be sure that this client is going to be a good fit and help you achieve your goals. Your time is incredibly valuable and you will be spending most of it taking care of this one client. Know what you are getting into.
Doing the Due requires:
Flexibility
I encourage you to have enough flexibility to seek out the right position. This may mean that you work an “interim” job as you find the perfect job. It is too, too tempting to jump at the first offer if you do not have flexibility. If you are married or with a domestic partner, have a sit-down with them about what they can count on from your job search and what you can do in the meantime to keep the cash flow at an acceptable level.
Right-Sized Thinking
It’s not easy for us to stand back and truly look at ourselves and evaluate our abilities. We are often likely to downplay our abilities and skills, or sometimes even worse, aggrandize what we are capable of to match a job description.
As Shakespeare said, “Know thyself.”
I have found that “knowing thyself” often requires a bunch of input from others who know me, too. Ask friends, former employers, colleagues, business people in your industry, what they find most compelling about you and what they see are your greatest talents. Just listen. You will find out how you are perceived and perception is everything!
When you are right-sized in your thinking, the dream jobs will be so much more obvious when you run across them.
Knowing What You Want
This can be the trickiest of all. If I said to you, “You can have ANYTHING you want, just ask me”, would you be able to say what that is?
Most people know an awfully lot about what they DON’T want, but have never taken the time to sit down and be disciplined enough to say what they DO want. Give it a try!
You may find that you say things like “Well, I don’t want to travel that much.” STOP yourself. That is a DON’T WANT. Only write the things that you DO want. Hint: It helps to do this exercise with a good friend.
OK – now that we know the game we are playing this week, we will dig into all the parts of Doing your Due (Diligence) over the rest of the week. Getting you all set for landing the IDEAL sales gig for you.
Love Yourself UP!
The Irreverent Sales Girl