Part IV – Navigating the ups and downs of a career in sales

“All of life is peaks and valleys. Don’t let the peaks get too high and the valleys too low.” – John Wooden

Dear Shawn –

It’s great to see that you have found your passion engaging with people and a career in sales. You are waking up excited about the day ahead and inspired about the opportunity to solve problems. In terms of results your first few years have been quite successful hitting your quota and exceeding the expectations of the organization. You have also done a great job in building key relationships with those around you to help challenge and support you on a day-to-day basis.

All that being said, it’s clear the last few months have been hard on you. Prospecting has been tough; deals are fewer and far between and the sales cycle seems longer than ever. These factors have not only impacted your earnings, but also your confidence. Some days you can’t help but ask yourself “what am I doing wrong?” and “why is it so hard to find success?”

After 25 years in sales let me share some advice that was given to me from a friend, Chris M. that I met early in my career. I remember meeting with him on a patio in the summer at a time when I was feeling defeated after a few tough quarters and feeling unsure of how to turn the corner and find success. He offered the following advice –

1) “Don’t allow yourself to get too high on the highs or too low on the lows” – A long career in sales will be like a Charles Dicken’s novel, illustrating the best of times and the worst of times. While your actions and behaviors will be strong factors in your success there will also be times when factors outside of your direct control turn the tables. You must manage your emotions ensuring that you give yourself credit and be proud when you find success but also give yourself a break when times are tough. Remember to celebrate your wins, reflect on what drove your success and also what your key learnings were in order to refine your process for the future.

2) “Trust your Process” – Successful sellers like you have a process and patterns in how they run their business, interact with their customers, and manage their extended teams. It’s important to document and internalize your sales process so that you and your extended teams know what is expected of them and what they can expect from you. Be consistent in the process not letting it slide after a good quarter and resisting the urge to overhaul it through a tough quarter.

3) “Build your brand and measure your success in your customer relationships” – People buy from people they trust. Building your personal brand is a critical part of any career so be very diligent about the relationships you build and how you nurture them over time. Don’t ever let your financial goals cloud your judgement and always put your customer’s needs first. Ultimately the long-time value of a customer always outweighs achievement of a quarterly sales target.

4) “Live on your OTE, build a future with your over achievement” – Manage your earnings carefully. Do not scale your lifestyle based on a record quota achievement year. Instead, build your life based on your on-target earnings (OTE) and when your success grants you upside, invest that to retire debt and lower your cost of living or to save for the future. Remember to always put some of your overachievement earnings aside to help you manage through a few tough quarters.

With these few tips you will build emotional resilience allowing you to have a more prosperous career.