For most of my career I have been involved in technical product sales. This is an ever changing market with some serious training challenges. Train a sales staff on a product today to only have that product change drastically next month and your efforts negated. This is one of the reasons why I believe that true sales success can never be based on product knowledge alone.
As a member of this elite group I thought it might be time to voice a slightly prejudiced opinion on the subject. I have always, and am currently; self training, putting in long days, and I always become the “go-to” guy for answers and solutions. I am a highly competitive sales producer and wrap my arms around the latest in technologies and offerings to help me win. So why is there hesitancy to hire a senior sales professional? Isn’t this the prerequisite of the ideal candidate typically? Am I so different? Are you?
You just went through the painful process of interviewing for a new sales manager position and have finally scored a great position. Throughout the process you made promises and presented your capabilities persuasively. Now you’re sitting at your new desk and you realize it’s time to put your money where your mouth was. Oh crap!
You receive an email from your direct manager that you’re up for a annual appraisal of your work. Heart stops, anxiety sets in. The dreaded day comes and the performance reviews begin. You soon realize that any disagreement with what is being said is futile no matter how empathetic the manager sounds. Survival mode ensues and a “I just want to get through it” mentality takes over. Sound familiar?
