Sales Jobs Vs. Sales Careers

It’s a Tuesday morning and I log in to email and there’s a note from one of the best Sales Managers I’ve ever known. So of course I open it immediately and not two minutes later I’m acting on his request to call him. Within a minute of the first hello the pleasantries are dispensed with and the topic of the day turns to the sales recruiter who called him and the upcoming interview.

“I’m not looking for Sales Job” he tells me and as the silence carries over the phone I try not to spit out my coffee wondering why then is he wasting his time when he adds “what I’m looking for is a sales career.” The words that came out of his mouth stunned me after all this guy has a top notch 20 plus year sales career filled with accolades and quota busting sales work to that many people would die for.

Well that sent me on quite the tailspin after all sales recruiting isn’t exactly booming in this economy, sales recruiters who ring me are often delusional as they try to lure me away from a solid pay check with new opportunities that have only a slightly greater chance of paying off than a lottery ticket.

We came to the conclusion no matter what the economic conditions whether it’s a less than stellar recession or a gangbusters boom cycle there are and always will be sales jobs. Even in those dire times if you look hard enough and have the luxury of time there are even great well paying sales jobs to be found.

Sales career though they’re different. Finding a position that becomes a sales career whether it’s carrying a bag, being a sales manager, or sales director takes time. It takes commitment, effort, and a network of people who know what you are looking for that are willing to help you.

On the surface the difference between a sales job and a sales career may not seem obvious but take just a minute to consider this. A Career is something you have passion for. A sales career is something that gets you out of bed in the morning with a sense of excitement, purpose and enthusiasm. You can’t wait to talk to customers and prospects, you have a deep seeded personal belief that what your are selling no matter how unglamorous is solving an issues, fixing a problem, improving the quality of someone else’s personal or professional life. You could be offering improved efficiency, adding security and peace of mind to their family situation. A career is something you’re proud of.

A sales job is just that, a job. It’s nothing more. It pays the bills. You show up and do what you have to accomplish whatever is necessary and nothing more. I hear it all the time a person who is one industry looking over at another saying I wish I went in to medical sales, I wish I was in software, Ahh those pharmaceutical sales guys have the best gig ever. If its money and opportunity that have you looking around I get it. Be careful because the grass isn’t always greener and sales teams seem to be filled with journeymen sales reps who never quite hit it big.

From this point out I’m going to ask are you looking for another sales job or a sales career? Because at the heart of that answer it really comes down to Passion vs. Paycheck. Of course if you do it right there is no reason you can’t have both.

John Cousins has over 20 years of corporate business to business sales experience. He a begrudging technology junkie, an over seasoned traveler, and regular contributor sales technology contributor to the The UnNatural Salesman and is currently doing data collection for the upcoming Sales Career Resource Guide

Tweet This Post