Sales Executive... slightly more positive

On my last post I went after management for throwing a fresh faced SE to the wolves of the cold and cruel world. A world full of cold calling, leading chasing, and "No Solicitation" signs. Let me clarify the emotion of the post. I love to see young, hungry salespeople make it happen in their respective fields. Just like I enjoy seeing a rookie NFL quarterback start a Hall of Fame career. However, if you follow the NFL these days, there have been some great young quarterbacks that have been asked to take on to much, to early in their careers. Whether it be lack of experience, a bad front line, or poor play calling, there have been some marque names fizzle out like a damp bottle rocket. Potentially great sales reps die off because of their experience within the first three to six months on the job.

As a veteran sales person, my heart goes out to inexperienced sales reps who are given a list of accounts, a box of business cards, and marginal product and sales training. Unlike the aforementioned NFL rookies who grew up in the sport and attended top tier universities to sharpen their skills, there are very few college courses that teach prospective sales people the art and science of sales. It is one of the few fields that has no higher learning support. With that stated, the next generation of sales executives have to take accountability for their future as well; especially the pandemic of piss poor grammar and spelling (STOP TEXTING SO DAMN MUCH!!!).

Luckily the new generation of professionals have more access to quality free resources to supliment their skill development. It has gotten better over the past few years with the growth and reach of sites like Linkedin, which has a wonderful community of dedicated sales professional. I recommend that sales people of all ages and experience levels should look into groups like; Sales Best Practices, Sales Gravy, Sales Play Book, etc. No longer do we have to troll through endless pages of the next great sales strategy... we can be part of a community of dedicated sales professionals.

One of the primary goals of this blog and the supporting services my team are looking to offer is an independent development program for individuals and companies looking to acquire, grow, and retain excited sales professionals.