We’ve received a few requests recently from those at the start of their sales career, maybe a couple of years in, looking for advice on how to progress to the next level.
As a result, here’s a handy 10-point list of real world advice to help. Like always, this is just our perspective, so do seek other opinions as you plan that all important next step. Ready? Here we go…
1. Decide What Progression Means for You
It is a common occurrence in the sales workplace that people talk about opportunities for progression. It comes up in many settings, starting with interviews (“I’d like to work somewhere with the chance to progress”) and often in one-to-ones or general conversation. Whenever faced with this type of talk, I tend to turn the question back on the ambitious salesperson: “What does progression mean to you?” You see, what progression means is different for each of us, depending on how we tick.
For you it may be linear progression – the more traditional career path. Salesperson becomes Senior Salesperson, becomes Sales Manager, becomes Sales Director and so on (my career path was very similar to this). It may be purely fiscal – progression may mean growth in earnings (and you shouldn’t assume this goes hand in hand with linear progression – some of the wealthiest and most satisfied people in sales organisations are excellent Sales Executives with no management responsibilities).
Outside of management or monetary progression there are others: progression into a specialism, progression to autonomy, progression to creativity and the freedom to try new routes to market. Alternatively, progression could mean a change of role (and there are many in Sales as listed here), such as moving to Field Sales from Inside Sales (or vice versa) or into Account Management from New Business Sales, Global Sales from National Sales, etc. It could also mean an expansion of experience as you sample variety within the Sales world.
Before exploring How To Progress, you need to give all of this some serious thought. It is your Sales brain that needs stimulation, challenge and progression and you are best suited to really reflect on what this means to you.
2. Make It Known That You Want to Progress
Once you’ve decided what Progression means to your sales career (and it is OK to have conflicting thoughts on this – your opinion will no doubt evolve over time) you need to tell someone about it!
Unfortunately, the Sales world can be dominated by talkers not thinkers. This sometimes means that very capable people get over-looked for progression because their ambition goes unnoticed. In excellent organisations with mindful leaders this is less frequent, but it is sound advice to plan for the worst case scenario. So, regardless of whether you are intro- or extro- verted, make your thoughts known.
This achieves a few things. First, you get to test the words. By articulating your ambitions out loud you get to see how they taste, challenge your own thinking and see how your brain reacts. Do you really believe what you are saying? If so, your assessment of your ideal path is probably accurate. Second, if the person you talk to is a line manager or leader within the organisation you can be sure to put yourself into their thinking. Note, this isn’t the same as a meaningful progression conversation with a manager which we cover below.
Third, if the person you talk to is a peer, family member or friend you get to see how they react. They start to see you in your next level move, they may give friendly advice and their support may be useful (if you get negative advice but you still passionately believe in your goal then ignore it – what do they know!).
Finally, you kick-start the wonderful law of attraction. This is the strange phenomenon that the more you talk (or even think) about something, the more likely it is to happen. The reality is probably that you become more attuned to spotting opportunity or setting many other brains looking for opportunities on your behalf. A powerful and under-utilised tool.
3. Establish a Position of Strength
This is a little obvious, but when discussing your next move, it is advised to do so from a position of strength. If you were recruited to achieve a specific outcome for your employer it is a good idea to make sure you achieve it before requesting your next move.
This helps you to establish a reputation as someone who delivers. My own career was linear up the ladder but at each stage I focussed on building a reputation for being a reliable performer. If your business needs you to achieve a revenue or profit number, make an impact in a vertical market, improve success rates on an outbound campaign, improve demand-generation leads, whatever it is – make sure you do it. Proving that you are dependable and consistent goes a long way to opening opportunities for progression on your terms. In summary, earn the right.
4. Agree a Plan with Your Manager
While you’re working diligently to establish a position of strength, schedule a meaningful career discussion with your manager. It is worth requesting a dedicated meeting on the topic, even if you have scheduled 1-2-1s, so that you can be sure their whole focus is on your career progress.
Explain the type of progression you are interested in and ask for their advice on how to get there. If they are a good leader the conversation should be very useful in helping you understand the practicality of your ambitions. They’ll also share a realistic time-frame and what you need to do to get there. However, if the conversation doesn’t go this way try and raise some of the following points to fully explore the possibility:
- If you hadn’t raised your progression ambition how would they see you career progressing? (flushes out any disconnects and potentially gives you new food for thought)
- Is there a possibility to shadow someone doing the role you desire so that you can experience it and they can assess your fit?
- Can you agree a timeline for transition (even if months/years away) so that you have something to work towards?
- If yes, what milestones and achievements could you agree to keep the plan on track?
- What events may scupper the progression?
- Can you agree regular review points for feedback?
The aim of the meeting should be emerging with either a clear progression plan, a commitment to building a plan or the understanding that progression may not be possible for you in that organisation.
5. Discuss With a Mentor Too
Of course you should be mindful that a manager may have a bias. This may not be coming from a bad place, it could simply be that it might suit them to keep you in your role for a little longer (especially if you are delivering good results). They may not be that experienced at coaching career progress. Therefore it can be good to talk with a mentor that isn’t your line manager.
This person could be external to your organisation, another leader within the organisation, a coach or advisor from your network, anyone really whose opinion you trust and is not responsible for your immediate management. Try and have a similar discussion with them to the manager conversation. What would they do in your shoes? Do they have relatable experience that can help? This will all help you plan and take tangible action to move forwards. They may also give good advice for your next conversation with your manager.
6. Check the Career Path Actually Exists
It is of course entirely possible that your desired progression is at odds with what is possible at your current place of work. If linear progression appeals but your company has a flat hierarchy, opportunity will be limited for you. You may wish to diversify into a specialism that doesn’t exist in your work-place. You may require an income level that is out of kilter with what your employer pays (or even the market dictates). So do your homework. If the path isn’t available to you the only choice may be to seek employment elsewhere.
If this is the case, be sure to fully discuss progression opportunities at interview stage with your next employer. This will help you avoid being in the same situation down the line.
7. Talk With Those Doing the Job You Want
If your manager does grant some shadowing time with someone doing your desired next role, great! However if this isn’t possible it would still be worth booking some time with them to explore how they find it. You could offer to take them for a coffee or lunch and ask some questions that will help you prepare. What are their experiences in the role? The thing they like the most? Is there a down-side that isn’t immediately obvious unless doing the job? What is their planned next step (worth looking further down the career path if you can)?
You’ll get an entirely fresh perspective on the role. This will help you be more mentally prepared for what is to come and also check if it really is the right move for you. For example, an unintended consequence for me as my career has progressed is that roles get progressively lonelier. There is no need to get the violins out, there is a lot to enjoy! It was just something I wasn’t initially prepared for. In Sales we are used to playing as a team, camaraderie, bustling environments, etc. The more senior your role becomes, the less interaction you have. Factors like professional distance come into play with former team-mates, fewer peers work at your level who understand your profession, etc. It can be quite isolating.
I love what I do and the above consequence was unexpected but manageable for me. It may not be for you. So taking the time to talk to people in the shoes you wish to fill is vital.
8. Avoid the Management Trap
As we explored in the first point, progression can take many exciting forms. Yet for too many people, it is just about a move into management. Stop. Ask yourself: Do you actually want to be a manager? This is really important. The Sales profession is awash with people who were excellent salespeople and bad managers. Being a good salesperson is not a pre-requisite to being a good leader.
Good leaders are interested in coaching, helping and sharing knowledge. Good managers are usually great organisers, able to divide tasks well across a team to achieve good outcomes. Great managers understand people, recognise that everyone is different and support them as individuals. They are also prepared for a crucial mental shift as they move into leadership: prioritising the success of their team over personal return.
This isn’t for everybody. If you just want to earn more, change how much you sell, what you sell or how you sell. Management does not equal untold riches. It can offer more salary security, but that is a different thing to total earnings. Please, if you wish to move into management do it for all the right reasons so that those who end up working for you benefit from your support and inspiration.
9. Focus on Outcomes
Sales is all about delivering outcomes – for our customers and our employers. It is about presenting great solutions to sometimes challenging problems and making a difference. None of this changes with career progression in Sales.
Therefore, a good way to show your employer you are ready to progress is demonstrating you would continue to deliver great outcomes in your new role. It may seem silly, but you could start to act (not arrogantly!) like you’ve already made the move. For example, if looking at management, begin considering wider company implications and talk openly about these when working on deals. Looking at the specialist route, try and weave some of that into your current working to show that you already have knowledge you could apply. You get the idea.
Businesses are interested in having self-sufficient people. Through your initiative and self-development you can show that you would be self-sufficient in your next role. In turn this should improve your chances of progression. There are many good books, forums, networks and people out there for you to learn from outside work time, to show you are ready to get to the next level in work time.
10. Be Realistic
This is a final, quick and simple point – be realistic. Progression opportunities are linked to many things. These include previous success, experience, company strategy, timing, competition for the same role or global influences (at the time of writing the coronavirus pandemic is likely to have limited many progression opportunities). Some of these things will be obvious to you and others won’t. It doesn’t mean you are doing anything wrong and it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep trying. If you focus on many of the above points, progressing your career is inevitable, the only variables are when and where.
Summary of our 10 Sales Career Progression Tips:
- Decide What Progression Means For You
- Make It Known That You Want to Progress
- Establish a Position of Strength
- Agree a Plan with Your Manager
- Discuss With a Mentor Too
- Check The Career Path Actually Exists
- Talk With Those Doing the Job You Want
- Avoid The Management Trap
- Focus on Outcomes
- Be Realistic
Hopefully you’ve found these tips on how to progress your sales career helpful. Like any aspect of professional life, sales career progress can be planned. Here at The Humble Sale we wish you all the best for many successful years ahead, although we’re confident you have it all in hand…
Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels
