Five Steps to be Successful in a Sales Career

You have to take the bull by the horns if you want a promotion. Above all, always be assertive. Let your goals be known. Ask for promotions and opportunities whenever it seems appropriate. Here’s how to get yourself in the right position to make that move.

1. Take every opportunity to prove yourself. This means giving everything you’ve got.

   • Have the best attitude in the organization. Always be positive. And always be passionate about the organization, its people, and its products.
   • Take on as much responsibility and authority as you can and rise to the occasion. You may have to push yourself, but ultimately you’ll prove yourself worthy of the new roles.
   • Use the freedom you have in sales. Do things in your own time that will get back to the company, reflecting well on your commitment to the organization.
   • Do more than your job description requires. And keep a record of all you’ve done. Present these records at your next performance review. These new endeavors will be added to your job description. With a greater role comes greater recognition. You’ll be on your way up.
   • Lead by example in collaborative work. Give it your all and your team will follow your lead.
   • Step forward when others step back. Do that extra job; volunteer for that task force.
   • Share your strengths. Teach others. For one thing, you’ll learn from the experience. For another, you’ll be seen as competent and forward thinking.

2. Have a strategy.

   • Make a five-year plan. What do you have to do to get where you want? What stands in your way? Make a list of the obstacles and the things you have to do to get around them. Talk to your boss about how to achieve these milestones.
   • Track your progress according to the milestones you’ve set for yourself. Adjust your sights if things have gone astray or changed along the way. Always be moving in the direction you want to go.
   • Stay away from the conflicts that divide any office. There is no way to win these battles, and lots of ways to lose. But if you are going to be drawn in, make sure you pick the winner.
   • Don’t lose sight of the forest because you’re staring at the trees all day. Look for trends and patterns. That way you’ll know an opportunity when you see one.
   • Never rest on your laurels or stop learning. Keep taking courses. Share your knowledge with others. And ask others to share knowledge with you.
   • Don’t rely on your own self-evaluation. Look for feedback. Ask some important people how you are doing – and don’t argue with them if you hear something you don’t like. Just fix it.
   • Don’t get emotional. This is part of a long-term plan.
   • Remember, even if what you hear is criticism, there is advice hidden in there somewhere
   • Defend yourself only if your critic has got something dead wrong. Keep in mind that anything you say in your defense will sound like you have lost objectivity.
   • Thank the person for the observations – whether you agree or not
   • Learn from negative experiences. If you’re fired or demoted, don’t feel sorry for yourself or blame others. Figure out what went wrong. Then never do it again.

3. Surround yourself with people who are on your side.

   • Watch your boss. What are her priorities? Your boss wants to look good, just as you do. Help her out, and sooner or later your boss will do the same for you.
   • Keep your boss’s interests in mind. If there is a storm brewing, be the person to break the news to her. Your boss will appreciate the heads-up.
   • Know what your boss expects of you. That way you’ll never disappoint her by accident. And remember, if your achievements cannot be measured, they may not be perceived.
   • Make sure your boss knows your goals. Talk about how she feels things could work out and how you could go about achieving them. Ask for feedback and advice.
   • Don’t be stingy. If you have sales tips and leads that can help your colleagues, share them. Your peers will look up to you and see you as a leader.
   • Watch those who know what they’re doing and those who have accomplished those things you’re striving for. Learn from them and if possible ask someone you respect to be your mentor. When you face difficult decisions, ask someone who has been there before.
   • Keep your word. And always deliver more than you promise.
   • Look at things from others’ perspectives. What do you look like in the eyes of a client or customer? You may find that what you want is in conflict with what they want. Look for balance and you’ll have a more productive relationship.
   • Publicly thank those who have helped you. They will love you for it. And they’ll be eager to help you again.
   • Find ways to be successful without stepping on toes. The more people you turn into enemies, the more enemies you are likely to meet down the road. Learn to be gracious.
   • Don’t think of your colleagues as enemies or competitors. Put yourself in that role. You are the person who will make or break your career, not them. If you are working against your peers, you will find that they are working against you.
   • Don’t hide your ideas. If you have something to say, say it with enthusiasm. Leaders are people who clearly believe in what they are doing.

4. Become the person the company cannot live without.

   • Make yourself the go-to person by grabbing opportunities to do things others can’t or won’t. For example, you could be the most technologically adept. Or the expert on outsourcing. And when there is a crisis, be the person taking up slack. People will count on you.
   • Be an expert. If you do something remarkable (and you should), write an article about it. Show it to your boss and look for a suitable publisher. Your credentials are your ticket up the ladder.
   • Make the organization’s interests your own. Don’t waste or misuse resources. Instead, look for ways to make the company more efficient.

5. A few other things:

   • If you want to be a manager, dress like a manager. If you want to be VP, dress like one. Look like you belong where you want to be.
   • Pick your battles. Don’t take on projects that do not show your skills and knowledge to advantage. And avoid projects that are likely to eat up too much time and material.
   • Avoid any unnecessary risk of failure – go where your chances of success are best
   • Don’t sell yourself short by focusing attention on opportunities elsewhere. If the grass really is greener on the other side of the hill, go there. If not, buckle down and apply yourself where you are.