"Making the Transition to Sales can be Simple and
Rewarding"
March 3, 2004 - By Leslie Hensell
When Ashley Knee graduated from southern Methodist University in
1996, the technology industry seemed like the place to be. Yet after
working in public relations and marketing for several high-tech
firms, Mrs. Knee got laid off-twice in one year.
"After that
second lay-off, I decided that these doors are closing for a
reason," Mrs. Knee said. "One of my favorite sayings comes to
mind-history repeats itself, but opportunity does not."
So,
rather than seeking a position at another high-tech firm, Mrs. Knee
decided to try sales.
Two years later, she earns more than
ever and works by her own rules as an independent executive senior
sales director at Mary Kay Inc. She works fewer than 40 hours a
week, and her office is in her Plano home.
"I had never sold
anything before, but my background was in marketing, where I
developed materials to help sales people do their jobs, " Mrs. Knee
said. "Those skills translated very well into what I'm doing today."
She encourages other who've been casualties of the high-tech
down turn to consider sales, especially those with marketing
experience.
"Sales is nothing more than learning how to
develop relationships," Mrs. Knee said. "It's about making
connections with people. When you're marketing in the tech sector,
your job is to evaluate the products and services your company
offers and try to match those to your customers' needs. This is the
same thing, just with a different product."
Mrs. Knee isn't
the only person to abandon a stressful or unpredictable industry in
favor of a potentially more lucrative and rewarding opportunity.
"The transition is easier than you might
think, provided the person has an understanding of what sales really
is," said Maura Schreier-Fleming, president of Best@Selling, a
Dallas sales consulting organization. "It's not yakking, eating and
golfing a lot. It's serious business based on specific skills and
strategies. The skills you must have-or be willing to acquire pretty
quickly- are listening skills, persuasion skills and questioning
skills."
Consultative selling skills can be key as
well, said Kathy Willis, a sales executive for Provider HealthNet
Services, a Dallas-based supplier of information management
solutions to hospitals.
"In the past, you made one-time
sales, where you came in, sold something and were done with the
client," Ms. Willis said. "In today's environment, you have to
establish more of a cooperative partnership. You evaluate their
needs and determine how you can solve their challenges."
Although she held sales positions in the past, Ms. Willis
began her career in technology as a director of health information
management at St. Bernard Hospital in Chicago. Now, as a
consultative salesperson, she enjoys the variety of working with
multiple clients and learning how to solve a wide range of problems.
"With my background, I have a good idea of how processes
work," she said. "When you're in a health care environment, there's
a lot of pressure. The most rewarding part of what I do now is the
ability to go into a facility, with an understanding of the
challenges they face, and help to relieve some of that pressure."
Despite the bad reap that salespeople sometimes get in the
business community, sales is actually a "helping profession," said
Bryan Flanagan, director of corporate training for Addison-based
Ziglar Training Systems, a sales training consulting firm.
"Sales is an honorable profession," said Mr. Flanagan. "And
good repairmen and good salesmen never go hungry."
High-tech
pros such as engineers can easily translate their job skills into
sales positions, he said.
"If you've taken care of internal
customers, you can translate that into helping sales customers and
clients," Mr. Flanagan says. "If you know how to run meeting, then
you can handle sales meetings and presentations."
"People
coming from a non-traditional sales background need a process to
depend on, rather than relying on their personality. That really
takes the pressure off," Mr. Flanagan added. " Most high-tech people
embrace processes. They can confidently go to a potential employer
and say, give me a process I can sell."
Ms. Schreier-Fleming agrees. "While it's not essential
that someone be an extrovert to do well in sales, it is necessary to
have persistence and the ability to overcome disappointment," she
said. "Sales can be a long process, where focus and determination
play a large role. Engineers and other in high-tech careers are
great with understanding process, which is good fro the transition
to sales. Sales is just one more process to learn."
In fact, some high-tech employees who are not
extroverts may mistakenly assume they would not make good
salespeople.
"Engineers typically are
more introverted and are great listeners-a skill that I think is
crucial for selling," Ms. Schreier-Fleming said. "What I would
counsel both high-tech and health-care professionals transitioning
to sales is to ask them how self-motivated they are. Selling, even
when you are part of a team, really is a solo profession."
Salespeople must make their own
appointments, prepare presentations, follow up with clients and
coordinate the buying process. Plus, they must make a great number
of decisions themselves, she added.
That's just fine
with Mrs. Knee.
"Why am I going to continue working so hard
for somebody else when, at the end of the day, I am building
somebody else's wealth and not my own?" she said. "I'd rather work
for myself and be the one to reap the rewards."
