Recently I identified 5 Reasons Sales is the Greatest Job on Earth. While sales may be the greatest, it is by no means the easiest job! Here, then, are the top reasons sales is the toughest job on earth. Check my list below, and then weigh in with your own thoughts by taking Carew’s Mentor Poll*:*poll now closed
6 Reasons Sales is the Toughest Job on Earth:
- Time Management – Sales professionals have a lot of latitude in how we spend our time, but with that freedom comes responsibility to be disciplined and focused on the most important (vs. easiest) tasks.
- Facing Rejection – The frequency and regularity with which sales professionals encounter rejection requires a unique level of resiliency and self-motivation.
- Customers are Never Satisfied – Customer expectations have never been higher, and are reflected in a prolific “what-have-you-done-for-me-lately” attitude. This can be difficult and even disheartening for sales professionals seeking to exceed customer expectations.
- Getting to Decision Makers – Identifying and accessing the appropriate decision-maker is essential, but can be equally elusive.
- Work Follows You Home – Gone are the days when physically leaving our office signaled the official end of our work day. Mobile communications have enabled around-the-clock sales response and fueled customer expectations for the same. The result is our home and office life melding into one, and upending our life/work balance in the process.
- Complexity of the Sales Role – The complexity that makes our job incredibly interesting also makes it very challenging! Sales effectiveness requires mastery of both functional skills and interpersonal skills, and it’s an extremely broad spectrum.
These my picks for the biggest sales challenges; now tell me yours by participating in this week’s Mentor Poll. In the coming weeks, we will take a closer look at each of our readers’ top sales challenges, and give suggestions for overcoming them.