Buddy
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Who is in outside sales, what do you sell, and is there good money in outside sales?]
Cardboard Boxes
Id like to pick your brain about that line of work, I have been in the field as a medic for the past 14 years, I always thought about device sales for a part time or supplemental job to break up the monotony of running the same calls over and over againMedical devices - great living
Currently VP of global sales at an American company that sells TV/ film equipment.
Outside sales - the last frontier where all you have to do is be good at it - no degree needed in anything, and a a degree in anything means nothing.
Its also mostly fungible meaning if you are good over here- you almost always be good over there.....
A good gig at a hot and growing company can set you up for life- or you can do everything right and utterly fail.
Aside from a few starter jobs all I hav ever done is sell things starting retail, b2b inside sales, then working to outside sales, to a manufacturers rep, then to a manager, then a VP. I was a MOP at 30 from selling high ticket items.
Most of my guys clear 200K every year with sane work and travel hours. Its work though.
"Sales guy" stigma is a uniquely retail thing - a pro sales guy/ gal is every clients friend and trusted advisor.
You are basically an information broker and key to expidited company resources.
UD
"Sales guy" stigma is a uniquely retail thing - a pro sales guy/ gal is every clients friend and trusted advisor.
You are basically an information broker and key to expidited company resources.
UD
Great Post.
Another thing I forgot to mention is Time Management. Time is my biggest Enemy.
Currently VP of global sales at an American company that sells TV/ film equipment.
Outside sales - the last frontier where all you have to do is be good at it - no degree needed in anything, and a a degree in anything means nothing.
Its also mostly fungible meaning if you are good over here- you almost always be good over there.....
A good gig at a hot and growing company can set you up for life- or you can do everything right and utterly fail.
Aside from a few starter jobs all I hav ever done is sell things starting retail, b2b inside sales, then working to outside sales, to a manufacturers rep, then to a manager, then a VP. I was a MOP at 30 from selling high ticket items.
Most of my guys clear 200K every year with sane work and travel hours. Its work though.
"Sales guy" stigma is a uniquely retail thing - a pro sales guy/ gal is every clients friend and trusted advisor.
You are basically an information broker and key to expidited company resources.
UD
Great Post.
Another thing I forgot to mention is Time Management. Time is my biggest Enemy.
UD -
Do you sell actual film equipment - cameras, etc, or systems for editing, rendering, video capture, etc? Or Yes?
"Sales guy" stigma is a uniquely retail thing - a pro sales guy/ gal is every clients friend and trusted advisor.
You are basically an information broker and key to expidited company resources.
UD
Time.... it's really all we have.
Its every sales pros nemesis.
Guys working for public companies live their lives in 90 day cycles. (make the quarter)
Guys working at small companies live in 30 days cycles trying to beat last years month.
You know this but guys that are new to the gigs have a hard time understanding the hallmark of a pro isn't simply selling - it's forecasting what he's going to sell and when- then hitting it.
I've gone back and forth between high dollar items 500K-2.M+ and little items 500-15K- but 10K a month of them.
When a 1.5M sale slides from one quarter to the next its not usually possible to make up the slip.
UD
He is correct on this.
If your customers think of you as a Salesman, you have already lost that customer..
My Customers.. honestly are not my customers, they are my friends.
It doesnt start out that way, but a Pro Salesman, develops that relationship. I know my customers wife's or husband's name, their kids names- genders/sports they play, where they vacation, hobbies, interests, sports they watch, charity's, dog or cat person, religion, vegetarian, etc etc etc.
Once you get to know people at that level, then when they have a problem and come to you, then you have a problem and want to help them. And you drop everything you can, and help them solve that problem... by the way, you just made $$$.
When you get to that level its not sales, truly it isnt. Its business management, and your business partners happen to be your friends. And you are looking forward to taking them fishing on San Diego bay next week... ohh by the way your son/daughter better be there, its time for him to catch his first fish....
Thats the difference between a used car salesman and a PRO.
I’m a strategic account manager for medical imaging devices, software and contrast for the largest player in the market. I only have 5 accounts but they total big $$$$ in annual spend, so they need lots of attention. I also have a team of sales reps that sell at the local level.
Best term I’ve ever heard for a good outside salesman is a “broker of resources”.
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My VP of national sales says "Execution is a discipline, not an event." at the end of every call.
Medical devices - great living
The Harvey McKay method !
Book - How to swim with the sharks without getting eaten.
66 question every sales person should know the answers to.
He is correct on this.
If your customers think of you as a Salesman, you have already lost that customer..
My Customers.. honestly are not my customers, they are my friends.
It doesn't start out that way, but a Pro Salesman, develops that relationship. I know my customers wife's or husband's name, their kids names- genders/sports they play, where they vacation, hobbies, interests, sports they watch, charity's, dog or cat person, religion, vegetarian, etc etc etc.
Once you get to know people at that level, then when they have a problem and come to you, then you have a problem and want to help them. And you drop everything you can, and help them solve that problem... by the way, you just made $$$.
When you get to that level its not sales, truly it isnt. Its business management, and your business partners happen to be your friends. And you are looking forward to taking them fishing on San Diego bay next week... ohh by the way your son/daughter better be there, its time for him to catch his first fish....
Thats the difference between a used car salesman and a PRO.
Time.... it's really all we have.
Its every sales pros nemesis.
Guys working for public companies live their lives in 90 day cycles. (make the quarter)
Guys working at small companies live in 30 days cycles trying to beat last years month.
You know this but guys that are new to the gigs have a hard time understanding the hallmark of a pro isn't simply selling - it's forecasting what he's going to sell and when- then hitting it.
I've gone back and forth between high dollar items 500K-2.M+ and little items 500-15K- but 10K a month of them.
When a 1.5M sale slides from one quarter to the next its not usually possible to make up the slip.
UD
So true.
A great number of my clients are also good friends.
I've lost count the number of lifelong friends the profession has allowed me to come into contact with.
I spent fathers day weekend in Havasu with my buddies from NBC.
I dont so much have a problem with car sales guys because of their chosen vertical
I have a problem with them because are so bad at what they do they drag down the whole profession.
Its rare they even know their own product.
UD
Interesting thread. I've been in Real Estate for almost 20 years now. Residential and commercial. I've been offered sales positions here and there by customers and people I run across. Latest one is an aftermarket OEM wheel company. I'm always open to new opportunities. I tend to be a relationship person and enjoy the on going friendship and value I can provide. It's hard to do that in real estate though.
I did sell two homes (One is California & one is Phoenix) from Austria this week.
I always thought being a good outside sales person was. Be a good golfer and at swiping credit cards...but I am just construction scum...
Yep, thats all we do...
Well not all, we do have to drink alot beer with customers also....
Its suxs, but someone has to do it... might as well be me...
IF IT WAS ONLY THAT SIMPLE... I would be a billionaire by now.
We're always looking for good Sales Guys. Like I was saying when we texting a few weeks ago, let's do lunch sometime.
The credit card swiping is a reference to lunch and copious amounts of beer consumed. I really do believe it's more than I said, but I know for a fact that I am not wrong about the golf part. I've actually always been interested in outside sales, but never pursued it.
So you're saying there is a chance for me, I've never played golf before, but I do drink beerI hate to be the bearer of bad news...... but in my industry.... golf is practically no more...
20 years ago... I was evaluated on how many rounds of golf I took customers to per month... 3x was good... 2x was bad and I was calibrated.
Today, Millennials dont plan, more senior guys, just dont have the time.
I honestly play about 1/year lately, and thats is with the same customer, and it typically on a 3 day weekend... Say monday on memorial day... something to that effect...
But thats my industry, not all are the same...
He is correct on this.
If your customers think of you as a Salesman, you have already lost that customer..
My Customers.. honestly are not my customers, they are my friends.
It doesnt start out that way, but a Pro Salesman, develops that relationship. I know my customers wife's or husband's name, their kids names- genders/sports they play, where they vacation, hobbies, interests, sports they watch, charity's, dog or cat person, religion, vegetarian, etc etc etc.
Once you get to know people at that level, then when they have a problem and come to you, then you have a problem and want to help them. And you drop everything you can, and help them solve that problem... by the way, you just made $$$.
When you get to that level its not sales, truly it isnt. Its business management, and your business partners happen to be your friends. And you are looking forward to taking them fishing on San Diego bay next week... ohh by the way your son/daughter better be there, its time for him to catch his first fish....
Thats the difference between a used car salesman and a PRO.
I've got a couple of busy weeks ahead of me. I'm flying somewhere over the Great Lakes currently. August/September I'll take you up on that. Cheers!
Interesting. A buddy of mine is a VP for Fuji film. His guys sell imaging, software, etc
I hate to be the bearer of bad news...... but in my industry.... golf is practically no more...
20 years ago... I was evaluated on how many rounds of golf I took customers to per month... 4x or more was awesome, 3x was good... 2x was bad and I was calibrated.
Today, Millennials dont plan, more senior guys, just dont have the time.
I honestly play about 1/year lately, and thats is with the same friend/customer, and it typically on a 3 day weekend... Say monday on memorial day... something to that effect...
But thats my industry, not all are the same...