6 Reasons to Change Your Software Sales Job
Here at LivRecruit, we often meet bright, high-potential candidates who have been unhappy in their software sales role for a long time, and only come to us for a new opportunity when they can’t bear it anymore.
In a candidate’s market, like we’re enjoying at present, there’s little reason to keep suffering in a job when there are so many IT sales vacancies out there that could present an exciting alternative.
Here are 6 reasons you should change your software job—including one for all you high achieving salespeople out there who may be not even thinking about moving roles!
1. You’re not being developed.
Perhaps your manager has cut training budgets, or you’re not being sent to the latest software conference. Either way, your company is not developing you.
This is no excuse to stop building your sales skills of course, as you should be always developing yourself through emulating others, practising different pitching techniques, and poring over software magazines and blogs to elevate your industry knowledge above that of other salespeople.
But the fact that your company has stopped investing in your development and stopped coaching you, (or perhaps never did at all) is the number one indicator that this is not an organisation that will support you to become the best you can be.
This is their loss. Sales candidates are in high demand, so you owe it to yourself to move to a company that values their salespeople throughout their career.
2. You don’t have confidence in the product you’re selling.
How can you be expected to sell with confidence and passion, if you don’t believe that the product you’re selling is worth buying? They say a great salesperson can sell anything, but over time, selling an inferior product is exhausting.
No matter how hard you try and mask your discomfort with the product quality, your doubt will inevitably filter through to the customer, and you’ll convert fewer sales.
As Steve Jobs said, ‘The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.’
The successful salespeople find a product they can believe in, and then use this confidence to sell with authority and ease.
3. There’s no way to climb the ladder or maximise your income.
You took your first software sales role eager to learn and accepted a low base salary in return for this experience.
However, since joining the organisation, it has become clear that there’s no clear path for promotion, and that your salary isn’t increasing in the way you expected and the bonus schemes available aren’t currently making up for the short fall.
Perhaps the employer took you on with lofty promises of bonus increases or intensive training but has failed to deliver. It’s crucial to take notice of these signs and act before you get stuck in a career rut.
While the entry-level experience has been valuable, it’s time to move on to bigger and better things.
4. You dread going to work.
Software sales is a really exciting field, and the atmosphere of a competitive but friendly sales team is a great thing to be a part of when the culture is right.
But perhaps your workplace is not like this?
Maybe it’s because the company culture is negative, or your manager doesn’t like you and has allocated you a territory that no one has ever nailed. Either way, you’re dragging yourself to work each day, and watching the clock tick by until you can leave again.
When you lose enthusiasm, as we all know, it will dramatically reflect in your sales figures, so it’s important to address your situation quickly.
5. You’re not in the right kind of software sales job.
When you’re new in software sales, it can take a little while to know what kind of ‘seller’ you are, and what kind of IT sales role you’ll, therefore, thrive in. It might even take a few different roles to work this out. So don’t be shy to move around and experiment to find out where your talents lie.
Perhaps you’re currently in a fast-paced role where you’re required to hit high targets on transactional sales when in truth you’re more of a value-based seller whose skill is to build longstanding relationships with clients.
Or maybe you excel at selling disruptive new software, and you’re feeling a little underutilised simply managing an account where you only have the option to sell a suite of established products in a saturated market.
Even the highest performing salespeople in one type of selling will often fall flat in another. You have to know your strengths and weaknesses as a salesperson, so if you’ve discovered that you’re not on the right path, it’s time to move.
6. You’re doing well. Really well.
This may seem counterintuitive- after all, most people leave their jobs when they’re unhappy, or there are obstacles in the way of their performance, right?
Well, that’s true, most people do. But that’s not necessarily the best time to negotiate a better opportunity. It’s when you’re hitting targets and full of confidence that you’re actually in the prime position to make an upwards move. You have the most precious commodity in the sales world under your belt: momentum, as well as some pretty impressive stats to wow your prospective employer with.
Don’t wait until things stagnate to move. Move when things are going great. Chances are, you’ll be offered some stimulating opportunities by companies who see a bright future in you.
Next Steps ?
If any of these areas ring a bell for you, it’s likely time to consider your options. Here at Livrecruit our team have been placing software sales people for over 17 years. To get in contact call us on 0161 883 2856 or email us here.
Best of luck!
Nikki