5 Great Things to Know if You've Lost a Sales Job

Losing a job involuntarily at any time isn’t fun. Been there, done that and have the emotional scars to prove it. Losing a job due to company cut backs during a tough economy is even worse. And if you’re a sales person there might not be a silver lining, but there is good reason to have a lot more hope for your short and long term future prospects than the average worker.

After all, you see it on the news quite often. Job cuts, unemployment rising, and right now the economy is, despite what a lot of us would like to believe, still consuming jobs at an alarming rate. It’s arguable whether we are pulling out of the recession or not. To some economists it’s arguable as to whether or not we ever pulled out of the down turn created by the Dot Com bubble nearly a decade ago. Still, the headlines on TV and in the paper tend to focus on the labor force and the manufacturing jobs at the hardworking all American companies who produce the goods and services our economy consumes. Yes, I know those are the larger numbers and it makes for better headlines and helps to sell papers and advertising. In most cases though, the news of the day never mentions and systematically seems to forget guys and girls who make the cash register ring and the shipping departments bustle. No matter how you explain this oversight, perhaps the truth of the matter is that people in the sales force are in a better position than the average non-sales person who loses their job.

The other day while talking to a friend, who has been in sales and executive leadership positions for the better part of the past two decades, he made the following statement. “There are a lot of really great people out there who are really hurting; people I never thought wouldn’t be able to find a good job.”

We both went on, stating how grateful we are for the jobs and security we have. It was one of those things that really makes you think. It could have been any of us. Sure, a recession is a chance to cut some dead weight. Sorry to be cold about it, but it makes any sensible business look at improving efficiency and cost control. Perhaps these are things that should get done more often enough, but don’t with such a discerning eye when everything is going well. It also makes sales management look at people who are truly underperformers and forces us to make difficult and often unpleasant decisions. Though, this time around it’s not just folks that are below the proverbial sales line that have been affected. This time around the downward economic swing is hitting the top performers, the award winners, and the sales people who seem to have it all. Looking down the list of people who have knocked on my door looking for an opportunity in the last 10 months, there were some truly talented people. Sales people who were for years and years, bankable top performers.

That’s the bad news. It is what it is and there is no sense on dwelling on it now. It’s time to focus on the upside of the conversation. It’s time to take action. Whether you’re one of the unfortunate souls who are out on the street knocking on doors looking for work, or one of the lucky ones still gainfully employed, hitting your numbers and hoping to stay that way while knocking on doors looking for new sales.

The good news is this that:

1) Sales skills translate across companies and even industries much better than most of the labor force. Unlike Autoworkers, Electricians and Carpenters (who despite being skilled labor) has a very specific set of skills. An autoworker, for example, probably can’t walk out the door after losing their job and with a minimal learning curve become a Brick Layer. In sales though it’s different. If you’ve been a good student of the art and science of selling, then you know how to sell a variety of products and services even if you don’t realize you do. Think of how often you introduce a new product of service. You can walk out the door at one company and have not only the fundamentals required to be successful at another place, but that place doesn’t have to be limited to what you’ve always done. Changing industries can be intimidating, but take it down to the most basic level. Think about how you had to understand the nuances and the offer of what you were selling. So you might learn some new products, but the basics of selling are the same. Keep in mind that with industries they buying motivators and decision makes vary but the same fundamental skills apply. Find a customer with a need, uncover the pain, offer a solution that helps solve that problem and eases that pain.

2) Your Track record is a marketable quality – Awards are nice, but depending on who you talk to they may or may not matter. So be prepared to talk about how you won those awards and the type of things that helped you hit those professional heights. Be honest, but also be proud and take credit for what you have accomplished. I once had a rep that was showing me copies of his sales reports from a previous employer, which showed him at the top of the sales charts for months on end. When I asked him how he got there, he said “oh my account XYZ hit a buying cycle and drove the numbers over the top.” Me, in general not being an idiot, I realized from looking at the reports he had furnished me with, that someone else hadn’t sold more. Ultimately, he lost the opportunity to sell me. What I heard is the equivalent of he had won the lottery. Instead of the rep setting the stage with, “I had called on them for years and did the following things to get the business or I unhinged the incumbent supplier by doing…,” whatever the answer was. This individual gave me the impression that it was dumb luck and not sales skills. And when it came to hiring them, their dumb luck ended with me. So be prepared to discuss your accomplishments and really understand what you did to make it work. Did you grow a territory or set of accounts? Did you find new business at a greater rate than your peers? Be ready to hit the highlights and then if asked, provide the details and comparison of how you stacked up against the competition. Doing this will lay the foundation for why you will be successful in your next role.

3) You have an established network- So no matter what your circumstances, if you’ve been in sales and know your market and accounts you have an established network of people. So use your network of competitors, co workers, clients and even former clients to help you find openings. Don’t ask for work unless they are the hiring manager and have an open position, but do ask for referrals and opportunities. Practice good follow up and use each opportunity as a way to expand your own network. So guard your rolodex with your life, but use it to help others along the way. After all, you may be the resource a former customer calls to help them out if they are looking for a new gig as well. Unlike other people, it was your job to go out and meet people. If you’re like most good sales professionals, you met as many as possible, kept in touch with them and have a pretty good idea of who is where. Now it’s time to put those contacts to work.

4) Good Sales People are Hard to Find – Despite the down turn, finding people who can hunt business is always a challenge. Past greatness isn’t an indicator of future performance, but it sure helps. A great reputation in your industry and with your clients is invaluable. If you feel the sweat starting to form because you were a farmer and not a hunter, then it might be a little more challenging. But there are some other things to think about. Did you manage a challenging account or territory? There are a myriad of specialties within the general heading of sales person. Identify those unique skills and map out what type of companies might benefit from that perspective.

5) You know how to sell, so think about how to sell yourself. Look at how to job hunt just like you would how to find new business. It’s going to take a lot of contacts to find an opportunity, and it’s going to take several real opportunities to find a great opportunity. When times are tough those opportunities are even scarcer. It’s going to take more effort to uncover them and longer to close them.

Again, it’s not all sunshine and roses. But with a good plan and an open mind there is no doubt that just like in day to day business, where sales people through their actions and effort can control their own destiny, that when looking for work sales people on average are far better off when it comes to finding a new job. After all, finding new opportunities is a sales person’s profession.