Your sales job is needed?
Wait, I’m sorry, I meant your sales job is needed!
You, of course, make a difference every day. It’s others whose jobs aren’t necessary.
For example, do I need to be greeted at Walmart? I admit, whenever one of their pleasant, blue-vested employees accosts me, I feel special. Still, did I need that shot of goodwill? Not sure.
Here’s another job to consider. Some NFL teams now have a coach-like dude follow their head coach around during the game and gently restrain him from walking onto the field? In action, these men look like they’re giving the coaches a quick hug from behind. Presumably, this human restraint system prevents penalties. The Rams head coach has one. Probably others too.
In both cases, someone somewhere decided it was worth paying a person to do these things. And then, light years away, there’s you – fighting competitors and customers to earn your right to stay employed. Where’s the fairness?
Still, as much as we salespeople complain about impossible sales goals, they’re more comforting than one more serious alternative – not being needed. That’s the nuclear option that we hope management never uses.
What if they no longer need my territory, sales team, or product line? And if we go down the rabbit hole even further: What if my experience is obsolete? What if my industry is going down the tubes?
Heck, all of these adverse outcomes CAN happen. To a company’s balance sheet, every one of us is a liability. We’re all an investment in the future. And not unlike a stock, the price someone’s willing for us is a statement about our value in the future. If our company no longer sees value in our future, they no longer see value in us.
So, what if your future no longer looks bright?
All too often, we respond by fighting, not just for sales but for legitimacy. If we can’t find enough qualified leads, we stuff more into our funnel. When the boss is in town, we take them only to see our best, most eager customers. All to prove we are indispensable! Nevertheless, when our job’s no longer viable, we’re still let go.
Here’s what you should do instead. Don’t cover up or avoid reality. If you do, you’ll at best end up keeping a job that leaves you frustrated and bored. Eventually, the truth comes out. Do you want to be the sales rep with a promising territory who didn’t deliver or the hardworking rep who’s territory just wasn’t viable.
There may be less glamor in the second choice, but it’s the right one. Your value is not in the potential of your product or territory. It’s in you. Your experience. Your skills.
And guess what? These are the things that follow you wherever you go.