“I have been in sales for close to 15 yrs and recently had to take a medical leave (FMLA) to address a depression/Anxiety issue. My question is now that I'm on leave I do not want to go back to the same company (not a match for me psychologically) but am struggling to even begin a search b/c of my depression. Any suggestions?” anonymous
Anonymous, this is a very serious question. I am going to attempt to answer your question but you must know you are getting recommendations from a sales blogger and not a counselor nor psychiatrist. In previous posts I have talked about finding balance in the four primary areas of your life: business, personal, physical, and spiritual. I recommend you take advantage of your leave to focus on your personal (mental), physical, and spiritual health. A book I strongly recommend is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey. If you are struggling reading with your depression, I recommend getting the book on CD. I spend a lot of time in the car and find it easy to listen to books on tapes. Sales Guru Zig Zigler calls his car his Mobile University.
Before answering your job search question, I recommend you work with your counselors on determining what kind of sales position, if any, is right for you. I agree with you that if your company is part of your depression and anxiety, working for them, at any compensation level, is not worth your mental health. In sales, there is a lot of pressure to make numbers and sell quality business. In certain sales jobs there are external pressures from the company to make the numbers and for other sales people there are internal pressures to make commissions and be successful. These pressures can be yearly, quarterly, monthly, and in some cases daily to make the numbers. One reason sales people are typically highly compensated is because of dealing with these pressures.
Now onto your search, below is how I search for jobs:
Personal Networks / Referrals: I start with my professional network. I reach to out my contacts to let them know I am looking and to determine which companies are hiring (including their company) and get their feedback on industry (which companies are growing and who is struggling). Then I move to move to my extended network on http://www.linkedin.com/. If you are not on the social business network linked in, I recommend you create a profile and start reaching out to your contacts and who you have worked with at previous jobs.
Recruiters: I personally like working with recruiters, because their sales profession is filling jobs. In addition to helping you find a job, typically at no cost to you, they will give also give you a good update on what is going on in the industry. Be aware most recruiters will talk about jobs they have to fill versus finding companies for you. Because of this I recommend working with multiple recruiters.
On-Line Sites: Take advantage of the thousands of sales jobs posted on the web. I use: http://www.monster.com/; http://www.theladders.com/; http://www.careerbuilder.com/; and local newspaper’s websites (http://www.ajc.com/; http://www.boston.com/; http://www.latimes.com/; etc.). Also, create auto searches and profiles on the popular jobsites to get updates.
Quantity and Quality: It takes a lot of hours to find a new job. I recommend you find a balance between quality and quantity with a focus on quantity. A good problem to have is multiple job offers.
Anonymous, good interviewing. Let us know your job search goes! Reader Feedback, please click the comments below to give ‘anonymous’ additional information on 'Job Searching’ and I want your feedback on my response. Shaun Priest aka CloserQ.
Anonymous, this is a very serious question. I am going to attempt to answer your question but you must know you are getting recommendations from a sales blogger and not a counselor nor psychiatrist. In previous posts I have talked about finding balance in the four primary areas of your life: business, personal, physical, and spiritual. I recommend you take advantage of your leave to focus on your personal (mental), physical, and spiritual health. A book I strongly recommend is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey. If you are struggling reading with your depression, I recommend getting the book on CD. I spend a lot of time in the car and find it easy to listen to books on tapes. Sales Guru Zig Zigler calls his car his Mobile University.
Before answering your job search question, I recommend you work with your counselors on determining what kind of sales position, if any, is right for you. I agree with you that if your company is part of your depression and anxiety, working for them, at any compensation level, is not worth your mental health. In sales, there is a lot of pressure to make numbers and sell quality business. In certain sales jobs there are external pressures from the company to make the numbers and for other sales people there are internal pressures to make commissions and be successful. These pressures can be yearly, quarterly, monthly, and in some cases daily to make the numbers. One reason sales people are typically highly compensated is because of dealing with these pressures.
Now onto your search, below is how I search for jobs:
Personal Networks / Referrals: I start with my professional network. I reach to out my contacts to let them know I am looking and to determine which companies are hiring (including their company) and get their feedback on industry (which companies are growing and who is struggling). Then I move to move to my extended network on http://www.linkedin.com/. If you are not on the social business network linked in, I recommend you create a profile and start reaching out to your contacts and who you have worked with at previous jobs.
Recruiters: I personally like working with recruiters, because their sales profession is filling jobs. In addition to helping you find a job, typically at no cost to you, they will give also give you a good update on what is going on in the industry. Be aware most recruiters will talk about jobs they have to fill versus finding companies for you. Because of this I recommend working with multiple recruiters.
On-Line Sites: Take advantage of the thousands of sales jobs posted on the web. I use: http://www.monster.com/; http://www.theladders.com/; http://www.careerbuilder.com/; and local newspaper’s websites (http://www.ajc.com/; http://www.boston.com/; http://www.latimes.com/; etc.). Also, create auto searches and profiles on the popular jobsites to get updates.
Quantity and Quality: It takes a lot of hours to find a new job. I recommend you find a balance between quality and quantity with a focus on quantity. A good problem to have is multiple job offers.
Anonymous, good interviewing. Let us know your job search goes! Reader Feedback, please click the comments below to give ‘anonymous’ additional information on 'Job Searching’ and I want your feedback on my response. Shaun Priest aka CloserQ.
Comments
I could not agree more with your assesment. Sales is not for everyone, and being able to deal with the pressure is the reason for the high compensation for top performers.
I also enjoyed how you brought up having balance in one's life. For instance, a salesperson who works out on a regular basis at a gym will usually out peform one who opts to spend more hours on the job (at the expense of not taking the time to work out). The reason why for this higher level in performance is that the mind will not function correctly without the body. The salesperson who works out will be far more productive when he or she is on the job.
Great post,
Will Fultz / www.topsalesblog.com
Shaun has given you many things to think about, he has however left out one important motivation factor.
I'm willing to bet that when you leave for your day's work you don't know where you are going. You must plan a month ahead,a week ahead and each week day by day.
A ship leaving port without a destination will flounder forever. Do you know your port of call every day.
Set goals, always without fail make one extra sales call a day, tha is 200 plus extra calls a day.
"Plan your work and work your plan." A great weight will be lifted off of your shoulders.
I have been on the road for 40 years, rejection is the price you must pay to be in the greatest profession that offers unlimited income.
Go find a apple tree sit down and ask yourself do i want to be part of a community that can proudly say "noting happens until something is sold" and i'm part of that team. Every rejection or No is that much closer to a YES. Good luck.
Yours in selling,
W. Ford