Fit into Sales Success

I love my job. This is what you’re likely to hear if you speak with one of the thousands of employees who work for Southwest Airlines. They don’t advertise for employees. They find employees who will fit their culture of fun, hard work and customer focus. If you’re in sales and want to say “I love my job,” here’s what it takes to “fit” into the sales culture.

Find work that fits. Marlys Hanson, M.S., author of Passion and Purpose: How to Identify and Leverage the Powerful Patterns that Shape Your Work/Life says, “Successful people in every walk of life have one thing in common. They follow their passion.” What happens in business is that too many intelligent people get into careers where they miss doing what they love to do. Passions appear in childhood. These passions can be identified by examining activities you have enjoyed doing and felt you did well, beginning with childhood recollections. Hanson’s work involves identifying these behaviors and passions so that people find careers that fit their strengths and leverage what they enjoy doing.

What does it take for sales? Different jobs require specific skills for workers to perform well and to succeed. Hanson studied what it took for salespeople to be successful. A multinational pharmaceutical firm had been experiencing over 50% termination rate in its medical sales representative force. This job involved selling products directly to doctors and clinics. The qualifications for this job were (1) a B.S. degree in some scientific field, (2) a high GPA and, (3) good interpersonal skills. The company believed they could train people with these qualifications to perform the work needed to succeed in sales. This was not the case. All too often, the people they were selecting were not succeeding.

When Hanson analyzed the behaviors of the individuals who were succeeding she found several patterns. Successful sales reps were “natural relationship builders.” Their achievements had strong evidence of initiating, building and sustaining personal relationships with others. They were proactive. They did not wait to be told what to do. They were not dependent on structure or requirements to perform. They were “informed influencers.” They knew their products well. The sales reps would explain and describe their products. These explanations would influence their customers. They were effective organizers. They organized their time, schedule, materials and interactions with the home office. They were enthusiastic about their subject matter.

Can I fit in? Consider if these pattern descriptions sound like a mismatch for you—even if you’re doing well in sales. Another career would probably be a better fit for you

Hanson says, “"To be both successful and fulfilled, you must be doing work that engages your passions. If your daily efforts do not provide the opportunity to use your innate motivations to accomplish a purpose that is meaningful to you, you will find yourself increasingly frustrated and stressed by the situation. And take heed - because work satisfaction has been found to be a powerful predictor of how long we live as well as how likely we are to remain healthy."

Think about what you love to do. If you love to work with lots of positive, fun people then consider being lucky enough to find a career at Southwest. If you’re an enthusiastic, organized worker who enjoys working autonomously to build relationships, you’re probably doing well in sales and you love what you do. Sounds like selling is the perfect fit for you.
 

Maura Schreier-Fleming works with business and sales professionals on skills and strategies so they can sell more and be more productive at work.  She is the author of Real-World Selling for Out-of-this-World Results which is available at www.BestatSelling.com.  She founded her company Best@Selling in 1997.  You can reach her at 972.380.0200 or info@Bestatsellling.com.

[Back to top]