If you are in the midst of a transition and thinking about making a career change and you’re a top sales producer for your company, it can feel very risky to make a move; particularly if you’ve established a real strong track record in your job. Yet all of us reach a point when we know its time to move from a very good situation into the next phase of our career. I personally have experienced this on several occasions over the span of my professional life and I’m sure you have as well.
So what is it that you’re looking for as you search for that next great sales position? Well, a number of things. First of all, think about the following factors:
- How stable is the company?
- What are its growth opportunities?
- What is managements vision for building a successful business?
- What is the company’s unique selling proposition?
- How much intellectual property does it have to back its ability to compete effectively in its marketplace?
- Is the company well funded and capitalized and can it take advantage of the opportunities that it has?
- Is the leadership principled and do they have the kinds of values that you can get excited about being a part of?
- What’s the quality of the team member that you would be working with?
- How’s the compensation plan?
- Is an opportunity for upside if you can exceed your annual revenue goals?
- What sort of distribution channel partnerships are there that will help you to facilitate the growth in your territory?
- What sort of career growth opportunities does the company offer?
- Is the company willing to hire and promote from within, or do they go outside to recruit their top talent?
These are some of the considerations I would be looking for if I were thinking about a career change in sales. The key is balancing what you see intellectually as you examine an opportunity, with how you feel emotionally about it. Ultimately a gut check is a very important part in making a career change decision.
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