Have you been your own boss for a while, but now you’ve decided that enough’s enough? Are you ready to move on to a new phase of your life? A great sales job is within your reach.
Former business owners have a unique advantage in the job market for sales. They’re used to finding new markets, building customer relationships, and working independently. Those qualities also make great sales reps in a variety of industries.
However, owning your own business also puts you at a disadvantage in the eyes of a future employer. Not everyone who’s been their own boss can transition to taking directions again.
How do you make the transition and assure the hiring manager you’ll be the best sales rep on his team? Here are the top 3 things for you to keep in mind:
* First of all, you have to have a great resume. Highlight your particular skills and accomplishments that speak to sales rep performance: business growth, sales numbers, etc. Anything that can quantitatively show your results is great.
* And, you have to be able to explain your situation in such a way that the hiring manager understands that you can be a great sales rep, that you will be a great sales rep, that you understand what it takes to be successful, and that you won’t pose a risk to their own professional goals.
* You also need to be able to succinctly explain how you are going to transition out of your business within 2-4 weeks. The hiring manager wants to know that you’re not going to be working it on the weekends or part-time at night. You need to stress your complete break with that business.
Peggy McKee has over 15 years of experience in sales, sales management, sales recruiting, and career coaching. Her website, Career Confidential (http://www.career-confidential.com) is packed with job-landing tips and advice as well as the practical, powerful, innovative tools every job seeker needs to be successful.
Peggy offers customized interview coaching to help you through the rough spots and find a job faster. Find out more about what she can do for you—job-search strategies, social media help, role-playing interview questions, resumes that get the interview, 30/60/90-day plans that get the job, and much more at http://www.phcconsulting.com/interview-coaching/.