If you’re like me, you left college determined to follow a career path, but without a full understanding of what that means. You had no idea about the hours, what career development looked like, or what kind of support you needed to grow.
For me, earning my masters in mental health counseling, working in intensive treatment hospitals, and building a successful private practice, turned out to be not enough. I felt trapped and dissatisfied.
That’s when sales called to me. Employers, I discovered, were interested in my story. They saw value in a thirty-something therapist who wanted to use his background to introduce solutions to people that would improve their lives and the growth of their business.
Talent has never been more difficult to find or as competitive to hire. This is a major challenge for hyper-growth technology companies that need to scale their workforce fast. But what if the same industries that are suffering already have the talent pool needed to scale the likes of early-stage startups and more mature enterprises—they just didn’t know it??
Starting your transition with trust
Switching gears mid-career to become a sales leader is a risk, but it is possible with support from a mentor or manager.
The transition was not easy or immediate. I had never developed a relationship with a client and I knew little to nothing about the sales funnel. Luckily, my first sales manager saw me, not as my resume, but as the person whose skills brought that resume to life. She had the foresight to see how the skills in my former life closely matched what he needed in a successful sales leader. He helped mentor me, gave me access to training materials, and let me shadow calls.
Thankfully for me, I became a long-term investment that, to my organization, would pay off after I learned the essentials. Here are five of them:
1. Know the story.
Great sales reps know who they are, what makes them great, and what motivates them. Our brains aren’t wired to retain facts for a prolonged period of time. We are wired for stories. A person’s journey can be powerful enough to compel the listener to action. When sales reps know how they got to where they are, and why their journey led them to the product or service they are selling, they’ll be more relatable— and more persuasive.
I came to prospects with stories that related to emotional intelligence, both of which made me connect on a deeper level with the people I encountered every day.
2. Reframe the understanding of selling
Selling isn’t only about closing a deal. It’s about solving a problem and bringing value to your customers. Understanding the difference is critical, especially for building the type of relationships that lead to renewals. Conversations with prospects should focus on how your product or service solves a particular challenge they are experiencing. This means listening and responding in kind—exactly the skills I honed as a therapist.
3. Embrace empathy, curiosity, and tenacity
As a therapist, you have to really listen to your patients to discover their pain. The same is true in sales, whether selling to a prospect, or coaching SDRs. The more you can lead from a vantage point of genuine curiosity and empathy, the more aligned you will be with your buyers and your team. As for tenacity, there will be more days than not when you don’t feel like facing the quotas, rejection, and stress that comes with the job. I’d add patience and persistence to the list, too.
4. Find the right mentor
In school, I learned from established mentors who had years of experience treating patients. Their real-world experience made me a better therapist. Likewise in sales, great leaders will make you exponentially better at your job, which will have residual effects on your whole career. Choose someone who reflects the type of professional you want to become. Consider not just the quotas they hit, but their methodologies and emotional intelligence skills. This goes for any point in your career trajectory, from SDR to CRO.
Commit to investing in your people
Successful sales managers see the value in the person, not just in their resume and accomplishments. Organizations that create a culture that values the core of who people are also tend to view the investment in people as a natural process to achieving positive growth.
This dynamic is important internally, but externally as well. To value people for what they bring to the table is key for any sales organization that wants to build substantive relationships with clients. Clients, in turn, feel respected, heard, and know they have a trusted partner to help them grow.
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