Mark Cuban recently had a Twitter post about hiring metrics. The post wasn’t about salespeople specifically, but certainly applies. It started out by talking about people getting hired based on their social media presence. This is happening as well in entertainment, where some actors are stating they are losing out on roles because of a lack of social media followers.
His second point spoke volumes (about important attributes not showing up on a test or a degree listed on a resume. That’s the beauty of sales. Experience doesn’t always equal ability. 15 years of order-taking isn’t as valuable as someone brand new who can go out and open up new markets. The attributes that made someone successful in another field can easily translate to a great career in sales!
Take teachers, for example; that profession is under fire nationwide from state and local governments and right-wing extremists. People are leaving education in record numbers and 55% of the remaining educators are thinking about leaving! The same skills that made someone a great teacher (organization, classroom management, communication) could easily transfer to a sales career.
I’ve seen people who were nurses, Project Managers, cab drivers, and any number of dozens of other backgrounds become amazing salespeople! Smart Sales Managers and Directors can find gold in places they don’t normally check for new hires.
Happy Selling!