Moving up the Totem Pole

It is no secret in sales or any industry that your manager is going to be making more money than you are most likely. You can make the money we have already talked about even just as a regular salesperson. However, if you wish to move up to a position where can even make MILLIONS a year you will want to move up the totem pole. This section will talk about what management looks for when promoting employees, how you can move companies and get a better position and how to recruit in sales in order to build a team.

1. What do they look for in a manager. Performance is always king in sales. If you wish to move up in any sales industry you are going to either want to be one of the top salesmen in your company or one of the top recruiters in your company. Whatever you are doing you need to be looked at as someone who is bringing a lot of value to their company. Be competitive with yourself and your fellow salesman. Set high goals for yourself and outwork everyone else. The one big advantage anybody can have in sales is a good work ethic. A lot of people in general are lazy and that is a great thing to be able to take advantage of. Get to work early and leave late if you must. If you wish to move up in your industry you must be ready to do what others are not doing. You must be willing to do whatever it takes to be the best. Alongside performance they will also want to see leadership qualities and professionalism. Take time out of your day to help others that are new to your job and run meetings whenever you are given the opportunity. Even the small bits of help that you offer will be looked upon very positively by your bosses.

2. Moving up by switching companies. The awesome thing about sales is that if you are good, you will be highly recruited by other companies dying to pay you more money for you to switch over. You can use this fact to your advantage because some companies will be willing to do almost anything to get you over there ESPECIALLY if you have a team coming with you. You can even paint yourself as a better salesman than you are and demand higher pay when sitting down with a new company. Remember they have never even seen you work yet so be confident and demand what you are worth from the start whenever you move around. I typically won't stay at a company for very long at all and that's because I always end up getting offered more pay elsewhere as time goes on. Never get attached to a specific company, that is how you get taken advantage of. Instead take advantage of your opportunities and the fact that as a good salesman you can ask for whatever you want in many cases. You would be amazed at what people will offer you, especially when you play hard to get. If you can take at least 2 or 3 people with you to a different company, you can usually move right into a manager role where you can get paid for the production of the people you recruit. Don't be afraid to negotiate hard when setting up a pay structure for a management role. Usually you should take a bonus based on production rather than a set rate for being a manager so also keep that in mind as well.

3. Recruiting salespeople. If you want the best leverage to move into a management position you will want to build a team of people that are loyal to YOU and not the company. If you are unhappy at a particular job keep in mind that others may feel the same way as you and take advantage of it. When I see an opportunity to move somewhere better I will usually tell the people I trust in the company that I have found somewhere better and see how they respond. Once you have a couple of people that are willing to move with you, you may ultimately end up moving an entire team. If you are able to achieve this there is so much money to be made when negotiating with a new company. Think about how much more I would be willing to pay you as a manager if you tell me you are bringing 10 people with you as opposed to you jumping over by yourself.

Another way to recruit for sales is online. Of course you can pay to make posts on Indeed and Snagajob and some of these other job searching sites but the thing that works the best for me when recruiting online is LinkedIn. You can buy a premium membership for about $100 a month that will allow you to direct message other people on the platform. You have no idea how valuable this power can be. What you should do is write up a good template message that can grab the attention of a potential recruit. If you know there is something bad about the company they work for in terms of pay or opportunities, point that out and paint a picture of why your company may be a better fit for them. Once you have a good message template down you can send this message out to 50 or so people a day and even if only one in every 50 responds you will start growing a team little by little that can bring you places you never imagined. Remember recruiting is all about consistency, keep doing it and you will get better and if you treat your guys right the word will spread as well and then it can become a snowball effect that ultimately leads to making a ton of money.