“Maybe I’m just not good at sales 😞 ….”

Have you ever found yourself thinking this?

Most sellers have at some point in their careers, and for a lot of people who have gone through multiple RiFs over the past 4 years, this is especially true.

As sellers, we’re competitive and can be accountable to a fault.

Being repeatedly let go for performance is one thing, but having really bad luck is a common reality for a lot of you.

Just like anything else, there are hacks to help you choose better roles and better companies, and knowing these can give you more control in your career.

Selling environment, and the opportunity for you to succeed are going to depend on a combination of…

Role - Does the role suit you, meaning does it align to your competencies and values. In other words, does the role put you in a position to repeatedly do what you're best at?

Segment - There’s this misconception that enterprise sales is the only way to define career success in sales, and it’s making people miserable because it’s not for everyone. If you love SMB sales and really shine in that segment, then you should carve out a career for yourself in SMB sales exclusively. The money will come, because you will be excellent.

Buyer Persona - Some reps don’t care who they sell to, but if you’ve sold to different functions, chances are that you’ve developed a preference. For instance, I loved selling to sales leaders, and if I could go back and do it over again, I would have focussed on just selling sales tech. Specialization is great at helping you to become a SME.

Funding Type - Bootstrapped vs. Public vs. VC Backed vs. PE Backed… these types of companies grow at vastly different rates, and for different reasons. That's going to greatly influence the culture, selling environment, resources, pay, and career advancement opportunities.

Size - Broadly think in terms of Small, Medium, and Large companies. Do you want to be a big fish in a small pond and have some influence on how you sell, or do you not mind being a small worm on a big hook whose just along for the ride?

If your resume has a bunch of 3, 6, and 9 month tenures over the past 4 years or so, increase your luck by researching each of the factors above and coming up with a granular Ideal Employer Profile and Ideal Role.

That way, when your next opportunity comes up, you’ll know exactly if it’s right for you or not.

Every ghosted Opp started as a call that ran long.

How many times has this happened to you?

You're on a demo, and it's going great!

You and the client are vibin, they're asking great questions, you can tell they're bought in.

You're getting ready to land the plane, but you're right at time. 😱

The client has to go or they're going to be late to a meeting.

"Shoot! I've got to hop. Send me an email and well work out next steps"

It's the B2B version of a Daddy leaving for a pack of smokes and never coming back. 😭

Always plan for the worst case scenario!

Bake a buffer into you meetings to ensure you have time to set next steps AND get them on the calendar.

Thanks for reading!

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