Sales Careers Sales careers can take a variety of paths, all potentially leading to success for the individual sales person. When contemplating a sales career a person would be well served to ask themselves a few questions as to how they wish to work and what it is that will define success on their terms. Understanding the answers to these questions will help an individual not only find the right situation but will also help them set a goal they are comfortable living with over the long term. First, one should ask themselves what it is that motivates them in a working environment. Are you looking for immediate gratification? Are you seeking long-term financial success? And most importantly, what are you comfortable investing in terms of time, effort, and personal resources to achieve your goals? If you are excited by immediate gratification you may wish to consider a transactional sales environment. This is usually a small financial transaction that is personal in nature. Retail sales environments offer numerous sales on a daily basis. If you are more interested in long-term financial gain you may wish to consider a more industrial business-to-business sales environment. These sales generally take much longer to move to close, involve multiple buying influences engaged in the purchasing decision, and quite often have a higher ticket price and corresponding commissions. Within the business-to-business sales world you will find opportunities for consumable item sales and capital equipment sales. Here’s where you need to ask if you’re more driven by building long-term relationships or live for the hunt of the big close. If you’re a relationship builder then consumable sales is a great place to play. Once you’ve established the relationship and closed the deal, simply maintaining the relationship and servicing the account will keep the commission dollars rolling in over a long period of time. Capital equipment sales on the other hand tend to be spaced out more over time with any particular customer. A hospital will only be in the market to by a steam sterilizer every ten years, so you must continue to move throughout the market hunting for your next customer. Commissions can be spaced apart by several months or even a few quarters, but the bigger the price tag, the greater the commission dollars. If you truly are looking for the independence and very high rewards a sales career may offer consider striking out on your own as an independent sales representative. This path is very often a “straight commission” environment without a base salary, but it offers the greatest return on one’s investment in their time and personal resources. It is entrepreneurial by nature and actually can deliver greater long-term stability by controlling your own destiny. SalesForce4Hire is a highly evolutionary company that is always interested in speaking with accomplished sales, business development, customer support, and marketing professionals with expertise in Health Care, Life Science, or Medical Device markets. Our involvement with emerging companies at various stages of their life cycle requires a continuing investment of highly differentiated, dynamic talent. If you are interested in exploring new career horizons in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment that fosters creative thinking and rewards execution and contribution, please contact us. Thank you! Related Articles Medical Device Sales Effectiveness