Breaking the Tales of The Sales rules here for good reason. This post was inspired by an incredible new book that was released just today on Amazon. More info there after the read....
In our careers we are always trying to get that promotion, the next title on the corporate ladder. This makes perfect sense in almost all professions and most of the time it’s an easy choice. I mean who turns down a promotion?
Well, I did very recently. I have been an independent contributor for my company for 14 years. My boss was moving up the ladder and most people in the company and the industry thought I would slide right into his Director of Sales and Marketing role. Honestly, for a while I figured I would as well.
When I really started to think about what I like about my job I started to realize that sales management is nothing like sales. What do I love about sales? Calling on customers, getting into the weeds technically, prospecting, closing business, freedom, uncapped earning potential, and the list goes on. It quickly became clear I really didn’t want to give all that up for a title. I didn’t want to run reports, sit in meetings, give performance reviews etc. I made my decision and continued with my full-speed business development activities.
Some time went by, and I started second guessing my decision a little bit. Did I make the wrong move? Should I have taken on the sales management challenge? I was worried I made the wrong call. Not long after these thoughts were popping into my head I volunteered to be on the launch team for a new book coming out by my friend and bestselling author Mike Weinberg…..
Mike’s new book is titled, The First Time Manager: Sales. It’s an incredible read and should be an absolute must for every sales manager, new or experienced. It should be read by everyone in sales leadership at the highest levels as well. It’s basically a rock solid playbook for sales management, I don’t think there is anything like it. The advantage this book will give new sales managers isn’t even fair to their competition.
As an individual contributor, second guessing my recent decision there was no more important chapter than chapter 2. This chapter is titled: Your New Job(as Manager) is Nothing Like Your Old Job(in Sales). After receiving the advanced readers copy and reading that chapter, I have literally never been more concrete in my decision to stay in sales. It was a fantastic reminder that Sales and Sales Management are two very different jobs. One I love very much and one that I would be miserable doing.
My takeaway from the advanced read is unique as many of the advanced readers and eventual customers of this book will be reading from the management perspective. I would suggest that any sales leader or any leader at all make this book a mandatory read for the salesperson who applies for sales management. Just because they think it’s the next move doesn’t mean it’s the right move. This book isn’t just for Managers and Leaders, it’s for everyone in sales!
Buy the book here on Amazon and be sure to give it a review. I have a feeling there will be a lot of stars in the reviews to come.