Allow me to use a brief illustration. Our CEO heard the following story from one of his sales leaders. The sales leader asked someone why they wanted to be in sales, and the person answered that he really wanted to help other people. The leader responded, “Then think seriously about becoming a social worker because if that’s really what you want to do, that’s the greatest path you can go down.”

Salespeople have to be about winning – winning for themselves and winning for their customer. Make no mistake, it’s about winning on both fronts. So people skills are important, but believing that sales is all about “being a people person” is really a misunderstanding.

In the vein of relationships, you try to build relationship equity as a salesperson. You invest in relationships as a practical exercise to make the relationship profitable for both parties. The people that are simply “all about relationships” have an infinite supply of equity but never actually monetize that equity to advance their business careers. Good salespeople are not shy about dipping into their savings account of relationship equity and relying on that to move things forward. They build equity, then they translate that equity to produce mutual benefits in business.

Sales is a tough, competitive, sometimes grueling, but highly rewarding career path. The absolute best salespeople make seven figure incomes – it’s that lucrative just in sales.

But the value of sales to your career goes far beyond your bottom line. Sales gives you a skill set that will propel your career forward, no matter what direction you choose. Business is all about reading people, selling them your ideas, and ultimately, getting them to move in the same direction. Your sales experience will prepare you for a solid career path to executive leadership.

So how does this insight into sales careers uniquely apply to veterans?

The veterans I talk to about the Tech Qualled opportunity typically fall into two categories:

1. They have never considered a career in business-to-business (B2B) sales, or
2. They know they want sales, but they are barred from direct entry into lucrative roles because of lack of sales experience.

And that’s when we get to have what I call the “red pill” conversation. As Veteran Recruiting Manager at Tech Qualled, many veterans I talk to are top performers and accomplished leaders, looking for the chance to be paid what they’re worth. They want limitless earning potential. They want a meritocracy where they can jump the corporate ladder quickly. They want a degree of autonomy… to be trusted by their employer to get the job done without micromanagement.

And that’s where we come in.

Tech Qualled is inherently mission-driven, and our mission is this: to enhance the lives of military veterans by training them and placing them into rewarding careers in high technology. We are here to offer access to a whole new world and provide the training and trajectory for lifelong success in the world of high-tech sales.

For a clearer picture on the qualities of successful salespeople, we recommend reading The Challenger Sale. It will give you further insights on the distinct set of skills and traits characteristic of successful salespeople. If what you read resonates with you, we highly encourage you to consider a career in sales, and contact us to start a discussion about your future.