How to Choose the Right Sales Career: Congratulations on your decision to enter or to stay in the wonderful world of sales! Considering that you frequent the NASP site, read published content and have an obvious interest in improving your sales skills, your success is as close to being guaranteed as possible. It is certainly more guaranteed than for those who choose sales out of necessity.

There are so many people in sales because they couldn’t find a job doing something that they love. While some of these “sales-by-default” professionals may earn and enjoy success in sales, they will, most likely, struggle in their sales jobs and will always have one foot out of the door as they continually seek to find employment in their chosen field.

But for those who choose sales and are committed to being successful in sales by working at improving their skills, the one choice that can truly separate them from the rest is which industry they decide to sell in. And when choosing your chosen industry, two factors are critical to consider.

What Keeps You up at Night?

Many things keep us restless at night. From worrying about our kids or family to wondering how you will pay your mortgage; there never seems to be a shortage of concerns that disrupt our sleep. But another more positive thing that keeps Mr. Sandman at bay is our passions.

What do you love to do? What, when you are doing it, makes time fly by? What keeps you up at night as you think about, dream about, plan about or imagine about doing it?

If you have something for which your passion for is strong enough, you may just have found your calling.

But not all “callings” are directly transferable to careers. Most, however, have elements that can be associated with a career in sales. It usually only takes a bit of imagination and creative thinking to correlate a passion to a sales industry.

What do Your do Better than Anyone Else?

Is there one thing that you do better than anyone else or at least much better than most? If so, you probably have either a high level of confidence surrounding that “thing” or a load of passion that drives your performance. What is that “one” thing?

Much like “passion,” it may not be easy to figure out how your “best thing” is applicable to a sales career, but with a bit more thinking, you are likely to find how your “best thing” can be transfered to your sales career.

Tying the Two Together

If you know what drives you and you know what you do better than most, begin thinking about what type of sales career blends these two together. Consider what an employer in this sales industry might look for in a sales professional to help you further “dial in” your passion and strengths to better market yourself.

I have known hundreds of sales professionals during my career; many who have failed, some who have achieved high levels of success and most who were amazingly average. The one absolute that I’ve discovered is that those who work in an industry related to their passion and in which they can demonstrate and consistently use a powerful skill they possess, are those that do much more than just achieve success. They achieve fulfillment.