If coffee is for closers, then put that coffee down because a new Harvard Business School report says that sales jobs are getting harder for companies to fill.
Sure, sales managers can be incredibly picky in who they hire. A technology company wants salespeople who excel at sales AND have a deep understanding of the technology to conquer (and up-sell) demanding clients who have done hours of online product research. Most applicants for sales jobs, however, will tend to be good at one thing but not the other.
But back to the point of this post: Millennials just aren't that into you, sales! You're too difficult, you're too demanding, you're too demeaning, you're hard work, you're full of rejection, the scenes from Glengarry Glen Ross they've watched on late-night TV are too depressing, and the "everyone gets a trophy generation" isn't having any of it.
There are some sales that simply can't be pushed online, however; they require the personal touch in person, over the phone, via a conference call, and so on, to push potential clients past the "we're just browsing" stage to sign on the dotted line. Companies need salespeople.
Job interviews also tend to be a person-to-person sales format, and you're not closing as many sales with browsing job applicants, sales managers. No coffee for you!
Repeat after me: You will sell this sales job TODAY!
According to a NPR Marketplace article:
The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Center for Sales Leadership is where students learn to sell. John Hansen, director of the program, tells students how to handle rejection, what to do when a buyer says, “I don’t have time to think about it right now,” and how to move in for the close without seeming … pushy. The students laugh because "pushy" is exactly what comes to mind when they think about sales people.But this is the way it's always been, kids! You get your college degree and take an entry-level sales job somewhere. You pay your dues for a few years working under pressure while you continually push back against aggressive co-workers trying to steal your best accounts. You make ten cold calls by noon, and, if you're lucky, one of them actually takes your call.But also, Hansen says, a lot of students see sales jobs as way too much pressure.
“The majority of students we have in the program, even though they've chosen sales, they’re still a bit nervous about the fact that a large percentage of their compensation may be tied to how they perform,” Hansen says.
Then your boss decides to raise your monthly sales quota by 150% as "motivation," and you just keep going. Your best client yells at you unexpectedly, and you cry alone in your car when nobody is looking. You spend Sunday evenings re-selling yourself on a continued career in sales.**
Then you get promoted, or you leave for a better sales job at another company. Perhaps you decide to leave sales altogether for another line of work. You have "outside sales rep" on your resume forever, however, and you feel like you can do anything! Working in sales has made you battle-hardened and quick on your feet. You have hard-fought sales skills you can always fall back on in a pinch. No job will ever be as hard as the sales job you just left. Nothing phases you anymore. Congratulations, you're finally on your way!
Um, yeah. The instant-gratification generation simply isn't sold.
What are employers going to do about it, though? It's tempting to say that the Millennials are simply lazy and entitled, but perhaps this "trend" signals that the old model of managing sales (and salespeople) is in dire need of updating. And I'm not talking about changing the lingo to refer to salespeople as "evangelists" or whatever. I'm talking about changing how a sales career is marketed, sold and renewed.
Perhaps the Millennial generation's push-back against working in sales isn't necessarily a bad thing, all things considered.
Smart sales managers will see an opportunity to re-sell an entire generation on the idea of sales. They'll realize that job applicants don't want a sales job simply because it's a job; they want to be sold on the job, too.
Smart sales managers will be ready to answer the Millennial generation's sales questions: What's so great about working in sales, anyway? How do the pros outweigh the cons when I can find something less stressful? Why would I want to deal with rejection for a living, day in and day out? What will make me see the long-term value here, and take a job that seems like too much pain for little gain? Why would sales look good on my resume if I leave sales in a year? Can you up-sell me on the upside here, please? Because I'm not seeing it.
(I know, I know: Nobody likes to be sold.***)
Smart sales managers will make sure new hires (as well as long-time sales reps) have access to continuous development and training opportunities to keep them energized and interested in sales. They might also re-examine the modern applicability of the pressure-fueled "commission only" sales model, since the younger generation is already on the fence about working in sales at all.
I doubt I've managed to sell anyone here, but I'm a former salesperson who left the field awhile ago for a writing career**** where the only bonus I get is wearing yoga pants to work. Now get out there, sales managers, and sell potential hires on the idea of selling!
** But a great day in sales makes up for the bad days. Nothing tops landing a big client!
*** Repeat after me: Oh yes, we do!
**** You want to hear about rejection? I'll tell you about rejection!
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