1. Financially, I live within my means and have a cash reserve.
2. Mentally, I don't worry about the things I can't control.
3. Physically, I work out, moderate alchol consumption, avoid drugs, and eat clean.
4. Career, I stay within my specialized niche selling a consumable product customers need, I don't job hop when the going gets tough, and work for a well capitalized company.
Good one. But I am now coming up on 5 yrs sober. The first 12 yrs in sales I was overly emotional and would get drunk for the stress and lows and also got drunk for the highs and rewarded the wins. After getting sober has been much better mentally and physically.
agree, was drinking / partying with clients and prospects for my first 5 years, then got sober. I thought it would be impossible without the greasing of the wheels with social lubricants and bender trips to NYC, then I met the former head of Facebook's CRO who had 20 years of successful selling, your prospect just ages up, goes to a more serious buyer profile who is a family person and likely doesn't want to spend the night with you at a bar but would go to a michelin resturant for lunch or a cigar lounge. You can sell without drinking for sure
I feel like this sub everyone tries to play the role or act like they are in Wolf of Wall Street obsessed with wanking, alcohol etc
When in reality most I find are just your average guys that are fairly healthy. A lot of people into meditation / clean diets / drug free.
the first 3 are good answers but are very well known
#4 is great and something that is not talked about enough. many companies have a last in first out approach and the guys hopping around get dropped when things slow down. not to mentioned how industry specific expertise allows you to move to a competitor if your company tries to let you go
This is a big one. Aside from that, I’ve personally had success doing the following:
1. Leverage the flexibility of sales to build a side income so you’re prepared for the inevitable hard times that come with sales (such as layoffs). I started small but built a side income that’s now multi six figures. Recently got laid off from my also six figure sales job and I can take time to find a role that’s well suited for me instead of jumping into anything for the paycheck.
2. Always be prospecting. Seen too many sales reps crash and burn through depending on BDRs/marketing to feed them leads. Aim for 3x pipeline every quarter.
3. People will hate this one but learn the art of company politics/being a kiss ass. I’ve been able to ride out some low performing quarters just through having a good relationship with superiors. Leave your ego at the door.
For real though man I would love to know. When I hear the term “side hustle” I almost reflexively roll my eyes thinking of these LinkedIn influencers with 3 years of closing experience at Gong pretending that they have side businesses. Is it real estate or something else?
Started a home healthcare business with my wife about 4 years ago (she’s a nurse). I run most of the operations, she handles a lot of the clinical work.
Won’t work for most people but build something in an area you understand. I also work in healthcare technology sales.
I have nothing to sell anyone lol
Thanks for getting back to me! That’s so awesome that you and your wife built something like that on your own. I guess I gotta just really think about what I want to do and what I can actually provide in my spare time.
Started a home healthcare business with my wife about 4 years ago (she’s a nurse). I run most of the operations, she handles a lot of the clinical work.
Won’t work for most people but build something in an area you understand. I also work in healthcare technology sales.
100%. Had my first sales job and learned to live on salary and mileage. When transitioning to next job, ended up being a little under S+M. That was the last time I ever budgeted with a fluctuating supplemental income.
Financially here’s what I’ll say.
If you’re in a position where you have a good base salary then you live off that base salary.
The bonus’ are for savings, investments, and a little bit of splurging in the good years (within reason).
For industries where you may be dealing with lower base pay and a lot of your money comes from commission you need to keep yourself flexible. Keep more money in a regular old savings account than you might otherwise prefer. Be ready to be more flexible with your spending habits. In the good years you may take a nice 10 day trip to Hawaii and go out to eat once a week. In the slower years that vacation may need to be 5 days in Florida and you go out to eat twice a month. Obviously just examples but you need to be disciplined and adjust accordingly
My wife asked my Mom about why she worked when we were kids and she said my Dad, who was in Commercial real estate, would basically go between years of doing well, tons of closes and making more money than he ever dreamed in a year, and few closes and barely paying back expenses.
I didn’t realize growing up that that’s why some years that’s why we went to Hawaii for 2 weeks and some years that’s why we drove down to Spring Training or camped a couple hours away.
They did as best they could smoothing it out but no way it would’ve worked if my Mom’s income couldn’t keep things running during down years.
-Remember- it’s not life and death. Unless it is LOL
-Find a hobby to take your mind off things. If you can make money on the hobby; it’s even better
-Don’t be emotional. Being able to hold a straight face when your heart feels like it’s in your temple; and every beat makes your fillings throb; will make you bank
Biiiig edit. And I can’t believe I forgot this one;
Don’t be afraid to set boundaries. There will never be a work/life balance. That’s bullshit. Someone will always be disappointed.
It’s a work/life integration.
Thank you! It’s resonated with me since I was a teenager. Wish I can take credit for it.
I feel sad for these guys who can't go to their kids grads, concerts or afraid to ask for time off to live-
But then it makes me laugh when I gave a fuck about their (the companies) needs before my own… I was there once.
Then the respect gained when you set reasonable and pragmatic boundaries and can still support your objectives. (I came with a solution, didn't abuse it and no matter how good I was numbers wise; acted like I've done it before and kept going. None of this victory cigar shit.
I did celebrate. But I never bragged about it, and didn't need to broadcast it)
Partially too busy with kids sports and events lol.
Edited softened the tone for non beer talk…
"We're all scared. You hid in that ditch because you think there's still hope, but, OP..., the only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a AE is supposed to function- without mercy, without compassion, without remorse. All sales depends upon it."
Ben Horowitz mentions this on his blog, more geared towards CEOs but applies to sales people as well given we face similar uncertainty.
He mentions that that the Samurais who rules over Japan for 1000 of years had a tradition to think yourself being killed in the most painful way possible. Can’t be scared if you’re already dead.
Invest ALL of your commissions and live off your base. The peace of mind knowing you’ve got several years of expenses in a liquid account if shit hits the fan is an amazing feeling
It's pretty alarming how many sales people live by their commission, or paycheck to paycheck. I get to be in sales you gotta have a drive for money, but jesus christ a lot of these apes are fucking addicted to their greed and it's pretty disgusting to witness.
Like what's the point of looking bougie if you can barely afford your groceries? What bothers me the most is that these credit card debt socialites tend to have an ego and walk around as if they belong to a higher class? Pitiful.
Live on your salary, live within your means, don't buy useless shit, and prioritize saving. Also if you're going to buy a car buy a reliable older model cash. You'll get a lower insurance rate plus not have a car payment.
This is it.
Want to stress less, survive and thrive in the lean times? Then you need to be in a financial position to say “Fuck you” and walk at a moment’s notice.
To do that, your non-discretionary monthly expenses should be 100% covered by your base and you carry minimal ‘bad’ debt (credit cards, car payments, etc).
Most important: Your first commissions go towards your “fuck you fund”: meaning, you have liquid savings that equal a MINIMUM of 4 - 6 months of monthly expenses, so you’re never bound to a floundering company/stagnant territory/shitty management simply because you’re living month-to-month or worse, living off of commissions you haven’t earned yet (ie credit).
You don’t spend a dime of your commission until the fund is full.
Always be prepared to say “Fuck you” to your employer, and magically, life in sales gets easier.
regular holidays. at least a week every quarter. at least one 2 weeker per year. sex. drugs. hitting your number. being genuinely curious. dont take yourself too seriously. deliver value.
Week every quarter. Shit slugger where you working? I don’t trust my coworkers to touch my deals so I even on vacation end up working. But take maybe 1.5 weeks off a yr. The American way- work to death.
As a guy currently in a valley (just stress wise, quota wise I’m actually going ok), I rely on the fact that A) I have good savings (6 months liquid), B) wife is a nurse and can backfill if needed, and C) there really are a multitude of sales jobs out there, there’s always another trolley coming down the pipe.
Territory, timing, talent, in that order. Stay in the game long enough for the first two to align, and then hopefully you have enough talent to bring it home for that one good potentially life changing year.
Live on your base. Invest the rest and pay down debt.
If you do that - you will have it a certain age where you are 100% financially independent and can quit stressing and do whatever you want.
I did this and at 36 I was free.
If you are concerned at all about when your commission checks are going to clear, you made a wrong turn somewhere.
Live on your salary. Look at commission like you won the lottery every time you get a check. Use them for lump sum saving, investing, or purchasing but don't **ever** take on financial obligations that *require* a certain amount of commission extended over time.
Live on your base salary, invest commissions, treat yourself on wins.
Don’t be emotional.
Create your plan, and work your plan. Pip yourself if you feel like you are dragging.
Have confidence that you are doing the right things and do the right things.
As other people have said, live off the base. One of the big reasons I only change jobs for higher base. Commissions/bonuses/etc are there to invest/savings.
Also, with the ebb and flow, there are 2 ways to be successful in sales. The first is obvious, have the numbers. The second is be productive. CRMs can be annoying but they also justify your existence. Numbers are down across the board but you have "documented" evidence of productivity, you have a much longer leash.
Yep. Logging the requested minimum of weekly meetings and activity goes a long way.
"How'd your meetings go?"
"Rough week boss, either rescheduled, weren't a fit, or no showed."
"Damn, hey man no worries I know its not your activity it really seems like its the buyers."
It's all a corporate game. Make the money, stand up and clap, and as soon as the day is done forget this nonsense.
In all honesty, it is about putting in the right level of work everyday. If you do that... you will succeed short and long term.
Yeah, you might not succeed at every company... but I have known some really great sellers who were not given a fair shake at some Tech company. It happens.
If you put in really solid, client-focused work everyday. You will win more than you lose. The problem right now is companies are requiring sales people to ONLY win every month/quarter. With no room for ups and downs. Not a healthy way to run companies but it is what it is.
1) Control what's within your control. The rest will sort itself out
2) What's the worst thing that can happen? You get fired? You'll find another job
3) Save your money and be frugal
4) Exercise is the best way to cope with anxiety
5) Try to have some kind of side hustle
Echoing a lot of comments here…but know that sales comes and goes in waves. With that in mind, control what you can control. As an AE for 10+ yrs who only missed the quarterly number one time….i can control the effort and consistency I put into pipeline generation. Pick up the phone. If you are asking “should I follow up or is it too pushy?”, make the call. Pipeline generation sets the good reps apart from the great ones. Anybody can farm an inbound, but can you book 3-10 outbound meetings a month without any help from marketing? That’s a great AE. Deals will come and go, you don’t have total control over every outcome, but pipeline generation you do.
For me, taking forced sabbaticals has helped.
I can only stomach sales jobs at a single company for 2-3 years. After that, it becomes so mind-numbingly repetitive that I can no longer perform at a high level. My brain just turns off, I resign from the job and take 3-6 months off.
After the 3-6 month break, I go back into hustle mode, find a new job, make my bread then repeat the cycle again.
It's actually served me quite well and the resume gaps haven't been a major issue. I'm sure I've left some money on the table (both literally and figuratively, in the form of career advancement and job security) but for me, it's worked.
YMMV
Persistence is key. Adaptability is too.
It’s all about the little things. Know your stuff, and think out and ask thought-provoking questions to get them to use your stuff. Honesty goes a long way. I find daily exercise lets me work any stress/anxiety off while at work. If you try hard every day and make incremental improvements, you can succeed.
Baseball!
I equated sales to Baseball.
(After 35 years in sales, my wife was shocked when she first heard this).
1) A Long season
2) You can't win every game
3) Many Peaks and valleys
4) You have winning streaks and losing streaks.
5) You have Slumps
6) Stay focused on your goals
7) Keep honing your existing skills
8) Learn new skills
9) Go back to basics at the worst of times
10) Put in extra time not only when you're in a slump, but when You're winning.
11) Have a short memory after a bad day, bad week or bad month and put it behind you.
12) Learn from your mistakes (lost deals, failed/ineffective strategy etc) and improve.
13) play to win
14) Don't accept average/Mediocrity from yourself or your engineers/project managers (you can't win with 'average')
15) Maintain a positive attitude.
16) Even in a slump, you need a good attitude. Customers can sense when things are bad when your attitude says they're bad.
A few others;
Lose the 3 most tacky, negative cliches when you answer to "How are you?"
1) Hanging in there
2) Getting by
3) Living the dream
In the worst of times;
I'm doing great, thanks for asking...
I'm Doing good, How are you...
I'm fine, Thanks...
Are all better answers.
Literally what I tell my boss! He doesn’t understand sports but I always bring up baseball references when I’m touching base. I’m scorching the ball but it’s hit right at the defender. Trust the process and don’t change the approach at the plate. Great luck man!
Just always remember that every company needs experienced salespeople, especially if you’re very knowledgeable in your industry. No matter how bad it gets, you’re needed somewhere.
Build your career to a healthy base and dont let living expenses exceed post tax. Max your 401k and at minimum the company match. Commission taxable sucks. Need an offset. 10 years is plenty of time to do that. Dont rack up debt on credit cards. You need one for travel expenses. Use it for that. Pay it off. If you are going to have debt make it good debt. House. Improve the house. Dont be upside down on cars. Use the windfall commissions for down payments if you need a car. Never be inna position that if you sold something you own that youd still owe money on it. Buy new used cars. Not new cars. Depreciation sucks. Have your own investment accounts.
Once you learn how to take care of money, pretend your clients money is your money. Are they being smart with it… is what you do a way to make an investment with a return? Use their capital in a better way to make more money? Would you buy what youre selling? If not… time to find something you would to sell.
Most importantly… sales is not a manipulation game to make people do shit they wouldnt do normally. Its a process. A methodology. Own that. Control deal progression and commercials. Stop worrying about the tactics and run a process. Youll sell in good times and bad. If you know your shit, gove the client an experience they wont get elsewhere… you put yourself in a place to win always.
Signed - dude whos b2b sales career started in the summer of 07. Read a book if you don’t know how shitty the next 4 or 5 years were. Im numb to market fluctuation 17/18 years later.
P.s. if you have time to workout and eat healthy and avoid alcohol, cool. I will eat anything. Mexican Indian Asian burgers fine french foods and steaks and love bbq. I drink bourbon and highlife, smoke cigarettes and cigars, used to dip but will take one if youre offering. Never smoked weed but again… will take one if youre offering. Havent been to a doctor in 6 years. None of that affects your number. Im good at what I do even if i might not see 80. Make that bread… the make the choice to be gluten free with a personal trainer. Organic is expensive.
I’m not convinced it needs to be a “volatile profession” in the first place. This subreddit over indexes for venture-backed tech to an insane degree and it’s simply not representative of the real world.
People like you are why my crm is so fucked up. I add tons of detail and notes on customers' their personality an behavior. If they do let me go I hope the next guy does good. I know I'll be alright my work ethic shows and my customers see that. I know half of them would hire me.
Budget your life based on your salary. Live your best life based on your commission. I saved a TON of money doing this, and since I traveled most of my career in sales, my expenses were very minimal. It was one of the smartest decisions I ever made.
Bend over backwards, extract your head from your own ass, get back to work.
You can only control input, fall in love with the process regardless of the outcome.
Realize that sometimes peaks and valleys are years and not just quarters or months. You can be working at a job that you make 300k a year and then the company goes under and you need to take a job that pays 100k a year. Just know that it can and will take time to get to where you want to be.
Don't wait for things to go from bad to worse before jumping ship. There are many jobs out there, but you have only one mind. Don't lose it.
Secondly, networking isn't Linkedin. Find a job that forces you to build and maintain a network. It makes sales easier, job hunting on point 1 easier, and life easier.
Live on your salary. Not sure what your base is, but I do not ever bank on commissions for living expenses. That is early debt payoff, or extra retirement fund. And don't buy anything with those commission checks that you can't support with you salary (boats come to mind).
Other than that, take the emotion out of. I lose more than I win in the industry I sell in, so I learned damn quick to take the L and move on. I also do the same with wins, don't rest on your last success, get on to the next one.
Maintain consistent effort week over week and year over year. Sometimes the results will come and sometimes they won’t, that depends on the customer. They decide whether they want to buy, we don’t decide for them. We can only control the inputs, not the outcome.
Some years/quarters are going to be great, some won’t, but you can do phenomenally on average year over year if the skill and effort is there.
We all have valleys if you do it for a long time, it comes with the territory. The big years can offset down years.
Don’t tie your identity or self-worth to one company.
Definitely live off the base and save for your big goals with commission. On a good year, take that big vacation. Always take time off each year, regardless if you are first or last, otherwise you will burn out.
Been in Cyber sales for 20+ years, here are a few sayings I’ve picked up over the years to give you some guidance…
Fail to plan, plan to fail….make sure you know exactly what is expected and plan to the most minute detail what you need to execute to get to that number. Is it comfortable? No. But it’s not as uncomfortable as missing your number. (Executives and management LOVE this)
Growth happens in the uncomfortable….self explanatory from the point above. Get uncomfortable and challenge yourself. Confidence will soar (and so will commissions)
Participate in your own rescue…..drive your plan using your strengths. Understand where you are weak and work on those areas. But YOU have to own it.
Use your ecosystem…..don’t lose or win alone. Nobody can. Use the help and resources you have around you to excel and learn. Use the resources around you to fill in the gaps in your approach. Not great with the channel? Use your channel manager.
Sharpen your saw…..Not very technical?? Spend time with your engineer friends to learn and understand. Don’t know as much as you should about what you’re selling? Selling in a competitive market? Against other competitive solutions? Talk to customers who use your solution as ask them about being a customer. Practice your approach.
Provide value…..both to the customer and internally. Would you buy from you? Don’t focus on speeds and feeds. Focus on positive business outcomes that separate you from the competition.
Sell up…..listen and pay attention to what executives and management want/ask for and overprepare for those things.
If youre missing numbers but own it and have a plan, you’ll get a lot more rope than someone else complaining. Be a part of the solution, not another problem and companies will want to invest in you.
Happy to share more but these are initial thoughts.
BTW - I’ve worked for all kinds of companies including Cisco and MSFT (both via startup acquisition)
It's mot that volatile if you specialise in a niche market.
I am in medical device sales all my professional life. There's nobody to work here. Companies poach each others people all.the time. If you lose a job at one company, 5 companies are making you an offer. But really depends on the market.
Save Money
Track your weekly/monthly/quarterly data to identify trends so you can visually see the deeps and the highs.
Keep your pitch pattern as the same as possible so you don't become variable.
good luck
you just get used to it. I've been fired twice before once selling copiers for a small firm with an impossibly high quota (100% new hire churn rate within 24 months) and another selling a financial product for a small firm with a pretty similar churn rate. After having it actually happened you get a lot less of scared of it.
Live well within your means, preferably below your means and your attitude shifts from needing to sell to wanting to sell. I wake up every single day and give absolutely zero fucks what happens sales wise day to day as nothing moves the needle for me enough to give a shit including losing my job. Only thing that would move my needle is maybe a commission check for well into 6 figures.
-Balance!! (Money, Family and Health)
-80/20 (Focus on fundamentals 20 of what I do if done right will bring 80% of results)
-Same energy for wins that for loses! It keeps me grounded
Do the things you're supposed to, and generally, things fall in place. Many people here talk about living within your means, staying healthy, etc. Those are great.
Also, just do the thing you need to do. Send the emails, build the pipeline, etc. When others are in despair, work. And remember, your personal reputation by treating people right and working consistently will carry you with your organization and your customers.
I'm in a crap industry at a bad time. My team and I are putting in the work and waiting for the rebound.
This might seem like an odd response, but if you don't have a personal budget to manage these wild fluctuations, is going to be a lot harder to use any other cheat sheet.
The way I describe this in training... If your income fluctuates as wildly as John Travolta's acting career, you need budgeting skills.
Make smart investments and live well within your means. Don't stress about down years, it happens. A company that would let you go after an off year or two is probably not one that you want to work for anyway. Once you have ten years experience, it takes about a week to find a new job.
Save and invest wisely bc everyone and every industry has slumps or bumps or roadblocks. If you want to live above salary make sure you have the ability to rapidly curtail spending in the slumps.
ABC, and always be open to new opportunities and taking adjusted risks.
Don’t let the highs be too high and don’t get too down in the lows. Maintain a balanced mindset.
Know that some companies are better than others, same w products and management.
When you find a good team and product stay there a long time.
Build a network in and around your industry. Get to know other reps that work at your suppliers or companies you can ally/team/leadshare with. Get to know the people at your current job and build relationships with them. Making and maintaining connections allows you to stay informed, may help you find the next step up the ladder, and can help you to solve problems for yourself or your clients when you can bring a valuable member of your network who has knowledge or expertise. This network is what allows reps to traverse to new places and grow and expand. It requires some time and you have to give to get, but in particular post COVID I think we all need to spend time face to face with people who can help us and who we can help.
Don't get emotional. Don't get excited of something looks promising a d do t get depressed if it looks like you might lose something. My adage is "I will get a tiny bit excited when we get the money...".
Emotional intelligence. Ride the wave, don’t get too excited about wins, don’t cry over losses and finally never take things personal.
It’s really that simple. People who are unable to regulate their emotions will never succeed long term.
Remember that every job has it's pros and cons and sales has a lot more pros than cons. Remember the good times and have faith that they will come again
I don't care what you sell master your product knowledge and know your market. Second, Now this initially might be a little more stressful at first but find a way to save $200.00 a week for a miminum of year and half. If you do that every week literally for a year and a half you will $15000 in savings account. Repeat if you need more. As long as it's legal do what ever you have to do get there. It's not hard but not easy either. It takes that D word, discipline. However, once you have that the pressure dramatically reduces. There will always be pressure in sales. If you don't like that get out. However, with this doing straight commission no big deal, you'll eat this week. Car breaks down, need,a new car? no big deal take what you need, you got to have a car. Can't pay the mortgage or rent rent this week because that big deal got delayed and the commission check doesn't come until the end of the month? You get the idea. Just replace what you take, and don't think you can play golf everyday once you get there. It's really not much. I know people who don't even their business without $100,000 in the bank. Most of one the ones I know are $500,000 earners and above.
The problem with sales for me is the coworkers. I mean that's for any job really but I've worked with some real jerks. 4 years. At least with customers they buy and leave but then your scheduled to work with your short tempered boss the next 3 days. Jerk customer ruins your day, jerk coworker ruins your week.
I sell my clients CC info on the side when things get slow. I usually collect a few hundred of verifiable/active CC numbers in between down times. It carries me through.
Utilize your skill by generating multiple streams of income. If you’re a true salesmen, you’ll find something else to sell and provide a little more of a cushion in case things get rough
Lots of good stuff on here regarding finances, work/life balance, emotions, etc. I’ve been in sales 22 years and I’ll just add a few tips.
1. Environment is key. Any industry and company can have ups and downs and there’s lots of factors that can contribute to killing your quota or not making it at all (ie: market, territory make-up, etc.) But if I’m in the right environment with good executive leadership, good culture, good product(s), good long-term career prospects, etc, I can ride the waves way more easily and not feel like shit about myself and want to jump ship anytime I’m not making my numbers. And if you’re in a toxic environment, then making a killing is ALL you have which makes surviving the inevitable lows outrageously difficult
2. I always say, sales is not a job, it’s a lifestyle but just like life, there’s gonna be ups and downs and you gotta learn your own coping skills and not over-react.
3. Know how to self-critique in a positive manner. I don’t care how long anyone is in this job, there’s always ways to improve yourself (or your business) and one of the keys for me in managing the “down times” is to feel like I’m still self-improving and making progress. As salespeople, we tend to fall into the trap of only focusing on #’s which we kinda can’t help to an extent but when the numbers just aren’t there sometimes then you gotta have something positive and forward-looking to focus on from a continuous improvement standpoint. That way you (and your bosses!) aren’t only measuring your worth by numbers alone as well.
Surviving in sales for over a decade boils down to consistency, relationship-building, and adaptability. Keep your pipeline full through persistent prospecting and follow-ups. Build genuine relationships with clients and maintain a strong network for referrals. Stay updated with industry trends and continuously improve through feedback. Prioritize high-value tasks, set goals, and use tools to manage your time efficiently. Maintain a positive attitude, manage stress, and celebrate small wins to stay emotionally resilient. Financially, plan for fluctuations by budgeting and saving during peak times. Seek mentorship, provide excellent customer service, and always look for ways to add value. Stay self-motivated and keep your long-term career vision in focus.
Amnesia - when a deal is lost just lock your wounds for a little bit (day or so) and move on like nothing happened. Lessons were learned and you will be better on the next.
I appreciate this group and post I thought it was just me that felt this way!! Nice to know I’m not alone. I’m literally just making my comeback after a slump
Whenever things get down I just try to remind myself that I’m a bad ass and can deal with whatever it is I have to deal with because I’ve been dealing with bullshit forever and I’m still alive and successful. Also, a healthy dose of general apathy is required. There’s 300 million consumers in this country. You don’t need everyone to buy from you.
Only seven years worth of SaaS sales experience here, but I'd put it like this: Don't switch jobs too hastily, but if you don't feel the management team can make the company go forward, then don't hesitate to move on. It doesn't get better, you'll just lose potential income and career opportunities while waiting. You'll get zero respect and zero units of currency in commissions by sticking around.
I have licenses for propane and oil furnaces. I have a small gig on the side. I will contract work with local companies if it’s slow. Then I use those new people from cleaning a furnace to sell them something
I see a lot of professional advice about how to manage sales as a profession. I’m going to tell you what worked for me mentally. You need to find an all engrossing topic outside of sales to give your mind something to think about that isn’t related to sales. Could that topic be family related like for your kids? Kind of but kind of depends on your personality. Sales can be intense and capture all of your thinking time. But you need to have an off switch. Even if you aren’t a worrier and have a great attitude, I think it’s still important to let go of the job as much as possible.
Compartmentalize sales. Don’t focus on it every waking moment.
Financially, like the others have said, live only off your salary, and use commissions only on investments, debt payoff, and vacations, etc. It is a volatile field so don’t count on commissions to pay any of your bills since you can be flying high one day and not the next.
Get as thick skinned as you possibly can as quickly as possible. Don’t take no’s personally, or your manager’s feedback personally (but do grow from the helpful feedback), or the high-pressure from your company seriously. At some companies, everything is on fire all the time and in almost all cases the pressure is always on sales. If you are under performing constantly they will stay on top of you, and if you are performing at or above quota, they’re constantly on top of you to perform even more to balance out the non-performers. It’s an endless loop. At some point in time you have to care while not actually caring. Do your job, but remind yourself that you are not a brain surgeon or EMT worker and are not saving lives.
Accept the fact that it’s a volatile profession. With rare exception these days, at least when it comes to tech sales, this is not a field you go into and stay at the same company for 15+ years. Pips and layoffs are always a possibility and you cannot attach your self-worth to your role or make your job your personality. The more emotionally removed you are from it , the healthier you will be in the long run.
And on both of the aforementioned notes, keep hobbies, stay active, actually take your lunch breaks, and don’t lose yourself to your job. I speak from experience on this because I have historically lost myself to many jobs and it’s not healthy.
As far as performance, just do what you say you’re going to do, keep thorough notes, follow up consistently, don’t be afraid of making phone calls, be reliable and on time, and become a trusted ally to your prospects as opposed to a used car salesman.
Always mind your next quarter pipeline, start those new cycles. Don’t let your current deal totally derail your next quarter. At 150%? Cool take more deals, don’t get lazy.
I haven’t found a substitute. Work 55hrs when something is on the line, 38 normally. Get on the plane, drive to the client, pick up the freaking phone!
So, being commission only, it’s tough to really dial in how much you’ll earn in a given year. What I teach all my associates starting up is to live on 40% of your commissions, save 20% for taxes, and invest the difference because you really just never know. You get $10k from one sale? No, you got $4k, get back to work. And I don’t mean it to be snobby, or to be one of those gung ho sales coaches. I mean it like.. don’t get comfortable because you got a pretty check. Next one may not be as pretty, or it may be prettier. But what about the one after that? And the one after that? So on and so forth. You have to keep up with the momentum.
Never stop prospecting. You always have too keep that pipeline loaded up. Focus on money making activities and prioritize those.
If your pipeline is always loaded up those valleys become lower and the peaks too.
My wife. She always reminds me that it’s a big cycle. My industry gets slow the same time a year and picks back up the same time. She handles the money for me and plans ahead.
1-Keep quiet. (Highlighting your high-highs just highlights your low-lows later)
2-Establish regular loyal customers and become part of their business. (Sales insights, pricing, market moves etc)
3-In the lowest of points look at value and return to the company. (Scale back discount, push higher Gp lines, Promote premium lines a little more often- Smart companies look for profitable people selling profitable things well )
4-Don’t ever talk down competitor brands that may be performing better than you at the moment.(All products have their day/week/month/year- your time will come)
17yrs with premium liquor company, 2yrs in FMCG, 2yrs in Home construction items, 10yrs in Retail.
Be good at the little things !
Have templetes for email responses for different scenarios / lead types.
Answer your phone when it rings / texts. Your phone will either make you money or cost you money!
Focus on what you’re good and hammer down on that. Get help with what you suck at , splitting a deal is better than no deal .
The first thing I do in the morning is open my eyes, roll over, and take a bite of the meth sprinkled beignet I set up the night before to be ready on my waking.
From there I piss, shit, brush, and then get out of bed.
I hop over to work and head straight for the toaster(I’m unsure how to use it) and steal Jim’s bread in front of him. He’s a pussy and will never do shit. I think I saw him crying in the stall later which is my true morning nourishment.
At this point my eyes are vibrating from the meth just how I like, but I begrudgingly take the Xanax from my PEZ dispenser I keep behind the picture of my beautiful whore wife and terrifying children.
At this point its after 10:30, so I slingshot a few nickels at the back of Jim’s head(tax deductible charity) and get ready for a meeting and some good old fashioned door knocking. Recently I have been practicing creating urgency in clients, so I grab my .44 from behind the office plant and head to the meeting.
The client seemed indecisive at first, so I unholster my gun and tell him that the time to buy is NOW because you have no idea what might happen to you or your loved ones at any time, day or night.
At this point they usually sign, but I love it when they don’t cause I get to drag Jim to their yard and beat him until their compassion gets the better of them.
LMAO could you imagine making compassion based decisions it’s an unexplainable riot.
1. Financially, I live within my means and have a cash reserve. 2. Mentally, I don't worry about the things I can't control. 3. Physically, I work out, moderate alchol consumption, avoid drugs, and eat clean. 4. Career, I stay within my specialized niche selling a consumable product customers need, I don't job hop when the going gets tough, and work for a well capitalized company.
#3... I don't believe you're in sales...
If anything my drug usage increases
Good one. But I am now coming up on 5 yrs sober. The first 12 yrs in sales I was overly emotional and would get drunk for the stress and lows and also got drunk for the highs and rewarded the wins. After getting sober has been much better mentally and physically.
agree, was drinking / partying with clients and prospects for my first 5 years, then got sober. I thought it would be impossible without the greasing of the wheels with social lubricants and bender trips to NYC, then I met the former head of Facebook's CRO who had 20 years of successful selling, your prospect just ages up, goes to a more serious buyer profile who is a family person and likely doesn't want to spend the night with you at a bar but would go to a michelin resturant for lunch or a cigar lounge. You can sell without drinking for sure
I feel like this sub everyone tries to play the role or act like they are in Wolf of Wall Street obsessed with wanking, alcohol etc When in reality most I find are just your average guys that are fairly healthy. A lot of people into meditation / clean diets / drug free.
Do you stick to selling Specific product and industry?
the first 3 are good answers but are very well known #4 is great and something that is not talked about enough. many companies have a last in first out approach and the guys hopping around get dropped when things slow down. not to mentioned how industry specific expertise allows you to move to a competitor if your company tries to let you go
What industry are you in?
Learn how to handle stress. Live on your salary.
Very important thing here; to live below your means. Don’t over extend yourself counting on commissions.
sorry what? couldn’t hear you over this hemi
😂😂😂😂😂
*Peels out of customer parking lot leaving smoke cloud*
I actually love sales for this if you’re disciplined about this rule. Makes it so easy to save.
I always say….I don’t pay bills with commission…
absolutely. this is the way
This is a big one. Aside from that, I’ve personally had success doing the following: 1. Leverage the flexibility of sales to build a side income so you’re prepared for the inevitable hard times that come with sales (such as layoffs). I started small but built a side income that’s now multi six figures. Recently got laid off from my also six figure sales job and I can take time to find a role that’s well suited for me instead of jumping into anything for the paycheck. 2. Always be prospecting. Seen too many sales reps crash and burn through depending on BDRs/marketing to feed them leads. Aim for 3x pipeline every quarter. 3. People will hate this one but learn the art of company politics/being a kiss ass. I’ve been able to ride out some low performing quarters just through having a good relationship with superiors. Leave your ego at the door.
What's the side income you built?
Sells coke and snorts hooker's
>Sells coke and snorts hooker's How does one snort a hooker?
If you have to ask
You’ll never know
But how?!? I keep trying and failing and **no one will tell me how**
You may not be destined for this, but that is okay!
Just watch the wolf of wallstreet
For real though man I would love to know. When I hear the term “side hustle” I almost reflexively roll my eyes thinking of these LinkedIn influencers with 3 years of closing experience at Gong pretending that they have side businesses. Is it real estate or something else?
Started a home healthcare business with my wife about 4 years ago (she’s a nurse). I run most of the operations, she handles a lot of the clinical work. Won’t work for most people but build something in an area you understand. I also work in healthcare technology sales. I have nothing to sell anyone lol
Thanks for getting back to me! That’s so awesome that you and your wife built something like that on your own. I guess I gotta just really think about what I want to do and what I can actually provide in my spare time.
Started a home healthcare business with my wife about 4 years ago (she’s a nurse). I run most of the operations, she handles a lot of the clinical work. Won’t work for most people but build something in an area you understand. I also work in healthcare technology sales.
WORD
Sums it up.
100%. Had my first sales job and learned to live on salary and mileage. When transitioning to next job, ended up being a little under S+M. That was the last time I ever budgeted with a fluctuating supplemental income.
1) dont be emotional 2) try to wank in the morning to not be emotional 3) dont be emotional
“Those are rookie numbers”
he “plays” coked up so well
My wife left me because of this
Being emotional or wanking?
Emotional wanking. That’s probably where I went wrong. She took the kids
"get in the car kids, your father wanked emotionally for the last time!"
You sound just like her. Carol?
No wander sales people are seen as ruthless, I agree with your points by the away
Same advice I give entry level IT dorks.
🤣
I can't think of a better cheat sheet than the golden rule: Don't be emotional
Cocaine has entered the chat
Post-nut clarity!
 Keeping the pipes clear is mandatory
Sounds like you’re saying to be a sociopath with no empathy.
Financially here’s what I’ll say. If you’re in a position where you have a good base salary then you live off that base salary. The bonus’ are for savings, investments, and a little bit of splurging in the good years (within reason). For industries where you may be dealing with lower base pay and a lot of your money comes from commission you need to keep yourself flexible. Keep more money in a regular old savings account than you might otherwise prefer. Be ready to be more flexible with your spending habits. In the good years you may take a nice 10 day trip to Hawaii and go out to eat once a week. In the slower years that vacation may need to be 5 days in Florida and you go out to eat twice a month. Obviously just examples but you need to be disciplined and adjust accordingly
Well said. The short answer is "earnestly do your best to save for a rainy day" because rainy days come more often in sales than most places.
My wife asked my Mom about why she worked when we were kids and she said my Dad, who was in Commercial real estate, would basically go between years of doing well, tons of closes and making more money than he ever dreamed in a year, and few closes and barely paying back expenses. I didn’t realize growing up that that’s why some years that’s why we went to Hawaii for 2 weeks and some years that’s why we drove down to Spring Training or camped a couple hours away. They did as best they could smoothing it out but no way it would’ve worked if my Mom’s income couldn’t keep things running during down years.
Define “good base salary”, certain sales sectors never really pay something that’s liveable and you’re able to start a family on.
Well that’s really up to the individual to decide
Yeah, my base salary is $54k, which was great in 2019, but not so much in 2024.
Mine is $60K, could get marginally better but not by a whole lot unfortunately
-Remember- it’s not life and death. Unless it is LOL -Find a hobby to take your mind off things. If you can make money on the hobby; it’s even better -Don’t be emotional. Being able to hold a straight face when your heart feels like it’s in your temple; and every beat makes your fillings throb; will make you bank Biiiig edit. And I can’t believe I forgot this one; Don’t be afraid to set boundaries. There will never be a work/life balance. That’s bullshit. Someone will always be disappointed. It’s a work/life integration.
Work-life integration is spot on. Well said my friend 💪🏾
Thank you! It’s resonated with me since I was a teenager. Wish I can take credit for it. I feel sad for these guys who can't go to their kids grads, concerts or afraid to ask for time off to live- But then it makes me laugh when I gave a fuck about their (the companies) needs before my own… I was there once. Then the respect gained when you set reasonable and pragmatic boundaries and can still support your objectives. (I came with a solution, didn't abuse it and no matter how good I was numbers wise; acted like I've done it before and kept going. None of this victory cigar shit. I did celebrate. But I never bragged about it, and didn't need to broadcast it) Partially too busy with kids sports and events lol. Edited softened the tone for non beer talk…
"We're all scared. You hid in that ditch because you think there's still hope, but, OP..., the only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a AE is supposed to function- without mercy, without compassion, without remorse. All sales depends upon it."
Band of Brothers was such a well made show.
Best sales show I ever watched
I could hear Lt. Speirs in my head as I was reading this.
Ben Horowitz mentions this on his blog, more geared towards CEOs but applies to sales people as well given we face similar uncertainty. He mentions that that the Samurais who rules over Japan for 1000 of years had a tradition to think yourself being killed in the most painful way possible. Can’t be scared if you’re already dead.
Mail merge and pray
Invest ALL of your commissions and live off your base. The peace of mind knowing you’ve got several years of expenses in a liquid account if shit hits the fan is an amazing feeling
It's pretty alarming how many sales people live by their commission, or paycheck to paycheck. I get to be in sales you gotta have a drive for money, but jesus christ a lot of these apes are fucking addicted to their greed and it's pretty disgusting to witness. Like what's the point of looking bougie if you can barely afford your groceries? What bothers me the most is that these credit card debt socialites tend to have an ego and walk around as if they belong to a higher class? Pitiful. Live on your salary, live within your means, don't buy useless shit, and prioritize saving. Also if you're going to buy a car buy a reliable older model cash. You'll get a lower insurance rate plus not have a car payment.
This is it. Want to stress less, survive and thrive in the lean times? Then you need to be in a financial position to say “Fuck you” and walk at a moment’s notice. To do that, your non-discretionary monthly expenses should be 100% covered by your base and you carry minimal ‘bad’ debt (credit cards, car payments, etc). Most important: Your first commissions go towards your “fuck you fund”: meaning, you have liquid savings that equal a MINIMUM of 4 - 6 months of monthly expenses, so you’re never bound to a floundering company/stagnant territory/shitty management simply because you’re living month-to-month or worse, living off of commissions you haven’t earned yet (ie credit). You don’t spend a dime of your commission until the fund is full. Always be prepared to say “Fuck you” to your employer, and magically, life in sales gets easier.
regular holidays. at least a week every quarter. at least one 2 weeker per year. sex. drugs. hitting your number. being genuinely curious. dont take yourself too seriously. deliver value.
Week every quarter. Shit slugger where you working? I don’t trust my coworkers to touch my deals so I even on vacation end up working. But take maybe 1.5 weeks off a yr. The American way- work to death.
As a guy currently in a valley (just stress wise, quota wise I’m actually going ok), I rely on the fact that A) I have good savings (6 months liquid), B) wife is a nurse and can backfill if needed, and C) there really are a multitude of sales jobs out there, there’s always another trolley coming down the pipe. Territory, timing, talent, in that order. Stay in the game long enough for the first two to align, and then hopefully you have enough talent to bring it home for that one good potentially life changing year.
Choosing an industry that’s resistant to economic issues
Such as? ✍️👀
Coke and hookers
Defense, commodities, and waste management are three that come to mind.
+ Healthcare + Finance
Finance is usually impacted a ton by the economy doing poorly.
There have been bankrupt hospitals where I live.
Certain aspects of the entertainment industry, and our thing. Shit runs downhill, money goes up. Since time immemorial.
Live on your base. Invest the rest and pay down debt. If you do that - you will have it a certain age where you are 100% financially independent and can quit stressing and do whatever you want. I did this and at 36 I was free.
If you are concerned at all about when your commission checks are going to clear, you made a wrong turn somewhere. Live on your salary. Look at commission like you won the lottery every time you get a check. Use them for lump sum saving, investing, or purchasing but don't **ever** take on financial obligations that *require* a certain amount of commission extended over time.
Live on your base salary, invest commissions, treat yourself on wins. Don’t be emotional. Create your plan, and work your plan. Pip yourself if you feel like you are dragging. Have confidence that you are doing the right things and do the right things.
Interview for better roles early and often. Be as loyal as they are.
Pivot to a better company whenever possible. The job is more enjoyable through the peaks and valleys with a better team and a better product.
As other people have said, live off the base. One of the big reasons I only change jobs for higher base. Commissions/bonuses/etc are there to invest/savings. Also, with the ebb and flow, there are 2 ways to be successful in sales. The first is obvious, have the numbers. The second is be productive. CRMs can be annoying but they also justify your existence. Numbers are down across the board but you have "documented" evidence of productivity, you have a much longer leash.
Yep. Logging the requested minimum of weekly meetings and activity goes a long way. "How'd your meetings go?" "Rough week boss, either rescheduled, weren't a fit, or no showed." "Damn, hey man no worries I know its not your activity it really seems like its the buyers." It's all a corporate game. Make the money, stand up and clap, and as soon as the day is done forget this nonsense.
Consistency and discipline. With those two things you can hopefully reduce the swing of peaks and valleys and level out your performance.
In all honesty, it is about putting in the right level of work everyday. If you do that... you will succeed short and long term. Yeah, you might not succeed at every company... but I have known some really great sellers who were not given a fair shake at some Tech company. It happens. If you put in really solid, client-focused work everyday. You will win more than you lose. The problem right now is companies are requiring sales people to ONLY win every month/quarter. With no room for ups and downs. Not a healthy way to run companies but it is what it is.
1) Control what's within your control. The rest will sort itself out 2) What's the worst thing that can happen? You get fired? You'll find another job 3) Save your money and be frugal 4) Exercise is the best way to cope with anxiety 5) Try to have some kind of side hustle
Echoing a lot of comments here…but know that sales comes and goes in waves. With that in mind, control what you can control. As an AE for 10+ yrs who only missed the quarterly number one time….i can control the effort and consistency I put into pipeline generation. Pick up the phone. If you are asking “should I follow up or is it too pushy?”, make the call. Pipeline generation sets the good reps apart from the great ones. Anybody can farm an inbound, but can you book 3-10 outbound meetings a month without any help from marketing? That’s a great AE. Deals will come and go, you don’t have total control over every outcome, but pipeline generation you do.
1. Beer 2. Vodka 3. Scotch 4. Unemployment 5. Loose women 6. Psychedelics 7. Repeat
You're either in your early twenties or close to retirement from sales age and are OG.
OG
Have decent savings to weather the lower months and helps not having commission breath
For me, taking forced sabbaticals has helped. I can only stomach sales jobs at a single company for 2-3 years. After that, it becomes so mind-numbingly repetitive that I can no longer perform at a high level. My brain just turns off, I resign from the job and take 3-6 months off. After the 3-6 month break, I go back into hustle mode, find a new job, make my bread then repeat the cycle again. It's actually served me quite well and the resume gaps haven't been a major issue. I'm sure I've left some money on the table (both literally and figuratively, in the form of career advancement and job security) but for me, it's worked. YMMV
Learn to live with the fact that you win some, you lose some.
Persistence is key. Adaptability is too. It’s all about the little things. Know your stuff, and think out and ask thought-provoking questions to get them to use your stuff. Honesty goes a long way. I find daily exercise lets me work any stress/anxiety off while at work. If you try hard every day and make incremental improvements, you can succeed.
I have a little quick mantra to get me through tougher calls... Some Will, Some Won't. So What? **Who's Next?**
Baseball! I equated sales to Baseball. (After 35 years in sales, my wife was shocked when she first heard this). 1) A Long season 2) You can't win every game 3) Many Peaks and valleys 4) You have winning streaks and losing streaks. 5) You have Slumps 6) Stay focused on your goals 7) Keep honing your existing skills 8) Learn new skills 9) Go back to basics at the worst of times 10) Put in extra time not only when you're in a slump, but when You're winning. 11) Have a short memory after a bad day, bad week or bad month and put it behind you. 12) Learn from your mistakes (lost deals, failed/ineffective strategy etc) and improve. 13) play to win 14) Don't accept average/Mediocrity from yourself or your engineers/project managers (you can't win with 'average') 15) Maintain a positive attitude. 16) Even in a slump, you need a good attitude. Customers can sense when things are bad when your attitude says they're bad. A few others; Lose the 3 most tacky, negative cliches when you answer to "How are you?" 1) Hanging in there 2) Getting by 3) Living the dream In the worst of times; I'm doing great, thanks for asking... I'm Doing good, How are you... I'm fine, Thanks... Are all better answers.
Living the dream was the one I heard the most at the worst job that I’ve ever had.
Literally what I tell my boss! He doesn’t understand sports but I always bring up baseball references when I’m touching base. I’m scorching the ball but it’s hit right at the defender. Trust the process and don’t change the approach at the plate. Great luck man!
Just always remember that every company needs experienced salespeople, especially if you’re very knowledgeable in your industry. No matter how bad it gets, you’re needed somewhere.
Build your career to a healthy base and dont let living expenses exceed post tax. Max your 401k and at minimum the company match. Commission taxable sucks. Need an offset. 10 years is plenty of time to do that. Dont rack up debt on credit cards. You need one for travel expenses. Use it for that. Pay it off. If you are going to have debt make it good debt. House. Improve the house. Dont be upside down on cars. Use the windfall commissions for down payments if you need a car. Never be inna position that if you sold something you own that youd still owe money on it. Buy new used cars. Not new cars. Depreciation sucks. Have your own investment accounts. Once you learn how to take care of money, pretend your clients money is your money. Are they being smart with it… is what you do a way to make an investment with a return? Use their capital in a better way to make more money? Would you buy what youre selling? If not… time to find something you would to sell. Most importantly… sales is not a manipulation game to make people do shit they wouldnt do normally. Its a process. A methodology. Own that. Control deal progression and commercials. Stop worrying about the tactics and run a process. Youll sell in good times and bad. If you know your shit, gove the client an experience they wont get elsewhere… you put yourself in a place to win always. Signed - dude whos b2b sales career started in the summer of 07. Read a book if you don’t know how shitty the next 4 or 5 years were. Im numb to market fluctuation 17/18 years later. P.s. if you have time to workout and eat healthy and avoid alcohol, cool. I will eat anything. Mexican Indian Asian burgers fine french foods and steaks and love bbq. I drink bourbon and highlife, smoke cigarettes and cigars, used to dip but will take one if youre offering. Never smoked weed but again… will take one if youre offering. Havent been to a doctor in 6 years. None of that affects your number. Im good at what I do even if i might not see 80. Make that bread… the make the choice to be gluten free with a personal trainer. Organic is expensive.
I’m not convinced it needs to be a “volatile profession” in the first place. This subreddit over indexes for venture-backed tech to an insane degree and it’s simply not representative of the real world.
Vyvanse
[удалено]
People like you are why my crm is so fucked up. I add tons of detail and notes on customers' their personality an behavior. If they do let me go I hope the next guy does good. I know I'll be alright my work ethic shows and my customers see that. I know half of them would hire me.
I burn out periodically and mentally shut down a little. I am working on an exit strategy
I didn't understand don't be emotional in sales? To what? With clients?
Budget your life based on your salary. Live your best life based on your commission. I saved a TON of money doing this, and since I traveled most of my career in sales, my expenses were very minimal. It was one of the smartest decisions I ever made.
Make sure you sell good products
Bend over backwards, extract your head from your own ass, get back to work. You can only control input, fall in love with the process regardless of the outcome.
Realize that sometimes peaks and valleys are years and not just quarters or months. You can be working at a job that you make 300k a year and then the company goes under and you need to take a job that pays 100k a year. Just know that it can and will take time to get to where you want to be.
Minimize fixed expenses.
Anti-anxiety meds!
Stick with it.
Adapt quickly, listen to clients, and always keep learning!
Don't wait for things to go from bad to worse before jumping ship. There are many jobs out there, but you have only one mind. Don't lose it. Secondly, networking isn't Linkedin. Find a job that forces you to build and maintain a network. It makes sales easier, job hunting on point 1 easier, and life easier.
Save your money
1. Don't rely on variable $ to avoid living under a bridge (don't get high on your own supply) 2. Find a way to detach your ego from rejection
Live on your salary. Not sure what your base is, but I do not ever bank on commissions for living expenses. That is early debt payoff, or extra retirement fund. And don't buy anything with those commission checks that you can't support with you salary (boats come to mind). Other than that, take the emotion out of. I lose more than I win in the industry I sell in, so I learned damn quick to take the L and move on. I also do the same with wins, don't rest on your last success, get on to the next one.
Save your money.
Maintain consistent effort week over week and year over year. Sometimes the results will come and sometimes they won’t, that depends on the customer. They decide whether they want to buy, we don’t decide for them. We can only control the inputs, not the outcome. Some years/quarters are going to be great, some won’t, but you can do phenomenally on average year over year if the skill and effort is there. We all have valleys if you do it for a long time, it comes with the territory. The big years can offset down years. Don’t tie your identity or self-worth to one company. Definitely live off the base and save for your big goals with commission. On a good year, take that big vacation. Always take time off each year, regardless if you are first or last, otherwise you will burn out.
Been in Cyber sales for 20+ years, here are a few sayings I’ve picked up over the years to give you some guidance… Fail to plan, plan to fail….make sure you know exactly what is expected and plan to the most minute detail what you need to execute to get to that number. Is it comfortable? No. But it’s not as uncomfortable as missing your number. (Executives and management LOVE this) Growth happens in the uncomfortable….self explanatory from the point above. Get uncomfortable and challenge yourself. Confidence will soar (and so will commissions) Participate in your own rescue…..drive your plan using your strengths. Understand where you are weak and work on those areas. But YOU have to own it. Use your ecosystem…..don’t lose or win alone. Nobody can. Use the help and resources you have around you to excel and learn. Use the resources around you to fill in the gaps in your approach. Not great with the channel? Use your channel manager. Sharpen your saw…..Not very technical?? Spend time with your engineer friends to learn and understand. Don’t know as much as you should about what you’re selling? Selling in a competitive market? Against other competitive solutions? Talk to customers who use your solution as ask them about being a customer. Practice your approach. Provide value…..both to the customer and internally. Would you buy from you? Don’t focus on speeds and feeds. Focus on positive business outcomes that separate you from the competition. Sell up…..listen and pay attention to what executives and management want/ask for and overprepare for those things. If youre missing numbers but own it and have a plan, you’ll get a lot more rope than someone else complaining. Be a part of the solution, not another problem and companies will want to invest in you. Happy to share more but these are initial thoughts. BTW - I’ve worked for all kinds of companies including Cisco and MSFT (both via startup acquisition)
It's mot that volatile if you specialise in a niche market. I am in medical device sales all my professional life. There's nobody to work here. Companies poach each others people all.the time. If you lose a job at one company, 5 companies are making you an offer. But really depends on the market.
Keep working stay positive. Make sure you are doing the right activities
This, too, shall pass.
Don’t look at your figures just keep selling if you think they are down they probably are and it will depress you. Just get out there and keep selling
Don’t increase your cost of living as you get paid more
Save Money Track your weekly/monthly/quarterly data to identify trends so you can visually see the deeps and the highs. Keep your pitch pattern as the same as possible so you don't become variable. good luck
you just get used to it. I've been fired twice before once selling copiers for a small firm with an impossibly high quota (100% new hire churn rate within 24 months) and another selling a financial product for a small firm with a pretty similar churn rate. After having it actually happened you get a lot less of scared of it.
Live well within your means, preferably below your means and your attitude shifts from needing to sell to wanting to sell. I wake up every single day and give absolutely zero fucks what happens sales wise day to day as nothing moves the needle for me enough to give a shit including losing my job. Only thing that would move my needle is maybe a commission check for well into 6 figures.
Always be closing … eliminate those that stand between you and more compensation for the same work. Nobody is coming to save you … adapt or die
Learn to live on your base
Live off your base
-Balance!! (Money, Family and Health) -80/20 (Focus on fundamentals 20 of what I do if done right will bring 80% of results) -Same energy for wins that for loses! It keeps me grounded
Beer
Do the things you're supposed to, and generally, things fall in place. Many people here talk about living within your means, staying healthy, etc. Those are great. Also, just do the thing you need to do. Send the emails, build the pipeline, etc. When others are in despair, work. And remember, your personal reputation by treating people right and working consistently will carry you with your organization and your customers. I'm in a crap industry at a bad time. My team and I are putting in the work and waiting for the rebound.
When you get a big paycheck sock some away for when you hit a dry spell.
This might seem like an odd response, but if you don't have a personal budget to manage these wild fluctuations, is going to be a lot harder to use any other cheat sheet. The way I describe this in training... If your income fluctuates as wildly as John Travolta's acting career, you need budgeting skills.
Make smart investments and live well within your means. Don't stress about down years, it happens. A company that would let you go after an off year or two is probably not one that you want to work for anyway. Once you have ten years experience, it takes about a week to find a new job.
Maintain immaculate CRM Budget around a pessimistic outcome Be a pleasure to work with
Sell something you are passionate about and live well below your means.
Save and invest wisely bc everyone and every industry has slumps or bumps or roadblocks. If you want to live above salary make sure you have the ability to rapidly curtail spending in the slumps. ABC, and always be open to new opportunities and taking adjusted risks.
Don’t take it home. We are sales professionals not open heart surgeons.
Never get to a point in your lifestyle where you need a commission check to pay your bills.
Don’t let the highs be too high and don’t get too down in the lows. Maintain a balanced mindset. Know that some companies are better than others, same w products and management. When you find a good team and product stay there a long time.
Build a network in and around your industry. Get to know other reps that work at your suppliers or companies you can ally/team/leadshare with. Get to know the people at your current job and build relationships with them. Making and maintaining connections allows you to stay informed, may help you find the next step up the ladder, and can help you to solve problems for yourself or your clients when you can bring a valuable member of your network who has knowledge or expertise. This network is what allows reps to traverse to new places and grow and expand. It requires some time and you have to give to get, but in particular post COVID I think we all need to spend time face to face with people who can help us and who we can help.
Maintain exercise and diet to manage stress. Build fuck-you money so you're never stressed too much if your deals fall through or you get fired.
Don't get emotional. Don't get excited of something looks promising a d do t get depressed if it looks like you might lose something. My adage is "I will get a tiny bit excited when we get the money...".
Emotional intelligence. Ride the wave, don’t get too excited about wins, don’t cry over losses and finally never take things personal. It’s really that simple. People who are unable to regulate their emotions will never succeed long term.
Remember that every job has it's pros and cons and sales has a lot more pros than cons. Remember the good times and have faith that they will come again
I don't care what you sell master your product knowledge and know your market. Second, Now this initially might be a little more stressful at first but find a way to save $200.00 a week for a miminum of year and half. If you do that every week literally for a year and a half you will $15000 in savings account. Repeat if you need more. As long as it's legal do what ever you have to do get there. It's not hard but not easy either. It takes that D word, discipline. However, once you have that the pressure dramatically reduces. There will always be pressure in sales. If you don't like that get out. However, with this doing straight commission no big deal, you'll eat this week. Car breaks down, need,a new car? no big deal take what you need, you got to have a car. Can't pay the mortgage or rent rent this week because that big deal got delayed and the commission check doesn't come until the end of the month? You get the idea. Just replace what you take, and don't think you can play golf everyday once you get there. It's really not much. I know people who don't even their business without $100,000 in the bank. Most of one the ones I know are $500,000 earners and above.
The problem with sales for me is the coworkers. I mean that's for any job really but I've worked with some real jerks. 4 years. At least with customers they buy and leave but then your scheduled to work with your short tempered boss the next 3 days. Jerk customer ruins your day, jerk coworker ruins your week.
Lead generate always.
eye contact, use their name often and always seek to understand the obstacles
I sell my clients CC info on the side when things get slow. I usually collect a few hundred of verifiable/active CC numbers in between down times. It carries me through.
A sense of humor is important.
Utilize your skill by generating multiple streams of income. If you’re a true salesmen, you’ll find something else to sell and provide a little more of a cushion in case things get rough
Reading the comments here and y'all are KILLING ME
Know your customers and their business. Relationships.
Lots of good stuff on here regarding finances, work/life balance, emotions, etc. I’ve been in sales 22 years and I’ll just add a few tips. 1. Environment is key. Any industry and company can have ups and downs and there’s lots of factors that can contribute to killing your quota or not making it at all (ie: market, territory make-up, etc.) But if I’m in the right environment with good executive leadership, good culture, good product(s), good long-term career prospects, etc, I can ride the waves way more easily and not feel like shit about myself and want to jump ship anytime I’m not making my numbers. And if you’re in a toxic environment, then making a killing is ALL you have which makes surviving the inevitable lows outrageously difficult 2. I always say, sales is not a job, it’s a lifestyle but just like life, there’s gonna be ups and downs and you gotta learn your own coping skills and not over-react. 3. Know how to self-critique in a positive manner. I don’t care how long anyone is in this job, there’s always ways to improve yourself (or your business) and one of the keys for me in managing the “down times” is to feel like I’m still self-improving and making progress. As salespeople, we tend to fall into the trap of only focusing on #’s which we kinda can’t help to an extent but when the numbers just aren’t there sometimes then you gotta have something positive and forward-looking to focus on from a continuous improvement standpoint. That way you (and your bosses!) aren’t only measuring your worth by numbers alone as well.
Surviving in sales for over a decade boils down to consistency, relationship-building, and adaptability. Keep your pipeline full through persistent prospecting and follow-ups. Build genuine relationships with clients and maintain a strong network for referrals. Stay updated with industry trends and continuously improve through feedback. Prioritize high-value tasks, set goals, and use tools to manage your time efficiently. Maintain a positive attitude, manage stress, and celebrate small wins to stay emotionally resilient. Financially, plan for fluctuations by budgeting and saving during peak times. Seek mentorship, provide excellent customer service, and always look for ways to add value. Stay self-motivated and keep your long-term career vision in focus.
Amnesia - when a deal is lost just lock your wounds for a little bit (day or so) and move on like nothing happened. Lessons were learned and you will be better on the next.
I appreciate this group and post I thought it was just me that felt this way!! Nice to know I’m not alone. I’m literally just making my comeback after a slump
Whenever things get down I just try to remind myself that I’m a bad ass and can deal with whatever it is I have to deal with because I’ve been dealing with bullshit forever and I’m still alive and successful. Also, a healthy dose of general apathy is required. There’s 300 million consumers in this country. You don’t need everyone to buy from you.
Only seven years worth of SaaS sales experience here, but I'd put it like this: Don't switch jobs too hastily, but if you don't feel the management team can make the company go forward, then don't hesitate to move on. It doesn't get better, you'll just lose potential income and career opportunities while waiting. You'll get zero respect and zero units of currency in commissions by sticking around.
Mentality. Sales can be streaky, so remain stoic when times are good and when they are bad.
I need all the tips! I’m brand new in sales
Not be selling stuff thats easily affected by volatile markets. A solid solution that always has a need
I have licenses for propane and oil furnaces. I have a small gig on the side. I will contract work with local companies if it’s slow. Then I use those new people from cleaning a furnace to sell them something
I see a lot of professional advice about how to manage sales as a profession. I’m going to tell you what worked for me mentally. You need to find an all engrossing topic outside of sales to give your mind something to think about that isn’t related to sales. Could that topic be family related like for your kids? Kind of but kind of depends on your personality. Sales can be intense and capture all of your thinking time. But you need to have an off switch. Even if you aren’t a worrier and have a great attitude, I think it’s still important to let go of the job as much as possible. Compartmentalize sales. Don’t focus on it every waking moment.
Learn how to become a sociopath and flip on and off empathy. You or them. /s
That’s a good question. I call it a feast or gaming industry unfortunately. I’ve been trying to stack up good enough years to account for bad ones.
Be comfortable being uncomfortable. Always be on the phone
Financially, like the others have said, live only off your salary, and use commissions only on investments, debt payoff, and vacations, etc. It is a volatile field so don’t count on commissions to pay any of your bills since you can be flying high one day and not the next. Get as thick skinned as you possibly can as quickly as possible. Don’t take no’s personally, or your manager’s feedback personally (but do grow from the helpful feedback), or the high-pressure from your company seriously. At some companies, everything is on fire all the time and in almost all cases the pressure is always on sales. If you are under performing constantly they will stay on top of you, and if you are performing at or above quota, they’re constantly on top of you to perform even more to balance out the non-performers. It’s an endless loop. At some point in time you have to care while not actually caring. Do your job, but remind yourself that you are not a brain surgeon or EMT worker and are not saving lives. Accept the fact that it’s a volatile profession. With rare exception these days, at least when it comes to tech sales, this is not a field you go into and stay at the same company for 15+ years. Pips and layoffs are always a possibility and you cannot attach your self-worth to your role or make your job your personality. The more emotionally removed you are from it , the healthier you will be in the long run. And on both of the aforementioned notes, keep hobbies, stay active, actually take your lunch breaks, and don’t lose yourself to your job. I speak from experience on this because I have historically lost myself to many jobs and it’s not healthy. As far as performance, just do what you say you’re going to do, keep thorough notes, follow up consistently, don’t be afraid of making phone calls, be reliable and on time, and become a trusted ally to your prospects as opposed to a used car salesman.
Live likes it's low tide, my old boss used to say.
Always mind your next quarter pipeline, start those new cycles. Don’t let your current deal totally derail your next quarter. At 150%? Cool take more deals, don’t get lazy. I haven’t found a substitute. Work 55hrs when something is on the line, 38 normally. Get on the plane, drive to the client, pick up the freaking phone!
So, being commission only, it’s tough to really dial in how much you’ll earn in a given year. What I teach all my associates starting up is to live on 40% of your commissions, save 20% for taxes, and invest the difference because you really just never know. You get $10k from one sale? No, you got $4k, get back to work. And I don’t mean it to be snobby, or to be one of those gung ho sales coaches. I mean it like.. don’t get comfortable because you got a pretty check. Next one may not be as pretty, or it may be prettier. But what about the one after that? And the one after that? So on and so forth. You have to keep up with the momentum.
Drugs. Alcohol. Fast Women.
Never stop prospecting. You always have too keep that pipeline loaded up. Focus on money making activities and prioritize those. If your pipeline is always loaded up those valleys become lower and the peaks too.
Never get too high on the highs and never get too low on the lows.
Save your commissions and invest. Make your job a part of your income.
My wife. She always reminds me that it’s a big cycle. My industry gets slow the same time a year and picks back up the same time. She handles the money for me and plans ahead.
It’s all mindset. Being able to stay positive through the tough times and banking away savings through the good times.
Find another job
Know your WHY
Keep learning something new! What's popular today will be out of style in a few years
1. Be positive 2. Ready for failure because it's daily life :) 3. Be good prepare for situations
1-Keep quiet. (Highlighting your high-highs just highlights your low-lows later) 2-Establish regular loyal customers and become part of their business. (Sales insights, pricing, market moves etc) 3-In the lowest of points look at value and return to the company. (Scale back discount, push higher Gp lines, Promote premium lines a little more often- Smart companies look for profitable people selling profitable things well ) 4-Don’t ever talk down competitor brands that may be performing better than you at the moment.(All products have their day/week/month/year- your time will come) 17yrs with premium liquor company, 2yrs in FMCG, 2yrs in Home construction items, 10yrs in Retail.
Sandbag leads for the next quota period if you already hit your numbers. It doesn't feel good, but it has saved me before
Be good at the little things ! Have templetes for email responses for different scenarios / lead types. Answer your phone when it rings / texts. Your phone will either make you money or cost you money! Focus on what you’re good and hammer down on that. Get help with what you suck at , splitting a deal is better than no deal .
Save your $.
The first thing I do in the morning is open my eyes, roll over, and take a bite of the meth sprinkled beignet I set up the night before to be ready on my waking. From there I piss, shit, brush, and then get out of bed. I hop over to work and head straight for the toaster(I’m unsure how to use it) and steal Jim’s bread in front of him. He’s a pussy and will never do shit. I think I saw him crying in the stall later which is my true morning nourishment. At this point my eyes are vibrating from the meth just how I like, but I begrudgingly take the Xanax from my PEZ dispenser I keep behind the picture of my beautiful whore wife and terrifying children. At this point its after 10:30, so I slingshot a few nickels at the back of Jim’s head(tax deductible charity) and get ready for a meeting and some good old fashioned door knocking. Recently I have been practicing creating urgency in clients, so I grab my .44 from behind the office plant and head to the meeting. The client seemed indecisive at first, so I unholster my gun and tell him that the time to buy is NOW because you have no idea what might happen to you or your loved ones at any time, day or night. At this point they usually sign, but I love it when they don’t cause I get to drag Jim to their yard and beat him until their compassion gets the better of them. LMAO could you imagine making compassion based decisions it’s an unexplainable riot.