Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/602622
34 FEDA News & Views I don't know about you, but I am very concerned for the future of outside sales. Every client I speak with is searching for new sales talent. The prob- lem that we all face is this: Sales careers are not in vogue. Recent college gradu- ates do not see the outside sales position as an attractive career choice. If distribu- tors are going to continue along the cur- rent go-to-market path, they're going to have to shed the Willy Loman image of the profession. That goes for other indus- tries as well. I've been having conversations with several management professionals, both in and out of distribution, and this is not just a distribution problem. Recently, I was speaking with my marketing coordinator, a recent college graduate, over lunch. A gentleman from the next table leaned over and added his two cents, "I was interviewing a young guy for a $100,000 sales job and I barely got a legible resume from the kid." He couldn't find anyone remotely qualified to interview, much less accept the posi- tion. Savvy industries, such as insurance, have gone to great lengths to avoid the sales title. Junior producer and account manager seem to be gaining more hits. Perhaps they know something we don't. I have spent a lot of time recently with undergrads at my alma mater. A friend and I are developing a mentor program for juniors and seniors with the hopes of pairing them with graduates in their field of choice. In asking about the types of careers these young men were look- By Jason Bader jason@distributionteam.com continued on page 42 WHERE ARE THE NEXT SALESPEOPLE COMING FROM? ing for, none of them had considered sales as an interesting option to the chagrin of my cohort, who has been in pharmaceutical sales for the past 20 years. Sales is where the money is, right? When I got out of college, you earned your chops selling copiers and then moved on to other products. This con- cept really doesn't resonate with these guys. Most of them identify "marketing" and "branding" as a suitable profession. Look, I have nothing against market- ing. I have been married to a market- ing professional for almost two decades. Positioning and branding is absolutely necessary but eventually someone has to sell the widget. Someone has to ask for the order. Someone has to wake up every morning wanting to wield the broadsword and lop off heads. Someone has to be the hunter. I happen to really enjoy generational study when it comes to motivation in the workplace. These are the types of business frustrations that advisors, such as yours truly, tend to thrive on. With regard to this lack of interest in sales jobs, I can see some childhood influ- ences playing a part. I am not sure what we were thinking but sometime back in the 90s, we quit keeping score. You know what I am talking about. Everyone got a turn at bat before the inning was over. All sporting events ended in a draw and everyone received a participation trophy. While this might have been thought to be good for the emotional well-being of a child, it really screwed up their competitive instincts. This may sound a bit cynical but look at the results. The generation graduating college today is less competitive than previous genera- tions. Isn't sales supposed to be about crushing the competition? Communication skills are the cor- nerstone to a successful sales career. Knowing how to actively listen, formu- late probing questions, cultivate relation-