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Are You a Sales Professional or Semi-Skilled Laborer?
Although we claim sales is one of the highest paid professions in the world, statistics indicate that for most salespeople, it is, in fact, one of the lowest paying professions. Is it because as a group we are also one of the least trained?
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Are You a Sales Professional or Semi-skilled Laborer?
By Paul McCord
We in sales work in what we like to claim is one of the highest paid
professions, yet statistics indicate we are, in fact, employed in one of the
lowest paying professions. In fact, we are engaged in a business that is
unevenly divided between a relatively small group of highly skilled
professionals, earning some of the highest wages in the world, and a huge
group of unskilled and semi-skilled laborers, earning unskilled and semi-
skilled wages.
One of the Lowest Paid Professions
Take a look at the following income statistics for some other professions
*
(these are MEDIAN incomes from 2006 , meaning half those in the profession
make less than the income listed, while the other half make more that the
income listed):
Truck Driver:
Average income for those with less than 1-year experience: $30,539
Average income for those with 10 years experience: $48,654
Business Banker:
Less than one-year experience: $42,000
10 years experience: 82,539
Registered Nurse:
Less than one-year experience: $44,969
10 years experience: 58,988
Dentist:
Less than one-year experience: $98,041
10 years experience: 122,248
Family Physician:
Less than one-year experience $101,423
10 years experience: 130,593
CPA:
Less than one-year experience: $47,218
10 years experience: 68,968
Attorney:
Less than one-year experience: $57,494
10 years experience: 102,709
Engineer:
Less than one-year experience: $55,01110 years experience: 81,221
Plumber:
Less than one-year experience: $35,697
10 years experience: 50,107
Carpenter:
Less than one-year experience: $28,885
10 years experience: 50,319
Now, here's the median income for sales:
Less than one year's experience: $32,500
10 years experience: 47,240
Notice something? The only professions we start at a higher rate of pay are
th
truck driver and carpenter–but by the 10 year we're trailing them, as well
as every other profession listed, in median income.
Can We Really Call This a Profession?
Why do so many of us make so little? What do the other professions do that
we don't?
One glaring factor is education and training. Seven of the ten non-sales
professions above require a minimum of a college degree–along with
additional specialized training. Only two–banking and carpentry–don't
require a professional license of some sort (OK, some engineers don't have
to be licensed either, but a great many do).
And sales? With a few exceptions by product or company, no degree
required. Specialized training? None required and little, if any, sales training
provided by most companies. Certainly, most companies provide product
training; they want their salespeople to know the company's products and
services. But most companies offer little sales training.
Selling is one of the few professions where the 'professional' is often left to
train him or herself because, after all, anyone can do it. Give someone a
phone and a list and they're a salesperson, right?
Few professions or trades allow an untrained individual to "practice" their
"craft," because until trained, they don't have a craft to practice. That's
certainly not the way most companies and salespeople see selling.
No rational person would accept a doctor or lawyer who had not received
extensive formal training in his or her profession and then proven a minimum
level of competence by passing a professional licensing exam. Likewise, we
expect those engaged in skilled trades such as plumbing and truck driving to
also have both formal training and certification in their profession.The reward for their training? For many, the rewards of their training are job
satisfaction and enjoyment, but the primary reward is increased wages. We
naturally expect that the more time–and money--invested in one's
professional training, the larger the income reward.
A doctor will invest 8 to 10 years beyond college in learning the basics of his
or her craft and is rewarded with one of the top wages in the country. An
attorney will invest 3 or more years beyond college and is likewise rewarded
with top wages. Plumbers go through an apprenticeship and extensive
testing to acquire their license and are rewarded with a top hourly wage, and
those plumbers who continue their studies beyond the Journeyman stage and
proceed on to become Master Plumbers are rewarded with even more
income.
Yet few salespeople have undergone extensive and comprehensive sales
training. We, as a group, are woefully under trained, yet we expect to make
professional wages.
The typical company gives their sales team members less than 50 hours a
year in formal training–and the majority of that training isn't sales training
but is rather product training. Studies have discovered that the typical
salesperson invests less than 30 hours a year–two hours a month--in study
and training outside of what they receive from their company.
As a group, we are among the least prepared and skilled of any profession or
trade. Is it any wonder we are also one of the poorest paid?
The Professionals Among Us
Nevertheless, there are a great many highly skilled professionals in the sales
industry, men and women who through hard work and substantial personal
investment of their time and money have developed the knowledge and skills
to reach the top of their profession.
Although many average and less than average salespeople rationalize these
top performer's success as nothing but luck, having been given a book of
business by a favorable manager, or as simply being a 'natural,' that is
seldom the reality of their success.
Top producers for the most part entered the sales profession in the same
way as most salespeople–by accident, without knowing anything about
selling, without the contacts and skills needed to succeed. Most struggled for
months or even years before they discovered the 'secret' to success.
Virtually all of these top producers were given the standard advice to always
be prospecting, ask for referrals, spend time in building rapport, find andsolve the prospect's needs, ask for the order. Like most salespeople, they
were told what they should do but were never taught how to do it.
It wasn't until they began to acquire training on their own through reading,
listening to tapes and CDs, attending seminars and workshops, and diligently
applying what they learned that they began to move from unskilled laborer
to true sales professional. Many, if not most, in this group invest anywhere
from 200 to 300 hours per year or more in personal training and skill
development–that's 7 to 10 times the investment in training as the average
salesperson. Is it then any wonder they are not only better prepared to sell,
but make 2, 5, 10, 20 or 30 times what the average salesperson makes?
Professional or Unskilled Laborer–It's Your Choice
You don't become a sales professional or stay an unskilled or semi-skilled
laborer by accident. You either do those things that will make you a highly
paid professional, or you do those things that will keep you in the unskilled or
semi-skilled labor category.
You get to choose whether you want to become a professional and enjoy
professional wages–or whether you're happy being an unskilled laborer.
There are thousands of quality books, CDs, seminars, workshops and other
training opportunities available. You can pinpoint your specific needs and
find a multitude of training resources to address them. All you need do is
commit yourself to getting and applying the needed training, and then do a
simple Google search to find thousands of learning opportunities.
If you're waiting for your company to train you, you stand an excellent
chance of never growing beyond a semi-skilled wage. You control your
destiny. Yes, it takes a commitment of time, energy and money–but
rewards are not only a far more enjoyable and satisfying job, but also one
that will provide you with the income you dreamed of when you entered
sales.
Paul McCord is president of McCord Training, an international sales training and
consulting firm located in Texas. The author of two best-selling books and the
author of numerous sales and management articles, Paul has trained thousands of
salespeople and managers around the world. He is the author of the popular Sales
and Sales Management Blog (http://salesandmanagementblog.com). He may be
contacted at pmccord@mccordandassociates.com or visit his website at
www.mccordtraining.com
Copyright 2008, Paul McCord. May be reproduced without change, with proper
attribution and brief bio. Notice of when and where article is to appear to
pmccord@mccordandassociates.com
By Paul McCord
We in sales work in what we like to claim is one of the highest paid
professions, yet statistics indicate we are, in fact, employed in one of the
lowest paying professions. In fact, we are engaged in a business that is
unevenly divided between a relatively small group of highly skilled
professionals, earning some of the highest wages in the world, and a huge
group of unskilled and semi-skilled laborers, earning unskilled and semi-
skilled wages.
One of the Lowest Paid Professions
Take a look at the following income statistics for some other professions
*
(these are MEDIAN incomes from 2006 , meaning half those in the profession
make less than the income listed, while the other half make more that the
income listed):
Truck Driver:
Average income for those with less than 1-year experience: $30,539
Average income for those with 10 years experience: $48,654
Business Banker:
Less than one-year experience: $42,000
10 years experience: 82,539
Registered Nurse:
Less than one-year experience: $44,969
10 years experience: 58,988
Dentist:
Less than one-year experience: $98,041
10 years experience: 122,248
Family Physician:
Less than one-year experience $101,423
10 years experience: 130,593
CPA:
Less than one-year experience: $47,218
10 years experience: 68,968
Attorney:
Less than one-year experience: $57,494
10 years experience: 102,709
Engineer:
Less than one-year experience: $55,01110 years experience: 81,221
Plumber:
Less than one-year experience: $35,697
10 years experience: 50,107
Carpenter:
Less than one-year experience: $28,885
10 years experience: 50,319
Now, here's the median income for sales:
Less than one year's experience: $32,500
10 years experience: 47,240
Notice something? The only professions we start at a higher rate of pay are
th
truck driver and carpenter–but by the 10 year we're trailing them, as well
as every other profession listed, in median income.
Can We Really Call This a Profession?
Why do so many of us make so little? What do the other professions do that
we don't?
One glaring factor is education and training. Seven of the ten non-sales
professions above require a minimum of a college degree–along with
additional specialized training. Only two–banking and carpentry–don't
require a professional license of some sort (OK, some engineers don't have
to be licensed either, but a great many do).
And sales? With a few exceptions by product or company, no degree
required. Specialized training? None required and little, if any, sales training
provided by most companies. Certainly, most companies provide product
training; they want their salespeople to know the company's products and
services. But most companies offer little sales training.
Selling is one of the few professions where the 'professional' is often left to
train him or herself because, after all, anyone can do it. Give someone a
phone and a list and they're a salesperson, right?
Few professions or trades allow an untrained individual to "practice" their
"craft," because until trained, they don't have a craft to practice. That's
certainly not the way most companies and salespeople see selling.
No rational person would accept a doctor or lawyer who had not received
extensive formal training in his or her profession and then proven a minimum
level of competence by passing a professional licensing exam. Likewise, we
expect those engaged in skilled trades such as plumbing and truck driving to
also have both formal training and certification in their profession.The reward for their training? For many, the rewards of their training are job
satisfaction and enjoyment, but the primary reward is increased wages. We
naturally expect that the more time–and money--invested in one's
professional training, the larger the income reward.
A doctor will invest 8 to 10 years beyond college in learning the basics of his
or her craft and is rewarded with one of the top wages in the country. An
attorney will invest 3 or more years beyond college and is likewise rewarded
with top wages. Plumbers go through an apprenticeship and extensive
testing to acquire their license and are rewarded with a top hourly wage, and
those plumbers who continue their studies beyond the Journeyman stage and
proceed on to become Master Plumbers are rewarded with even more
income.
Yet few salespeople have undergone extensive and comprehensive sales
training. We, as a group, are woefully under trained, yet we expect to make
professional wages.
The typical company gives their sales team members less than 50 hours a
year in formal training–and the majority of that training isn't sales training
but is rather product training. Studies have discovered that the typical
salesperson invests less than 30 hours a year–two hours a month--in study
and training outside of what they receive from their company.
As a group, we are among the least prepared and skilled of any profession or
trade. Is it any wonder we are also one of the poorest paid?
The Professionals Among Us
Nevertheless, there are a great many highly skilled professionals in the sales
industry, men and women who through hard work and substantial personal
investment of their time and money have developed the knowledge and skills
to reach the top of their profession.
Although many average and less than average salespeople rationalize these
top performer's success as nothing but luck, having been given a book of
business by a favorable manager, or as simply being a 'natural,' that is
seldom the reality of their success.
Top producers for the most part entered the sales profession in the same
way as most salespeople–by accident, without knowing anything about
selling, without the contacts and skills needed to succeed. Most struggled for
months or even years before they discovered the 'secret' to success.
Virtually all of these top producers were given the standard advice to always
be prospecting, ask for referrals, spend time in building rapport, find andsolve the prospect's needs, ask for the order. Like most salespeople, they
were told what they should do but were never taught how to do it.
It wasn't until they began to acquire training on their own through reading,
listening to tapes and CDs, attending seminars and workshops, and diligently
applying what they learned that they began to move from unskilled laborer
to true sales professional. Many, if not most, in this group invest anywhere
from 200 to 300 hours per year or more in personal training and skill
development–that's 7 to 10 times the investment in training as the average
salesperson. Is it then any wonder they are not only better prepared to sell,
but make 2, 5, 10, 20 or 30 times what the average salesperson makes?
Professional or Unskilled Laborer–It's Your Choice
You don't become a sales professional or stay an unskilled or semi-skilled
laborer by accident. You either do those things that will make you a highly
paid professional, or you do those things that will keep you in the unskilled or
semi-skilled labor category.
You get to choose whether you want to become a professional and enjoy
professional wages–or whether you're happy being an unskilled laborer.
There are thousands of quality books, CDs, seminars, workshops and other
training opportunities available. You can pinpoint your specific needs and
find a multitude of training resources to address them. All you need do is
commit yourself to getting and applying the needed training, and then do a
simple Google search to find thousands of learning opportunities.
If you're waiting for your company to train you, you stand an excellent
chance of never growing beyond a semi-skilled wage. You control your
destiny. Yes, it takes a commitment of time, energy and money–but
rewards are not only a far more enjoyable and satisfying job, but also one
that will provide you with the income you dreamed of when you entered
sales.
Paul McCord is president of McCord Training, an international sales training and
consulting firm located in Texas. The author of two best-selling books and the
author of numerous sales and management articles, Paul has trained thousands of
salespeople and managers around the world. He is the author of the popular Sales
and Sales Management Blog (http://salesandmanagementblog.com). He may be
contacted at pmccord@mccordandassociates.com or visit his website at
www.mccordtraining.com
Copyright 2008, Paul McCord. May be reproduced without change, with proper
attribution and brief bio. Notice of when and where article is to appear to
pmccord@mccordandassociates.com
