It amazes me sometimes when I reach out to people about sales opportunities and they automatically ask me what the base salary is. It’s a question that is becoming all too common and a bit too frequent. I believe it comes from a lack of knowledge of how sales positions really work. Listen, I understand not every sales position is the same. And I understand we all want to lead this life of grandeur. People think after graduating college they’re entitled to at least a $70K base salary with a 6 figure income potential their first year and they demand all of this with only a few minor sales roles here and there on their resume and majority of their sales experience come from waiting tables. Or people want to leave their current sales position because their base salary isn’t high enough but they never hit the minimum company quotas or was never willing to go in early and stay late to get in those extra 20 dials to potential clients/customers that would help boost their sales and their income.
As a recruiter, I love that you worked hard and paid your way through college. I love that at your current position you were Rookie of the Year or made it to the President’s Club trip in your first year. Guess what? You worked hard for it. So good for you! I commend you. I celebrate with you. But did you earn what you wanted to earn? If you didn’t get Rookie of the Year or any other awards, do you understand why? Can you pinpoint what you could have done better or more of so you can get there the next year? When I talk to a potential candidate for a sales position I’m recruiting for, I listen for certain buzzwords during our initial interview: aggressive, competitive, money motivated, results driven, fast learner, leader, hungry, self starter. And those are just a few. There are many more that could describe the perfect sales candidate. If none of those words describe you and you’re in sales, you may want to reconsider your career. If 3 or more of those describe you, you’re in the right place. The next thing to think about is are you with a company who can help you achieve the 6 figure income every true sales person chases? Can this company provide you with the adequate resources, the right tools and training, great leadership, but most of all - the right compensation package? If you answered yes to all of those questions, then you’re in the right place. If you haven’t seen that 6 figure income blasted all over your W2 yet, I encourage you to sit back and ask yourself why. You may learn a thing or two.
I recently talked to a candidate who told me that he couldn’t leave for anything less than $45K (plus commissions). But then he also mentioned to me that he was nowhere near that base currently. After digging in a bit more, I found he graduated college 2 years ago and had been in his industry for a little over a year but only in his current position for 2 months. I had to scratch my head. What in the world made this candidate think he deserved anything more than what he was getting now? A true sales person doesn’t get caught up on the base. They get caught up on the bigger picture - the income potential. I call it their own personal “IP”. A true sales person doesn’t ask “what is the base salary?”. Instead they ask “what is the income potential? This is what I want to make. How can I get there with your company?” If it’s the right company for you, the compensation package and the career growth opportunities will be far more valuable to you as a candidate than any base salary ever will.
Let me put it into perspective. I was talking to two candidates for the same sales position. On paper, they both looked the same. But as I continued to dig in further to each of them, I found one very distinct thing that set both of them apart from each other. Candidate A was making $65K and Candidate B was making $90K. Candidate A had a base salary of $45K and Candidate B was working 100% commission. What was the biggest difference I found in both? Their individual work ethic. Candidate B didn’t have the cushy base salary like Candidate A so it forced him to work harder, faster, longer and more effectively. And in turn, he made more. Candidate A had the opportunity to make the same $90K but instead was comforted by his base salary which I noticed as our conversation went on made him very complacent as he only hit the minimum quotas. It was clear that Candidate B was who I would be moving forward with. Why? Because Candidate B was the epitome of what sales is all about. It’s about hard work, it’s about putting in the time and dedication to get the job done, it’s about making those extra 10/15/20 calls a day to ensure you hit your full income potential.
Here’s another example. I was recently in a wedding and the girl doing my hair found out I was a recruiter and asked if I could help her husband find a job. She mentioned he was a restaurant manager (I love those types of people), but the hours were getting to be too much and he was looking for something more stable. As someone who served all through college, I understand being tired of working holidays and having to work on weekends or at nights while your friends or significant other are out having fun without you or just getting to relax at home. I told her he should look into sales positions with his background as there are an abundance of those out there. She went on to tell me that he’s had some interviews but no company could come close to their base salary expectation. When I asked her what it was she said “$65K”. I asked how old he was and she said “25 years old”. Not that his age really matters but it told me that he probably hasn’t had enough job experience to demand a salary like that. I told her he was asking for way too much if he wanted to truly be in a sales opportunity that would allow them to live the way they imagined in their heads. Unless you’re in medical device sales or pharmaceutical sales or will be a Sales Manager or Director for a bigger company, you will have a very hard time finding that type of base salary. And even if you do, you’re probably looking at a very low commission potential.
You want to make 6 figures in your first year? Well, it all boils down to this: Money. Follows. Work Ethic. If you have a strong work ethic and a strong desire to succeed, you’ll be reaching that 6 figure income faster than you thought possible. As a recruiter who is very passionate about sales, let me end with some professional advice: DON’T let the first questions out of your mouth be “what are the hours” and then ask me “what the base salary is”. It raises a big red flag, and I more than likely will not move forward with you. Or I’ll be pretty hard on you in our interview to really find out if you have what it takes. Work hard. Be present. And know that at the end of the day, your work ethic will make you far more money than any base salary ever could.
Thanks for reading! XoXo - Genesis
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