If you think quitting your job to pursue a sales consulting opportunity is too risky, think again. Today, quitting your job can be a viable path to increasing your income and improving your career satisfaction. In fact, a cbsnews.com article reports that “the decision to quit and look for [something] better paying or more satisfying … can be rewarding.” Here are some things to consider when exploring the sales consulting opportunity:
Good Economy Means More Options with Less Risk
When unemployment drops while job openings rise, career options and opportunities expand. Recently, according to another article at cbsnews.com, “the proportion of workers quitting their jobs, known as the quit rate, reached the highest level since April 2001.” What’s more, “quits are seen as a positive sign that workers are confident they can find another [career opportunity],” and that “most people who quit do so for” higher pay.
Risk vs. Reward
Is it risky to quit a corporate sales management or sales leadership position? Perhaps. But the simple truth is that it could be just as risky – or even more risky – to stay in that role. As we noted in a recent article, the average tenure for a corporate VP of Sales is now just 19 months. And that tenure will probably continue to shrink. So, the first consideration of risk is to acknowledge that it could be risky to remain in a corporate role where job security is anything but secure.
The second risk consideration is whether it is perilous to venture forth seeking your own sales consulting opportunity. Indeed, any self-employment venture can be a leap of faith. But if that faith is built on your decades of sales and executive sales management experience, the risk could be less. And if your sales consulting opportunity is one where proven sales systems, tools and services are in place from the outset, the risk could be reduced even further.
Of course, any consideration of possible risks must be weighed against possible rewards. A great sales consulting opportunity might, for example, offer rewards like these:
- Less business-related travel
- Less corporate bureaucracy
- More time to spend with family and on leisure activities
- Ability to choose and accept client assignments you want
- Knowing you are relevant, needed, and making a difference
- Working with a true sense of purpose again
- More control over your destiny
Speaking of Control…
Naturally, exploring a sales consulting opportunity is your choice. But many sales executives come to that point of exploration reluctantly. Downsized from a sales leadership position and unable to transition quickly to a similar corporate role, they start to consider non-corporate options. But whether you have an innate entrepreneurial spirit or find yourself as an “accidental entrepreneur”, stepping outside your “comfort zone” could uncover greater freedom AND the ability to make a difference for businesses in need of your sales leadership expertise.
Finding the Right Sales Consulting Opportunity
Okay, so you’ve done your personal due diligence by calculating risk versus reward. And you’ve concluded it’s time to explore your professional sales leadership options. Now what? Where do you start?
Many sales management professionals and sales executives start while still employed in the corporate world by listening for opportunities to help smaller businesses. Serving a smaller enterprise can make the post-corporate transition a little less scary. Often, such sales management roles in small and medium-sized businesses are part-time or short term. In fact, you might find yourself serving not just as a sales consultant, but as a “fractional” or outsourced VP of Sales. And that’s a concept we know very well here at Sales Xceleration. In fact, our dozens of licensed Advisors have already sought a sales consulting opportunity and found it here. They discovered their best opportunity was to align their sales leadership experience and expertise with our proven sales systems, tools and services.
The Bottom Line:
If you are exploring your options and looking for a sales consulting opportunity, first consider the risks and rewards. Recognize, too, that quitting your job may now carry less risk than ever for many sales leadership professionals. If the time is right for you to take a closer look, consider the sales consulting opportunity of becoming a licensed Sales Xceleration Advisor. To learn more, contact us today at 1.844.874.7253.