Sales is an exciting field. Many people enter sales inspired by the opportunities it offers, only to realize after a few years that they’re not any closer to any of those opportunities than when they began.

If this sounds familiar, don’t despair. Building a strong career in sales takes planning.

Five Steps For Building a Career Roadmap for Sales:

1. Start by evaluating your professional inventory.

Every career relies on the collection of skills, training, and experience developed during that career – and sales is no exception. To start creating a roadmap for your sales career, think about your strengths and weaknesses as a salesperson.

Also, consider what parts of sales you really love, which you’d rather avoid, and what you’d like to learn next. This information can also help guide your decisions.

2. Learn about industry opportunities.

Every industry requires sales professionals. Yet not every sales professional enjoys work in every industry.

Whether or not you’re happy where you are, take a look at industries outside your own. Compare and contrast industries, and use this knowledge to help you identify common features of fields you’d enjoy working in.

3. Examine jobs and requirements, starting with ones adjacent to your current position.

It’s common for sales professionals to get “stuck” in a single view of a sales career. Yet opportunities abound in this field, and many are available as promotions or lateral moves from other sales positions. Start looking for jobs and opportunities that you can do now or could do with a bit of skill-building, and see if any of them interest you. Talk to people who hold these positions to learn more about what they entail.

4. Build a team.

Sales is a team effort, and so is building a career roadmap. For insight into sales in the industries that interest you, talk to a staffing partner who focuses on those industries. Your recruiter can help you decide on the next step in your sales journey.

Looking For Your Next Sales Opportunity?

Whether you’re trying to plan the career you have or branch out in new directions, the recruiters at SMR Group can help. We connect sales and marketing professionals to great jobs and employers in the medical device, biotech, and pharmaceutical industries. To learn more, contact us today.