What Type of Sales Job Is Right for You?

Ask Yourself These Questions to Find Out

By Peter Vogt, Monster Senior Contributing Writer

If you’re looking for a sales job, you need to ask yourself one critical question, sooner rather than later: Am I a hunter or a farmer?

“A hunter type of salesperson is great at building a client base from the ground up and excels at identifying targets, prospecting and closing new business,” explains Tom Kelly, a Chicago-based professional sales coach and founder of Potential in Motion. “A farmer type of salesperson enjoys working with existing accounts, growing existing relationships, and cross-selling and upselling the existing client base.”

If you’re a hunter at heart, you probably won’t like -- or excel at -- a sales job that requires the cultivating temperament of the farmer. Conversely, if you’re a farmer deep down, you’ll likely prefer to leave the hunting to someone who thrives on the thrill of the chase.

“The skill sets are really different, and that’s why this [question] is the number one thing to consider when looking at the type of sales job you’re a good fit for,” Kelly stresses.

But it’s not the only key variable you’ll need to take into account. Be sure you ask yourself three additional critical questions and understand these key terms:

Inside Sales or Outside Sales?

Hunters are frequently outside sales professionals, who call on potential clients in the prospects’ own workplaces, while farmers are more likely inside sales professionals, dealing with potential clients who come to them.

But these correlations don’t always apply. So the inside-versus-outside question is still essential for you to think about on its own, according to Joshua Crumbaugh, director of sales and marketing for the Huntsville, Alabama, office of Platinum Mortgage.

“Let’s face it: We’re all different,” Crumbaugh says. “While some people have an amazing ability to stand out from the crowd, others simply blend in and have difficulty thinking up new, creative ways to stand out, get noticed and keep their audience’s attention.”

So if you don’t necessarily see yourself dazzling people with your actions or personality, “then inside sales is most likely your answer to the question of inside or outside [sales],” Crumbaugh says.

Straight Commission or Salary Plus Commission?

So then there’s salary, and when you’re talking sales, commission. A straight-commission sales job offers no guaranteed salary; you only make money if you sell something. A salary-plus-commission arrangement offers a modest salary plus a cut of everything you sell.

So why would anyone take a straight-commission sales job? For starters, the commissions are much larger than those found with a salary-plus-commission job.

“Straight-commission is very highly paid; they get 30 percent of everything they sell,” says Sharon Drew Morgen, founder of Austin-based Morgen Facilitations and author of Selling with Integrity.

Conversely, salary-plus-commission salespeople usually earn much lower commissions, often just 5 percent of their sales, since they also receive a guaranteed (yet often modest) salary.

The potential beauty of a straight-commission sales job is that with high risk comes the possibility of high financial rewards, according to Jon Quade, president of AutoMotivators in Lake Mills, Wisconsin.

“A straight-commission plan typically has no ceiling,” explains Quade. “In addition, when you reach certain sales levels on commission plans, there will often be bonuses over and above your actual commissions, to encourage top performers.”

Use an Established System or Sell Your Own Way?

Many companies and organizations have pre-established sales systems that anyone can learn and follow, says sales trainer Dan Page, president of Boulder-based Innovative Sales Techniques. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with this type of selling,” Page says. “It can be very comfortable, and it puts food on the table for many families in America.”

But, Page argues, if you want to draw more actively upon your own creativity and curiosity, you’ll probably want to pursue a sales job that allows you to dig for the underlying story behind what you’re selling -- and then independently figure out how to position the product/service so that people will want to buy it.

Learn more about sales careers.