The Pitfalls of Entitlement and Mediocrity in Sales Careers

Did you ever question your choice of a career in sales?
 
Far too many in the field "default" their way into the profession and develop a comfort zone that turns into a mediocre career.
 
Employers encourage this mediocrity by paying a "livable" base salary and a commission structure to motivate their team to sell more.
 
I recently met a young salesman at a networking event who was unemployed, or by his description, "between" sales jobs.
 
After a lengthy conversation, I discovered he had been out of work for 18 months and was reaching the end of his rope.
 
His former position paid him an $80K base and a commission of 15% on everything he sold.
 
By his account, he made approximately $110K for a year's worth of selling.
 
This created a massive problem for him as it became an expectation for his next position.
 
You see, potential employers balked at his salary requirement because he was untested in his new position, and their investment might be at risk.
 
We spent an hour over coffee, and I gave him a few ideas, even offering him a free seat in my sales training course. I believe it always helps to learn new skills and network with other business professionals.
 
Although he opted not to attend the class, one piece of advice that I gave him was to look for ways to make himself more appealing to future potential employers.

I suggested reducing his salary request and negotiate for a higher commission to prove that he could do the job.
 
After all, he has been unemployed for 18 months!
 
I was surprised at his look of horror as he blurted out, "No way, I'm entitled to it for the effort I give each day."
 
He went on to say that he was comfortable with the high base and the security that it gave him. He would rather continue to wait, no matter how long it takes, until he found a company that would pay him the base he is used to receiving for his work.
 
Entitled, comfortable, and security are words that can doom a salesperson to subpar performance because these are words that justify complacency and mediocrity.