Hey VP of Sales: Get Over It, You Won’t Be Thanked

Sales can be a thankless job. But if you can find the strength to win and win again, you will find joy in what you do.

SPONSOREDUpdated 4:16PM • 03/10/16

Recently, I was at a franchisor’s conference. The CEO of that company got on stage and thanked everyone associated with the brand, with one exception—the head of franchise development.

I was sitting next to this head of franchise development during the conference. At that moment, he leaned over, with a saddened face, and said to me, “Should I be mad?”

I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Unfortunately, that’s just the way it is.”

Whether right or wrong, sales—in many companies—is a thankless job that comes attached with false expectations and limited appreciation. It takes a very special person to be able to not rely on gratitude for fuel. Your fuel has to come from within—you need to be driven by the fact that anything is possible, not just once, but over and over again.

From the business standpoint, a company needs you to process their leads (proactively and reactively) in order to guarantee continued growth. Each new sale is great—but one is not enough. The need for more sales is never-ending—when you’ve reached one goal, it’s time to set another. Our brains and our businesses have been designed on the promise of growth. If you are not growing, you are failing—and that do or die mentality often falls on the shoulders of the sales team.

From the salesperson’s perspective, the impact of their sale is much greater than the instant gratification of a check—it’s the sustainability of that sale that really matters. In franchising, that one sale could mean millions in future royalties, referrals to other future franchisees and growth within the territory. To the business, the future success of that tiny snowball you started is irrelevant—unless, of course, you continue to build more snowballs. But as a salesperson, you feel like you’re impacting the business in so many ways—you feel as if you deserve a giant pat on the back and a damn party.

Businesses see things differently. The CEO looks at the P&L and sees the costs that went into helping you get that deal. They rarely see those costs as just one part of the overall investment in your company’s future success—more so, they see it as a heavy cost that you need in order to do your job. Then there’s the commission that comes on top of it, too.

Working in sales can be an unappreciated job—which is why, you, Mr. or Mrs. Salesperson, don’t get enough credit for what you do. No matter what you sell, you are convincing someone to spend their hard earned money on something you are telling them to believe in—and that’s not easy.

Franchise sales, in particular, is much harder, and it often comes attached with a lower paycheck. This has never made sense to me—after all, you’re trying to lead someone into one of the biggest life decisions they will ever make. This isn’t buying a house or a car or a widget. This is someone quitting their job (in most cases) and becoming a business owner for the first time in their life. They’re taking a risk and rolling all of their money dice on this one opportunity.

As salesperson, that’s pretty heavy, and it’s a lot to consider. But don’t worry—you won’t get credit for it anyway.

If you can find the strength, the momentum and the fuel to win and win again, you will find joy in what you do. You, unfortunately, are the professional sports coach that won a Super Bowl a few years ago that the ownership cannot remember. You must not only win then, but win now.