Independent Sales Representative Career Overview

Independent sale Representative Career OverviewIndependent Sales Representative Career OverviewFor those mavericks who prefer to set their schedules and who like the control of deciding what products or services to sell and which do not, Independent Sales may be for them. Being an Independent Sales Representative takes self-discipline, effective time management skills and requires a lot of hard work. For those who prefer to be on their own and are willing to pay the price, Independent Sales may be the perfect career. Day in the Life of an Independent Sales Representative While most independent sales professionals have a boss or a company with expectations about when they need to should show up to work and how much activity is expected on any given day, Independent Sales Representatives often set their rules, expectations, and schedule. With all this freedom, youd be tempted to think that Independent Representative only work a few hours a day and have plenty of free time. These pe rceptions only apply to those who dont last too long as an Independent Sales Representative. The successful reps usually work long hours that often stretch into the weekends and holidays. They are masters of time management and devote many hours and energy to learning everything there is to learn about the product or service they represent. In other words, Independent Sales Representatives who are successful are the hardest working reps in the selling field. The Rewards As hard as successful Independent Sales Representatives work, many would think that the only possible reward would be a high income. And while Independent Sales Representatives can, and often do earn a substantial income, the true rewards are the saatkorn as those experienced by entrepreneurs. Self-confidence in abundance, self-trust and reliance and, in most cases, an expansive professional network are just a few of the benefits that have a positive impact on many life areas. Types of Independent Sales Repres entative Positions Like Manufacturers Representatives, Independent Sales Representatives seek out businesses who either need to augment their sales force and are willing to outsource sales or already are active believers in outsourcing sales and marketing. Software developers are one of the most common companies that contract with Independent Sales, but positions can be found in many industries. When searching for a company to represent, you should avoid those with an existing sales force and focus more on small businesses, start-ups and businesses whose home (or only) office is located outside of the United States. Compensation If you are expecting a cousine salary, you are looking for the wrong type of sales position. An overwhelming majority of independent sales positions are 100% commission based. That means that you only get paid when you sell something. Since the company you represent does not have to pay you a salary, cover your benefits, pay you for time off or pay any governmental or state employment fees, they are more willing to pay a higher percentage of gross profit to you. Commission plans that pay out between 30 and 60% are common in independent positions. The whole trick is to find a product or service that can be sold with substantial profit margins since that is usually the only way you will get paid. Things to Consider Many get into Independent Sales due to an inability to find a position as a salaried employee. These representatives usually only stay in the independent ranks until they find employment. But for those who choose independent sales, or for those consider an independent sales representative position, there are several factors that need to be considered. One is retirement and the fact that you will need to manage and contribute to your retirement plan. Another factor is health insurance. While there are countless insurance plans for Independent Representatives to choose from, ansicht plans are often very expensive and c ut directly into whatever commission you earn. Lastly, Independent Sales Representatives should consider how they will create a healthy work-life balance. With no set or guaranteed salary and relying completely on commission earned from sales, Independent Sales Representatives are typical workaholics. And while loving your job is important to your general well-being, time away from work is equally important.

4 Ideas for Sales Management Success

4 Ideas for Sales Management Success4 Ideas for Sales Management SuccessManaging schlussverkaufpeople is quite different from managing other employees, and sale managers who transition from outside sales might find that their usual motivational techniques simply dont work as well. For one thing, many of the tricks managers use are similar enough to sales techniques that salespeople will binnensee through them. For another, salespeople tend to be very confident and independent-minded, and they dont always take well to being managed. If you havent had much luck with managing your sales team, try using some of these strategies. Focus on Training Sales is one field where theres always something new to learn. Selling approaches that worked perfectly twenty or even ten years ago will flop today because buyers are constantly changing their preferences and knowledge levels. So its important for even the most experienced of salespeople to keep learning and developing their sales skills. C ompany-specific training is equally important salespeople cant succeed if they dont understand their own products and how they work. Schedule One-On-Ones Meeting with each salesperson on a regular basis helps you to track whats going on in their heads, which is just as important as knowing how theyre doing at their sales activities. Giving an unhappy salesperson a chance to vent to you can keep him from doing something drastic, be it starting a feud with a co-worker or simply leaving the company. You can also gain a deeper understanding of why a salespersons numbers are soaring or slipping, and will better know how to handle the situation. Ideally, you should meet with every member of your sales team at least once a week. If you have a large team, that may mean scheduling several brief meetings with different salespeople each day. Craft Incentives Most salespeople are best motivated by two things money and recognition. Youre probably limited as to the amount of money you ca n provide, but theres no limit to your ability to praise strong performances. Contests and competitions can improve both performance and morale within your sales team. And if you cant afford to pay out fabulous prizes, you can hand out rewards that emphasize recognition and give winners their fifteen minutes of fame, at least within the team. A well thought-out recognition award can be more motivating than if you simply handed the winner a check. Have a Plan Your salespeople know how much they need to produce, but they may not know how to get there. And as the sales manager, your job is to get everyone on the team to reach their goals. Early in the sales period, meet with each salesperson and draw up a sales plan together that includes mini-goals at different points within the sales period. For example, if your sales commissions are based on quarterly performance, youd meet with your team members at the beginning of each quarter and set benchmark goals for each month or perhaps every other week. You can also offer guidance at this point as to which activities are most likely to lead to success. Then, when you meet with your salespeople later in the period, you can compare their current sales numbers to the benchmarks you set and youll know right away if theyre on track to meet their ultimate goals. When a salesperson starts to lose traction, youll know it well before the end of the period and youll have a much better chance to help correct him before its too late.

How to Define Leadership in Recruiting (And Why It Matters)

How to Define Leadership in Recruiting (And Why It Matters)How to Define Leadership in Recruiting (And Why It Matters)Twenty-three percent of the job descriptions on Simply Hired in 2015 seek to fill roles that focus on leadership and strategic thinking. This significant demand encourages HR managers and recruiters to consider how we define these leadership roles and how we recognize leadership in the workplace.As we consider the importance of leadership, it becomes obvious that there are several different kinds of leaders in the workplace. CEOs and VPs are leaders. But leaders can also be managers, employees and talent acquisition professionals. How we respond to the demand for leadership varies greatly according to the job we have been assigned to do.Lets examine a breakdown of what leadership means to each of these positions and how an HR leader can craft a unique definition of leadership for his or her company culture.Defining Leadership in Job DescriptionsLets abflug this proces s by looking at how employers define leadership. According to our data, recruiters use the following common words in job descriptions for leadership rolesLeaderLeadershipStrategic thinkerGoal-orientedAssertiveSelf-starterThese words dont paint a comprehensive picture of a leader, but they do indicate what we expect from leaders in the workplace. We expect that they will be active and confident and that they will platzdeckchen and achieve goals. We also expect that they wont wait for externally motivating factors (instructions, orders or incentives) to do the job they need to do.The basic definitions of the terms Leader, and Leadership, impart meaning, too. These words convey an expectation that employees can receive guidance, direction and influence from this person, even if the person is a peer. In this light, a leader is someone who is comfortable assuming control of a situation and making a decision.The term strategic thinker adds another layer to what organizations look for in a leader. Instead of being purely task-oriented, leaders consider their work within the context of the whole picture. Instead of moving through a to-do list, leaders are more likely to consider the long-term strategy and implications of each action.Learning From Different Kinds of LeadershipThe rising trend in entrepreneurship is a great example of motivated, self-starting, strategy-focused leadership. Now-famous entrepreneurs like Bill Gates and Walt Disney turned town lucrative job opportunities to follow through with unique ideas that had potential.Instead of following a traditional, laid out path as a VP or CEO of another company, these entrepreneurs set goals and put their careers on the line to pursue ideas that they believed in. Over time, the confidence and assertiveness these entrepreneurs attracted employees and customers who shared their geistesbild and lead to overwhelming success.Piecing Together Leadership for Human ResourcesOf course, the definition of leadership plays out differently in the trenches of talent acquisition than it does for the C-Suite. Where entrepreneurs and CEOs display leadership for the benefit of the companys bottom line, HR and talent acquisition managers display leadership for the benefit of the employees productivity and performance. And thats where it becomes important to understand how leadership, strategic thinking, goal making and assertiveness fit into the staffing teams leadership role.Considering the words defined in the job description for a leader, we can start to identify talent acquisition leadership by the following traitsLeadershipTalent leaders will display the confidence and command of leaders in the workplace. They will provide support and guidance to employees. They will assume control of the situation to fairly represent all parties.Strategic ThinkingTalent leaders make decisions based on the big picture. They consider all possible long-term implications of decisions both for the health of the company and the health of the employee.Goal-OrientedTalent leaders set and achieve goals to track overall progress. They consider every decision in light of how it will bring the company closer to its long-term goals.AssertivenessTalent leaders make decisions with confidence and assertiveness. Once the right decision is made, they calmly and fearlessly enforce it.Self-StartingTalent leaders are motivated to do the best job they possibly can in all circumstances. They do not wait for the situation to get out of hand before taking action. They are internally motivated to achieve their goals and the goals of their organization.As you read this list, you probably see characteristics that you already embody as a staffing leader, as well as opportunities where you could improve your leadership. Of course, theres no single definition of leadership that will work for every company in the world. That is why it is so important to define leadership for you and your company culture so that you can become a better leader, recruit other leaders and develop leaders from within your workplace.In the next post in this series, well look at the process of defining leadership within your company and how you can set and achieve specific goals to identify, nurture and grow leaders in your company.To receive emaille updates with articles from this series, please subscribe. You may modify your email preferences at any time.Follow the Leader, Build the Perfect Leadership EnvironmentInfluence Company Leadership With These 4 StepsHow to Become a Leader Your Employees Can Count OnHow To Prioritize Soft Skills and Fit

The difference between wanting and needing

The difference between wanting and needingThe difference between wanting and needingNo one knows whenThe Bhagavad Gitawas written. No one knows who exactly wrote it. It is written as a poem. It is sung by a God.The Gitabegins in the middle of a war, and it begins as a dialogue between Arjuna, a warrior, and Krishna, the God assuming the body of a charioteer. They ride into an open space in the middle two opposing armies, both decedents of the saatkorn family, to source the situation at hand. When they get there, however, Arjuna collapses under the pressure and the dread facing him. He wants to know How can he fight in this war, lead his army against other kinsmen and relatives, cause an avalanche of death and suffering? He wants guidance, and he wants certainty, and he wants hope, but most of all, he wants to do the right thing. And it is then that Krishna goes into an 18-chapter monologue that makes up the book.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard coverin g Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraThe entire text is a tome of wisdom, maybe one of the finest living documents on what it means to live in a world we dont understand. It is both spiritual and practical, consistent and paradoxical. The big questions of purpose and meaning are woven together with the day to day challenges that make up our responsibilities as human beings, creating?- ?bit by bit?- ?a tapestry of intermingled answers that lead to slightly better questions. Like much of the most profound wisdom, the core message ofThe Gitais simple Learn to act without attachment. Or as Krishna tells ArjunaYou have a right to your actions, but never to your actions fruits. Act for the actions sake. And do not be attached to inaction.The human body is primed for movement?- ?to breathe is to move, to eat is to move, to reproduce is to move, to live is to move. By default, it desires action. It needs action to survive. However, this neediness, when pursued beyond the basic primal instincts?- ?as we do when we, say, want nicer toys, more affection, a better this and a better that, this outcome or that outcome?- ?is also what brings on many of the internal trials and tribulations that we struggle with when reality doesnt align with our expectations.On the one hand, even beyond the basic primal instincts of survival and reproduction, we have to take action if we are to participate in the goings on around us. On the other hand, its incredibly difficult to take action unless you feel like you reallyneedsomething. The problem, then, is that you have a choice You can either sit out, choose inaction, but that generally lacks any long-term purpose and meaning and is ultimately self-defeating, or you can go through the world feeling like youneedthings and people, which does add a layer of purpose and meaning, but it also attaches you to external anchors that dictate how fulfilled you are with your life.The middle ground between these two poles seems thin. For the majority of people, all of the greatest joys in their lives stem from their needs. They need the emotional investment of a partner, and thats why they settle into meaningful relationships. They need the challenge of their ambitions, and thats why they develop mastery over their craft. And these things matter, and despite the slings and arrows of fortune, despite the ups and downs, when its all said and done, they find that pursuing these needs has been important and valuable and worthwhile. And yet, many of these same needs are also the cause of much suffering in the world. Is there not any way to reduce the variance of the slings and arrows, to harmonize the ups and downs, without slipping into a state of inaction and decay?The answer, perhaps, lies in acting out ofwantinstead ofneed. It means that you dontneedthe emotional investment of a partner, but you dowantit because of what it could bring to the table. It means that you dontneedyour ambitions, but you wil l pursue them, too, because youwantto express your sense of being in the world. Wanting isnt about attachment or anchoring its about choosing to do something regardless of how it turns out, even if you have preferences about what you would like to see happen. Of course, basic primal instincts leise initially manifest as needs, but if you can manage their expression over time rather than impulsively responding to them at each and every moment they arise, you can change thatneedto awant.The magic of distinguishing between wanting something and needing something lies in realizing that its the process of putting your movements out there that change and harmonize your state of existence more so than the outcomes of the movements. Wanting is a duty. Needing is a fixation. Focusing on duty means even if something doesnt work out as you intended, what you did was still enough because it changed you. Fixating, however, means you hold onto something that will inevitably be out of reach becaus e needs are never fully satisfied unless replaced with other needs.InThe Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna is eventually convinced by Krishna to fight in the war in spite of the terror it will bring. While this isnt exactly a pacifist message on the surface, the deeper point that gets etched into Arjuna is that that he has a duty, and if this duty is fueled by a want?- ?a pure, clear-minded want?- ?rather than a clouded need, then the outcome of the war isnt for him to judge. His job is to do the best he can in the circumstances that he finds himself in. His responsibility is to participate in the world that he has been put in, despite its outward appearance. With or without him, the war will rage on, lives will end, and people will suffer. Inaction accomplishes nothing. Action itself, however, is enough, and thats where his locus of control lies.The reality around us is inherently uncertain. Its probabilistic in nature, forging outcomes at the intersection of innumerable variables. No matter w hat we do, there will always be factors outside of our control, and that means that many of the outcomes that manifest in the world wont necessarily align with our imagined and preferred projections of the future. The world will continue to change. People will, too. And chaos will ensue. These things can be managed and accounted for, but they can never be fully controlled. What can be controlled is movement, and action, and the direction in which they point. And what a life fueled by duty and want rather than fixation and need point to is the small gap, between the certainty of what can be predicted and the uncertainty of what cant be predicted, called acceptance?- ?the acceptance of actions as the fruits themselves.When I think about this distinction in my own life, there is another thing that becomes clear Whenever I act out of need and fixation, feeling like I have to have something, that my actions in a particular domain will only be meaningful if they lead directly to my desire d outcome, not only am I disappointed more often, but the movement and the actions themselves are less honest. They come from a place of quiet desperation rather than a deeper state of internal resonance. They seek attention or validation. And then, eventually, when I dont feel like Ive captured the object of my imagination to the degree I should have, I feel shameful and resentful.Even if my intention behind such neediness is pure and moral, the fixation on the outcome invalidates the actions themselves, which in turn deters me from capitalizing on future actions and their outcomes. Actions then become conditional, on this thing and on that thing, and that slowly begins to cloud otherwise good intentions, too. What began as a thing of value in itself ends up anchored to factors that I dont have any control over, and it leads me down the path of complacency and inaction.Fortunately, as I become older?- ?and perhaps a little more aware?- ?I find that the approach guided by my wants a nd my duties comes more naturally. I still have what feel like needs and fixations arise, to be sure, but they are a little more latent, and I can generally watch them pass by as they come up. The clearer my mind is, the clearer I see, the clearer I respond. And at the odd times of hesitation and doubt, when I feel overwhelmed or surprised or confused or idle, I remind myself of the simplest thing I know and understand that my duty is to accept what is as it is. And then I breathe. And I breathe. And I breathe. And with that, I act.This article originally appeared on Design Luck.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Secrets About How to List Contract Work on Resume Revealed

Secrets About How to List Contract Work on Resume Revealed Some people believe this will just damage their resumes showing they are irresponsible or unconfident. Moreover, in the event you spent only some months on each one of the positions, you dont will need to make comprehensive descriptions. To begin with, contract work isnt a terrible thing in truth, its how plenty of men and women make most or all their complete income. Its very light work which can be accomplished remotely following this month, so Im totally free to undertake a full-time position. Consequently, its crucial to talk about the work related talents in detail. There are several things you need to take into account whenever you are writing an engineer resume. Only once you desire the interview. This is among those judgment calls that a professional resume writer is particularly great at helping her or his customers make. A Startling Fact about How to List Contract Work on Resume Uncovered To be able to con serve a great deal of heartache later on, be sure that you utilize our resume contractor to create a document that might be easily transferred to many job applications. Also make sure you customize the document to the job which youre attempting to get. There are lots of the many methods to body a work application. The easy answer is you need to consist of freelance work on your resume. Resume Constructor The work application builder is remarkably simple to use. You should revamp the application as needed if you decide to get the fasson of job that you need. Complete each entry with a brief description of the job you performed. Freelance work needs to be included as a boost to your resume, and is less valuable if youre doing work that doesnt relate to your field or wouldnt lead to a reference. If you do work for an assortment of clients, the company personenname may be your own especially if youre already incorporated. The names are especially useful if theyre well-recognize d in your field and will carry weight with the recruiter at the business youre attempting to get hired into. Well, you should create a business name to utilize for your freelance work too. List the organization name together with a concise description. When working for a single company at another company whos the client, generally you list your real employer and mention the customer in the job description if you dont have an NDA prohibiting the mention. Listing your work by means of a staffing agency will help you in various ways. As a consequence, recruiters are knowledgeable about contract terms and agreements and dont have any issue assessing your capabilities through your previous temporary assignments. Add the staffing agency as the employer and list the business you were assigned to for the length of the contract. Even short-term work can provide valuable skills that you may apply to future jobs. Both can cause you to get exceptional but only one can allow you to land work. Read the work announcement to work out what exactly is essential for the job that youre applying for. Every job on your resume will seem more impressive when you could be ready to add numbers. Contemplating this information, youre free merely to name your jobs as temporary. You might have worked for an agency for two decades but held four distinct positions. Some candidates fret about including temporary work only because they dont need to look as a work hopper. There are a lot of examples of maintains for accountant jobs that may be on the web, also cover almost the comprehensive accounting portion. Make sure that the point of contact is somebody youve worked with at the organization, because your name and information is not likely to appear in an employment verification check through human resources. You might opt to list this at the very top of your employment history section, or at the end. Its typically a list at the peak of your resume, below your contact info. Frequent resumes no more should incorporate the fax or house sum, and a couple distinctive thingsve got redundant.

For College Grads, Temp Work May Be the Key to a Successful Career

For College Grads, Temp Work May Be the Key to a Successful Career When I graduated college back in 2012, armed with an English degree and a redoubtable sense of self-worth, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a teacher.And I became one briefly.After two difficultyears in the education system, Ibowed out of the teaching game entirely and became a writer instead.Im glad I finally found the right career, but getting here was a tumultuous process. The transition from lifelong student to burgeoning professional hit me like a ton of bricks. I was mora stressed than I had ever been in my life as I scrambled to learn the ropes of my career, and I quickly realized thatmy dream jobwas actually a nightmare. When I decided to leave teaching,I was relieved to an extent but I also felt like a total failure.I could have avoided all of that if I hadnt jumped straight from college into a full-time, traditional employment arrangement. If I had taken s ome time to temp first to try out a few different options I would have been able to end up as a writer without crashing and burning in my first career.WhyCollege Grads Should Consider TempingDavid Dourgarian, CEOof staffing software company TempWorks, is a big advocate for the temp path for new grads, in part because its a great way for these young professionals topick up some new skills that they may not have learned in school.If you look at thetypes of skills graduates are exiting their four-year degree programs with, they are often not equipped yet for the white collar workforce, Dourgarian says. Someone needs to show them the ropes.Many collegestudents graduate with little or no experience in the white collar work world. They may have held jobs in college, but the usual student gigs retail, waiting tables, tutoring, etc. dont exactly prepare one for life in an office setting. The closest most students get to professional life is an internship, but even that isnt quite the sa me as being an employee.Recent gradsneed to learn proper professional conduct, how to handle interoffice conflict, and other soft skills that are critical for career success.Dourgarian believes working a few temp jobs can help students pick these things up quickly.They need to be in an environment where they are held accountable, and the transient nature of temporary positions forces people to learn these skills quickly if they want to get ahead, Dourgarian explains.Dourgarian also believes that temp work is a great way forrecent grads to try out potential careers before committing to them. They may even stumble upon the dream career they never knew they wanted.It can be a great opportunity to try things that you might not think are appealing, Dourgarian says. You may have graduated with a degree in Russian lit., but you might find out thatyou actually love being an insurance underwriter.The Three Types of Graduates Which Are You?To get even more specific about how temping can be b eneficial to recent grads, Dourgarian divides these young professionals into three categories1.Professional-Track GraduatesThese are graduates who want to pursue additional studies, including students who want to become doctors and lawyers. Temping in between college and graduate or professional school can be a great way for these students to get some work experience and bolster their resumes, making them more attractive to the programs theyre applying for.Temp work can also help these students make sure they actually want to enter their chosen fields. For example, a would-be law student might do temporary clerical work for a lawyer and realize they actually dont enjoy the legal profession all that much. Thats a much better path than enrolling in law school and shelling out thousands of dollars just to learn that you hate being a lawyer.2. Liberal Arts GraduatesIt can be difficult figuring out how to translate the skills you learned as ananthropology major into skills that look good on a resume. Temping can teach these graduates how to turn their degree skills into useful workplace skills.3. Graduates Who Need a Little HelpWe dont all emerge from college with pristine GPAs. Some graduates might have difficulty finding full-time employment right out of college iftheir academic experience hasnt been of thesumma cum laude variety. For these graduates, temping offers a great way to build a resumethat really wows employers, regardless of how well they may or may not have done in school.ButI Graduated College. Arent I Worthy of a Real Job?Even though the number of temporary workers in the U.S. has hit an all-time high, many still look down on temporary work. To them, its not real work.Some recent grads may feel the same way. Being told to temp after youve successfully completed college can feel like a slap in the face for some. If you have a degree, youre qualified for areal job, right?Dourgarian thinks this is a misguided belief To say that temporary work isnt a re al job is on the same level as saying, Im going to pay you less because youre a woman.In other words If you look down on temporary work, you may have some unconscious, unfounded biases that you need to check.As Dourgarian explains, a lot of temp jobsdo lead to full-time work Many companies have temp positions open because the position might be entry level, and turnover might be high enough that its dangerous for an employer to expose themselves to the types of legal problems that could come along with high-turnover positions.For these employers, it makes more sense to bring a worker on board as a temp to see how they do before hiring them for afull-time role.Other times, temporary work isrelated to the project-based nature of an industry. In fields like IT, where work occurs largely on a project-by-project basis, employers often bring workers on boardfor the duration of the project only.And, finally, its important to note that temporary work does have its advantages over full-timeem ployment.Your skills can get very stale working at the same company for four years straight, Dourgarian says. So a lot of people actually like being temps. They dont want to stay long. They want to keep learning new skills and growing.