Branding Yourself Mid-Career

If you’ve been selling at the same company for a long period of time, you may be longing to make a change. However, making a big shift in the middle of your career can be a challenge. You have to fight against fresh, young talent who may command lower compensation; or you may have to learn about a whole new world of products and services.  However, as a salesperson you know that positioning and branding are everything. If you want to make a transition towards new challenges, it all starts with branding.

Develop Your Personal Brand

As a salesperson, you can likely recite the unique selling proposition of your products and services in your sleep. But what makes you unique as a candidate? What do you bring to the table that no other salesperson possibly can? Perhaps you are a whiz at bringing in new business. Maybe your niche is reviving cold leads, or bringing former customers back into the fold. You might be the best account manager your company has ever seen, boasting the longest-standing relationships with your customer base and growing them consistently year-over-year. Identify what makes you the ideal salesperson, and use that to establish your brand.

You are an Expert, Show the World

While there are challenges for seasoned salespeople out in the job market, you have one important quality that no young upstart has: You are an expert in sales.  You’ve probably seen it all, experienced it all, and there is little left in the world of sales that would surprise you. Embrace that expertise and let it shine through. How? Follow some of these strategies:

  • Join LinkedIn Groups and contribute to conversations. Answer questions and provide advice to younger, less-experienced salespeople in a thoughtful manner.
  • Create a blog or website. Write sales-related posts that showcase your expertise. Post links to your posts on your LinkedIn page so that hiring managers can see them when they pull up your profile.
  • Seek out opportunities to speak in front of groups. Even if it’s just a local chamber meeting or career group at a local college, speaking engagements always look impressive on a resume. Small gigs lead to bigger gigs, and bigger gigs help you expand your network, as well.

No matter how you choose to exhibit your expertise, be sure that with every posting, article, or speech that you focus on subjects that reinforce your brand. New business experts would want to focus on subjects such as lead generation, prospecting, moving leads through the funnel, developing trust, and closing deals, for example.

Get out and Network

Getting involved in the local business community is a great way to grow your professional network, and to reinforce your brand.  The more people see your face and hear your name, the better. You want people to remember you and to notice you.  If it’s been a while since you’ve networked, invite a friend along until you become more comfortable.

If you are a seasoned, experienced professional salesperson in the enterprise software considering new and exciting career opportunities, contact Strategic Search Solutions. We are a full-service recruiting firm that matches enterprise software sales professionals with some of the most innovative companies in the market. We’ll work with you to help you develop your personal brand to attract the attention of hiring managers.

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