Entry level salespeople should PICK AN INDUSTRY!

The world of software and tech sales has become highly complex. 

Product and industry knowledge is a sales superpower. 

With average sales tenures under 18 months...

...it's become increasingly valuable to pick an industry and stick with it. 

We can't necessarily control the average tenure. 

I hope to see it change and do everything I can to preach for that. 

But as salespeople we must focus on things within our own control. 

One thing to focus on is becoming a true industry expert.

This allows you to accrue skills that can transfer to your next role. 

Hard to do if you're already 10+ years into your sales career. 

But wise to mentor and guide young salespeople in this direction. 

The only thing worse than losing a sales job after 9-18 months...

...is not being able to utilize everything you learned in your next role. 

The compounding effect of accrued industry knowledge is paramount. 

It will set young sellers apart from their peers 5-10 years out.

This doesn't mean turn down a job that's outside your industry experience.

It does mean you'll have an easier ride if you stick within an industry or ICP.

In a world where AI increasingly augments sales abilities...

...industry knowledge becomes a critical ingredient to human value.

Compounding knowledge can be a wise investment or a lost cause.

Aim for the former.

To be clear, the word "industry" can be somewhat interchangeable with "ICP" or it can be focused on serving companies that solve similar problems which may technically be outside of the same "industry" but similar enough that the knowledge transfer is applicable. 

The goal should be to outline a career path that allows for accrued knowledge to add value to each role, rather than learning things from scratch each time. 

This is becoming increasingly important since basic sales skills will continue to be more augmented and supplemented by AI automation tools or real-time AI coaching capabilities. 

At a certain point in the near future it will be our deep knowledge of specific subjects that set us apart from AI. 

Of course, eventually AI will accrue all of that knowledge as well, but it'll take a bit of time, especially for very niche topics and subjects. 

Find a way to let your compounding knowledge become your greatest value add. That's the best way to maintain human value for the foreseeable future. 

Happy Selling,