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career change?

ALEXIS_DH

Tirelessly Awesome
Jan 30, 2003
6,147
796
Lima, Peru, Peru
so, i´ve working for Toyota for about 5 years (my first "real" job was here).

i´ve mostly worked in after-sales. from supervisor to "virtual" service manager (actually, i do not have the title, which is something that bothers me, but i perform all the functions and there is nobody with that title).

anyways, i had been looking for jobs, saw that i was underpaid... and thanks to jbp idea, i talked to the general manager and asked for a raise. he said he would raise my salary. he asked for 60 days, since he had a lot of things to do, and had to calculate my department´s profit in order to include in my salary a % of the department´s profit.
this opens the door for significant increase, assuming my department growth continues at its current rate (20% yearly roughly).

on the other hand, the best salesperson we had, had just quit (over some petty arguments and bluffing with management). i jokingly threw my hat on the circle.... and apparently they are considering me for the position. the position is for technical sales, as in forklifts and warehouse equipment (which is a fairly "new" market in Peru).... most technical salespeople have engineering or after-sales backgrounds.

benefits? low stress (compared to service, most people who work after sales would understand), and possibly a higher pay (base salary + 1% of sales volume. the salesperson who leaves, closed contracts for $3-$5mill/year).

now, the question is...
should i change careers and venture into sales??? would it a smart career move? am 29 years old, recently married, no kids.
i´d probably give up business/training trips to japan or other south american countries (as i would no longer foresee technical issues) and other certifications which look on my resume. the hours and the conditions are better, i do not have to run each time there is a recall, or a machine fails catastrophically or anything...

technically, i probably wouldnt learn much more... money might be better. work conditions are definately nicer (low stress).

i think i might be in good enough standing with my employer to take a chance and then maybe ask to return to after-sales if this sales thing does not work out....
 
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herbman

Monkey
Feb 16, 2011
104
8
North West Tasmania
At the life stage you are at with no kids is seems a good time to make a move if you want to make one.

A big life change with kids can be alot more stressful as im finding out at the moe with a major change in job, crop (i grow stuff for a living), with a country move thrown into the mix, and 2 young kids to think about. havn't sleeped well in weeks.

from your othe threads you seem like you are after a change, or why else would you be looking for another job?
But staying in the same company seems a easy low stress way to get that change. and if it does turn south as you say you can always ask for your old job back.
 

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
Do you "do" things or do you make things happen? Doers don't always fare well in a competitive environment.

The higher the pay the higher the risks - are you confident to can meet the company sales goals and increase 3 to 5%n annually regarless of demand? Do you own a club tie? Do you have a firm handshake? Do you look people in the eye? Do you have an easy smile?

Most impoertantly - do you have the confidence to make decisions without seeking feedback?
 

H8R

Cranky Pants
Nov 10, 2004
13,959
35
How on earth does a job possibility that offers better money plus low stress lead to questions like, "should I?".
 

Austin Bike

Turbo Monkey
Jan 26, 2003
1,558
0
Duh, Austin
I bounced between sales and marketing for ~25 years. When you move into a variable comp world, if you are one of those people that "makes things happen" then you will be very successful. If you are one of those people that thinks that they make things happen, but in reality rely on others more, you will be less than successful.

You are young enough and free enough to take the risk. I wussed out for the past 20 years, opting for the large companies and more secure positions. Monday is my first day with a new company as VP of marketing; they have ~60 employees and do as much in revenue in a year as my department would book in less than a quarter at my old company.

But I am totally energized by it.

New challenges can get the fires going.

In terms of being underpaid, if someone is willing to give you more money without you having to do anything different, that is a sign that they were underpaying you or under appreciating your skills. Whether it is one or both, it is not a good situation.
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
I've got a buddy who sells CAT equipment. He's a pretty aggressive character, and is doing quite well for himself.

Lower stress wins for me.
 

bean

Turbo Monkey
Feb 16, 2004
1,335
0
Boulder
Sales experience is useful in any position. Even if you don't stick with it forever, it's probably worth doing for a while.
 

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
Why should anyone be rewarded for failure? Its not like they're going to leave his position open (he does many, many valuable and varied things) until he decides if sales are for him. Besides - anyone willing to take a step backwards will always be at a disadvantage when it comes to progression.

In the world I work in its up or out.

I say go for it, its not a total career change, just a line change. Just make sure you can go back if it sucks. Seeing it is all with the same company it should be pretty low risk.
 

ALEXIS_DH

Tirelessly Awesome
Jan 30, 2003
6,147
796
Lima, Peru, Peru
How on earth does a job possibility that offers better money plus low stress lead to questions like, "should I?".
i would too, but i wonder about my resume and chances to get another job after that...
there are a few things to consider.

after-sales (service manager).
relatively stable income, with a chance to increase, as relatively low as it might currently be.
high-stress.
crappy hours
constant training abroad (good thing, considering high-level training is virtually non-existant locally).
manage people and budget, looks good on resume.
do and learn many different things (price setting, logistics, purchases, contract management, people management, audits, technical issues, attend country-manager continental meetings, outsourcing, technical training)

sales:
low stress (my company is very relaxed when it comes to sales quotas).
better hours
currently, as GDP has doubled over the last 10 years, capital investment (and sales forecats) are thru the roof.
very sensitive to economic enviroment. forklift and warehouse equipment purchases are very dependant on investment. no good economic forecast, no investment, no sales. (one of the reasons they are very relaxed with quotas).
the chance of a higher income
make contacts. eventually i want to start my machinery rental business. working on sales i will get make contacts and get to know the market.
what is life after working on sales??? does it translate well into a career, or will my career hit a wall? (if the rental gig isnt successful)
most general managers have sales background, and most salespeople have after-sales background (all 3 salespeople in my company were service managers at this, or other companies)
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,931
13,129
Portland, OR
How on earth does a job possibility that offers better money plus low stress lead to questions like, "should I?".
I don't consider any job in sales as low stress. You couldn't pay me to work in sales, but that's because I lack people skills.
 

dan-o

Turbo Monkey
Jun 30, 2004
6,499
2,805
Sales is a skill that is transferrable to any industry, so your options for the future are pretty much limitless if you're good at it.

I'd personally prefer a pay structure that's heavily commission based. (you need a product/service with demand, obviously).
Why limit your earning potential to what some tool in HR thinks you're 'worth'?
Even as the owner of my business I'm 100% commission; keeps the fire under my ass lit.
 

?????

Turbo Monkey
Jun 20, 2005
1,678
2
San Francisco
Maybe I'm naive, but if it's your own company and you made more than whatever arbitrary salary that you gave yourself, what would you do with the extra money that you or your employees brought in? Surely you wouldn't have employees if they weren't making you any money.
 

bean

Turbo Monkey
Feb 16, 2004
1,335
0
Boulder
Re-invest it in the business. There are any number of ways that can be done. Rarely do you just take all money that a business makes as a payout.