The variety of temporary and interim work available in the sales industry is enormous. Blue chip companies are seeking regional sales managers for year-long contracts, territory sales managers are being sought for month-long boosts to sales volume and brand awareness, and interim sales managers are being hired by the day in an effort to develop sales team strategies while mentoring and recruiting new members.
Because of the recent recession, businesses have cut costs, and as a result their workforce, they still have to be responsive to economic upturn and the opportunities it brings. With fewer employees on their books, they will focus on short term appointments that allow them to do anything from launch new products through to testing the buoyancy of the market with fresh projects. Rather than risking precious resources by recruiting full-time executives, they spread risk with appointments that can last anything from weeks to a year.
Even better, as the green shoots of economic recover fatten, more and more companies will come out of financial hiding. Increasingly, they’ll test their own sectors and markets and, in the spirit of cautiousness, will turn to temporary and interim posts before making the leap to advertising full-time positions.
It’s not just corporate cost control, though. It’s also a golden opportunity for you to secure work, retain flexibility and be at the forefront of economic growth. It also positions you perfectly when the jobs market picks up and full-time positions do become available.
Jeremy Malindine is the managing director of Finesse Sales Training. He says, “Interim, project and contract work is available at the moment and especially in businesses where there is strategic change. As the economy improves, businesses are increasingly trying to establish new sales teams or products or are even becoming established in new fields or re-organising following buyouts and mergers.
“At this stage, though, a temporary project can help prove predicted outcomes or even demonstrate to a company that a project won’t work. For that they need experienced, flexible and dedicated sales executives who are able to step into the breach.”
As the recovery progresses, those who chase interim jobs increasingly fall into two camps. There are those who make a full-time living from interim projects and those who use these positions until something permanent comes along. Naturally, while unemployment figures remain high, the number of sales executives seeking this work has increased and competition can be stiff. That’s why there’s an art to securing interim work and moving into the market depends on how flexible, astute, results driven and determined you really are.
It’s a test, as anyone who has ever done interim work will tell you. Jeremy Malindine explains, “You have to hit the ground running when you move into interim positions. You often have to show results immediately and be at peak performance in the first week. You also have to do an incredible amount of research before you start and have to understand the role and the people you are going to work with. It certainly means knowing your business, understanding your goals and being committed to making a success of the position however short term it may be.”
Being a successful interim sales executive also means taking interim positions seriously. They’re not stop-gaps. They’re highly-pressured environments designed to produce results, increase sales and boost profit margins. Outcomes make or break products and projects; yet while the stakes are high, so are the rewards if you succeed.
It’s even possible that an interim post will turn into a permanent position. That, though, is determined by your results. Prove that the short-term project has legs or that the new product is likely to be a raging success, and the chances of it being adopted permanently by your client increases. It goes without saying that if you want to be considered for the permanent role you also need to have proved that you are the best possible candidate for the job.
