You're at that crossroads. … You'd like to get ahead, to take on some new responsibilities, to stretch to the next level. You’ve been thinking that it’s time to become a Sales Manager. But without experience and without sales management training, how will you show the “powers that be” that you are, indeed, ready?
Obviously, some of these choices will be more effective than others. But none of these choices will be as effective as demonstrating your willingness and readiness. In this case, communication hinges on remembering this key principle: actions speak louder than words. Take action to access your own training for sales management – you can do this right alongside your regular job.
Your actions should be driven by what you truly want to learn and how you truly need to develop. Your honest self-assessment is critical to choosing the right activities.
This is true even if you are fully prepared and completely qualified for that next-level job. Even then, it's imperative that you show something more or something different from what others see in your day-to-day work of selling.
The difference here is between expressing interest and proving capability. It's natural for people to be boxed in or typecast by the role people are accustomed to seeing them perform.
Your actions, speaking louder than your words, will help others to see you in a new way. Then, they can fully believe and easily understand exactly how well you could adapt in a new role as a sales manager. What you're doing is minimizing the risk they may feel in promoting you into an unproven role.
In order to demonstrate what more you can do, you may have to do things that you’re not compensated for at this time. This is an investment you are making in yourself. It's a communication strategy, so don't think of it as merely doing extra work.
Here are some best practices for ways that you can demonstrate your capabilities.
Many people use volunteer programs to hone their skills and to grow their expertise. Choose volunteer work that gives you a chance to use skills that would be similar to those management skills needed in the next-level job you're aspiring to. In a recent survey of Human Resource Managers at Fortune 500 companies, Deloitte found that 91% of respondents agreed that volunteering is "an effective way to develop business skills."
Note the key word in that quotation: develop. Most people volunteer by doing work that they mastered early in their career. Or they choose volunteer activities that do not stretch them. These are missed opportunities. Instead of serving as a group’s treasurer, where you already have the skills needed to perform, ask instead to be considered as a volunteer board president. In a role where you do not have the skills needed, you can spend a year being mentored by the current position-holder. There is no equivalent business experience that will accelerate your development like this will.
Within your own company, while doing your own job, you could ask for stretch assignments. These are opportunities that go above and beyond your own job, giving you a chance to do additional work.
Ideally, the work will expose you cross-functionally to other departments. It will also be a stretch, meaning that you have to do something that is unlike the work you do day in and day out. The benefit for you is in the exposure to other people in other departments plus the opportunity to try out something bigger and different from your current job. The benefit to the company is that you are showing them more about your capabilities at the same time that you are helping them in some sort of initiative that requires this attention.
In some types of work you can consider an internal internship. This is a formalized program that allows you to learn about jobs or functional areas that are different from your own. Sometimes it’s called job swapping. It’s useful in organizations where sales managers are required to partner extensively with their peers in other areas. For example, if you work in sales but will need to gain understanding about what happens in production, you might be able to work for three months inside the production department.
An internship takes some coordination and is not always feasible for a company to manage. Where it is not possible, an alternative would be to do some job shadowing. That would involve spending a little bit of time each week – perhaps your own time – to shadow someone doing the work you are interested in learning more about.
You can get creative. Use these ideas as thought starters. Then, when you go to your boss and/or your human resources partners, offer up these ideas to show just how willing and eager you are to try something that stretches you, that enables you to make a higher level contribution to your organization.
You will also be demonstrating that you would like to grow and receive opportunities -- not because you're entitled in some way, but because you are taking steps to demonstrate all that you will do in exchange for opportunities given to you. This subtle (but high impact!) differentiation will set you apart and cause others to want to help you.
Communicating what you want in the workplace is absolutely essential if you are to get ahead. But don't stop with verbal or written communication. Make your actions work on your behalf and be deliberate in choosing the actions that will express all that you are able to do.