A survey taken in March 2008 amongst salespeople subscribed to salesdog.com show some interesting findings. 2.104 subscribers responded to the anonymous survey which asked questions on various job satisfaction issues.
The positive findings can be summarised as follows:

• A surprising 75% responded to be happy with their  sales quota and found their quota realistic.
• 70% said to be happy with their sales manager
• 64% felt adequately recognized for their achievements

The survey also revealed some job dissatisfaction issues as well:

• 58% considers the sales job to be high stress
• 55% do not feel they are supplied with enough leads
• 52% of salespeople feel they do not receive sufficient training.

“The survey findings suggest that most salespeople feel good about their chosen career despite the high stress levels,” said Michael Dalton Johnson, founder and publisher of SalesDog.com. “Considering that lack of recognition is a common complaint of many employees in all types of jobs, we were surprised to learn the large number of salespeople who feel adequately recognized for their work.”

While much of the stressful sales process is beyond a salesperson’s control, the high producing reps are experiencing less stress partly because they focus on what they can control. Learning how to qualify and disqualify prospects, execute the right actions at the right time, have a balanced pipeline at all time and taking personal responsibility for their on-going sales training and personal development.

While many successful sales reps actively seek ways to sharpen the saw, dissatisfaction could come from companies failing to provide an environment that promotes personal growth and experiencing sharing  as well as the right ongoing training and coaching.

Interesting as well is the fact that 83% would recommend a career in sales despite the high stress and all other issues revealed by the survey.

I’m intuitively inclined to support the findings when thinking about interactions I’ve had with sales people over the last year.

Other idea’s to share on this subject?