It takes a different skill set to succeed in a large company

Don’t get me wrong, salespeople in large companies are very skilled and focused. However, they very rarely have to do more than sell.

This differs radically from what most big company sales people do, which is why salespeople from large companies typically get very frustrated when moving to a smaller company.

The skill set that makes salespeople successful in large companies is the exact opposite from what makes a salesperson successful in small companies.

What traits do smaller company salespeople need to be successful?

Entrepreneurial Mindset

Salespeople in large companies are used to working towards well-defined goals and well-defined compensation plans.

When you bring them to a small company, they will have to align with broader goals and have more of an ownership mentality.

Full-Cycle Salesperson

Salespeople in large companies have very defined roles and are normally selling in a team environment.

In a smaller company, salespeople “wear a lot of hats” and take on a lot of roles.

Diverse Background

Salespeople in large companies are normally very good and focused on a particular area. However, in a small company, they will need to be more generalists with financial, legal, technical, and other skills.

What about marketing?

Hiring marketing people from your biggest competitor is even more difficult because they are going to be very narrowly focused on a specific area of marketing. On the contrary, a smaller company will need someone with a broader focus.

In such a case, it is more advisable to outsource this portion of your business.

In summary, don’t hire sales and marketing people from your biggest competitor because the focus and skillset that makes them successful in large companies is the exact opposite of what’s need in a small company.