As a recruiter, the best sales professionals whom I come across are not exclusively members of either a large or small organizations. They come from all corners, all walks of life, all races and backgrounds, all different types of companies. However, the one thing they share is a hunter mentality, passion for their work, intelligence and an entrepreneurial sales spirit. Regardless of personality, there is an astronomical difference between selling at a large a firm and a small organization.

Here are some concrete reasons why.

Selling at a Large Firm (our perception 1,000 + employees)

While at a large company, as a sales professional, you have access to an entire marketing organization which solely exists to provide you and your team incoming leads. I don’t have to go into full detail as to why this is immensely revenue driving. These leads are fish in barrel so to say. Additionally, you have a brand name product backing you. Again, with some help from the marketing team, buyers will get to know your product and will relate it with terms such as reliable and, depending on the company, prestigious. Regarding compensation, the base salary tends to be higher at larger companies, though after commission it is quite parallel to a small company. Eventually, you get stock options if the organization is public, though nobody besides the very high-ups ever get rich from cashing in on the company’s equity. Part of this seems too good to be true, what are the downsides? Well, nothing is perfect in this world (Haribo Gummi Bears can be debated though) and the same principals go for selling at larger organizations.

First of all, getting ahead in these companies is often very political and, very rarely do vice presidential spots open up. Depending on the firm, people tend to get too complacent and this can ruin employee motivation and moral. Additionally, as a sales professional working at large size firms, typically you only get to be involved in one facet of the company. You are a salesman or saleswoman, period. Your company has a marketing department, an accounting department, a HR department, etc. Everybody has their job and they tend to stick with it.

Selling at a Small Firm (our perception 100 or less employees)

Selling at a small firm can be both exciting and challenging at the same time. The aspects which can be quite fun is that you get to be a part of a growing company and you typically have direct access to the CEO. With this access, you can use your creativity and if you stumble upon a few good ideas, you may become a shining star in the organization. Also, unlike a large firm, you get to wear several hats such as being involved in the marketing and advertising. It is my belief that regardless of an organization’s size, sales representatives ought to have influence on decisions such as this.

However, just like the larger companies, it is not all fun and games. Selling a product which is less known and, therefore in the eyes of the buyer, less reliable is a challenge. Additionally, you may have to mirror as an account manager because your firm does not have dedicated support for the products or services which you sell. Managing accounts can be quite time consuming as it involves a lot of administrative work and occasionally, dealing with clients who are overly demanding. The last and most important drawback regarding working for a smaller organization is job stability. I’ve seen great salespeople have to frequently switch companies because their current firm was having financial trouble. This does not look favorably on a resume.

Ken Sundheim
President
www.kasplacement.com