"Show Me The Money," but not like Jerry Maguire.

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On to this week's blast topic!

"Show Me The Money," but not like Jerry Maguire.

Do you remember the 90s movie, Jerry Maguire? Starring Tom Cruise, Renne Zelwigger, and Cubba Gooding Jr.? Of course, you do! You left the theatre screaming "Show Me The Money!!!!" as your date looked at you weirdly and questioned your relationship.

In the movie, Jerry Maguire, played by Tom Cruise, portrays a rogue-sports agent who, through love and tribulations, negotiates a big pay-day deal for his client, Rod Tidwell, a wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals football team, played by Cuba Gooding Jr.

Pop Quiz: Do you remember the size of the deal that Jerry negotiated for Rod? I'll mention the answer near the end of this blast.

If you're in sales, you more than likely have done your best "Show Me The Money!!!!" imitation after closing a deal or making a large sale! After all, a lot of us are in sales because we love making money! And because you're in sales, you have the opportunity to make a lot of it.

How you make $150,000/year or more, working in sales.

Whether you saw my tweet thread from last week or not, I identified 6 steps and focus tactics for how you can advance your own career in sales to make well over six figures each and every year.

Take the crappy sales job.

I was a server at a pizza and beer sports bar during college. Across the street from my restaurant was a Sprint PCS retail cell phone store. The employees would come over for lunches, so I got to know a few of my would-be co-workers beforehand. They actually encouraged me to apply!

Having an initial interest in sales, and a wondering appreciation for technology, I took the leap.

The hours weren't great, it was retail. But the job fit with my college schedule and other commitments. And I was able to keep it upon graduation. I made a small salary, around $18,000 annually, and could earn commissions! "Show Me The Money!" It also helped me understand the telecommunications field, which opened up my eyes to what would later be my first outside sales job.

Selling cell phones wasn't glamorous, but it was my first true sales gig. It allowed me to practice communication skills, and from what I knew at the time, closing techniques. And if I hadn't left after 10 months, I was on track to qualify for whatever they called their President's Club trip. All because I was one of the leaders in selling Sprint Long Distance Home Services to those I also sold a cell phone. Remember when long-distance calling was a thing?!

Identify mentors.

I was fortunate enough in my formative career years to identify a couple of mentors. I met both of them through a musical activity (drum and bugle corps). One was a Real Estate Agent who was selling real estate and flipping homes. The other was an entrepreneur who started his own Contracting company.

Both of these mentors showed me the beginnings of what I understood as entrepreneurship. The realtor inspired me to buy a duplex (picture of the first floor of my duplex, above) as my first home when I was 25 (and I still have it today, as a rental/investment property - when it's paid off in a few years, "Show Me The Money!"). The other demonstrated door-to-door selling techniques from a script. I would work for him for a summer or two door-knocking for home improvement leads.

Both mentors, and others I've had along my journey, have had my best interests in mind. They saw my potential and helped guide me through decision-making and career advancement opportunities.

Network, network, network.

Back in 2015, I was working in a sales role for a contract security officer services company. One of the sites where we provided services had a changeover in the site-lead supervisor position. The new guy's name was Brady. He was fresh to the industry and was trying to make his way.

I befriended Brady as an acquaintance and would say hello when I would pass through the building in downtown Minneapolis. I became a trusted resource for Brady, helping him connect with local managers that could truly serve his questions and needs as one of our employees.

Fast-forward 7 years, last summer ('22). Now in my Sr. Executive role with my current organization, I get a phone call. It was Brady.

"Nate, I'm not sure if you remember me, but this is Brady. I worked with you and you helped me out quite a bit when I was the site lead at the Oracle Tower. I'm the Operations Manager for a local parking management firm and would like to talk to you about your security officer services at my parking ramps."

It took me a minute to place Brady, but within seconds, it all came rushing back!

Since that phone call in 2022, we've done business together twice, to the tune of $1.3M in ARR. "Show Me The Money!"

Networking, in all shapes and sizes, matters.

Don't forget about LinkedIn.

My last two career moves (over the last 12 years) have been because of a) recruiters contacting me via LinkedIn or b) hiring managers sourcing LinkedIn and sending me a DM.

Do you have your LinkedIn page up to date? Did you know that recruiters sourcing for talent can filter down to know if you've been active on the platform over the last 30 days? Who do you think they reach out to? Active users, with engaging profiles or those that aren't active and show no effort into personal branding or story telling?

As the saying goes, you can't win the games which you're not playing.

ps. If you need a resource to help dissect and make suggestions for your LinkedIn page, you can email me at [email protected]. I charge $98 for a 30-minute session.

Take the next sales job.

I was a couple of days away from going to the Bahamas for a President's Club trip with Paychex, a billion-dollar-plus payroll processing organization. I was in my fourth year selling and was contacted by a recruiter (via LinkedIn - see above) in the contract security officer staffing industry. She wanted me to meet with the hiring manager of her company and explore a Business Development Manager opportunity.

"This could be the next step in your sales career," she said. "But I love my company, my boss, and I'm about to head to the Bahamas," I said. "Thanks for the call, but I'm good."

And off I went.

Three weeks later, that same recruiter called me, asking if I'd be interested in talking to the hiring manager for the local territory. "You're with who, again?" I asked. I didn't remember the first conversation we had.

Come to find out that the hiring manager had recently started with this company, and had spent the previous 25 years ... with Paychex.

Lightbulb!

I thought, "I'd be managed the same way I am now, would be moving into a next-level role in my career, with greater income opportunities... I guess this is my sign that I should take the next step!"

My base salary with the next role was equal to my first year's salary AND commission at Paychex. "Show Me The Money!"

Pop Quiz: Do you remember the size of the deal that Jerry negotiated for Rod? The Arizona Cardinals' first offer was for 3 years and $1.4M. By the end of the movie, the Cardinals offered Rod 4 years and $11.2M, guaranteed.

Pursue your first management role.

The biggest challenge for anyone entering management for the first time is simple:

How do I make a direct impact without having a selling quota of my own?

Learning how to sell with your subordinates is a task that not all career-long sales professionals can master. You need to find ways to:

• Provide value through coaching and mentorship

• Communicate the do's and don'ts of your industry

• Find a way to inspire and educate, month after month

Individual contributors often make more money than managers, but the skills you learn by hiring, firing, training, coaching, and supporting your team are invaluable.

If you decide to move back to an individual contributor role, you're going to be miles ahead of your peers who have never sold from the management side. "Show Me The Money!"

The moral of the story? A career journey is just that, a journey. There isn't one successful or unsuccessful way to go about it. Your path won't be the same as your peers. However, as long as you stay consistent with a Growth Mindset, you're going to have opportunities to continue to increase your income and "Show You That Money!"The most successful sales professionals don't stay in one selling role, for one company, or in one industry for their entire career. They move from industry to industry, or company to company, expanding upon their knowledge and experiences to succeed at levels higher than they thought possible. Some choose to move out of direct selling roles, while others prefer to be individual contributors and move out on their own, like Jerry Maguire.

The path to higher incomes and consistent wealth from a sales career isn't a pipe dream. Millions of people each year make $150,000/year or more in their selling-based roles. They don't become complacent or impacted by those first large commission checks. They expand their networks, find new challenges, identify mentors, and are hyper-aware of their personal brand along the way.

If making $150,000/year or more is what you want for your life, perhaps you start by rewatching Jerry Maguire.

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