‘The Science of Hiring Quota Busting Sales Teams,’ a bestselling book by Andy Miller, is one of those books that many readers wish they had read in college because of its ability to help them achieve the success they are looking for when it comes to sales. But in reality it is an amazing read for anyone looking to increase sales.
Andy Miller, CEO
Andy Miller, the CEO of www.BigSwiftKick.com, an international sales strategy and performance consulting firm specializing in helping middle-market companies accelerate sales. He has 29 years of experience and is responsible for helping companies generate $5.7 Billion in new business across 200 industries in 46 countries. Sales Consulting – Big Swift Kick
‘The Science of Hiring Quota Busting Sales Teams,’ is the first book written on hiring salespeople based upon 85 years of organizational psychology research, data analytics on 2.1 million salespeople and the best practices of top performing sales organizations. This book was written to help companies hire stronger salespeople and achieve more success.
What are three key experiences that you learned throughout your academic life that you carried into your career today?
I paid my way through college, worked full time and took a full course load. I didn’t have the option to drop a course if things weren’t going well. The three most significant lessons I learned from that experience were…
Grit and doing whatever it takes to succeed because failure is not an option. You need a compelling reason, a strong sense of purpose to drive your grit.
Professors, the administration, and staff want to help; all you have to do is ask for it, which applies to life after graduation too!
If you can give any advice to someone reading this at the college level, what would it be and why?
Listen to the audiobook by Roger Dawson on Audible.com called Beyond Goals. It was previously named, Make Your Life An Adventure. Because of that book, I made a 14-page bucket list and have accomplished more than I ever dreamed possible! It’s a great guide to turning your dreams into reality.
As one of leading sales gurus in the country what sales fields in today’s market would you recommend students apply for after graduation?
It’s not so much what field. It’s more what’s your interest. The graduates who are the most successful in sales had a major in their area of interest with a minor in business or sales and marketing. If you want to go into high-tech sales, get a major in computer science. If you want to get a job in medical sales, study biology. Also, get a minor in sales and marketing or business. You could reverse those and get a major in business or sales and marketing with a minor in your area of interest.
Entrepreneurship or Corporate life, you have been in both throughout your life, what are some of the pros and cons that you have found in each level and which avenue would you take if you were coming out of college today?
That depends on how you are wired. I am wired to be an entrepreneur. I like wearing multiple hats, the independence, the ability to make your own rules, the money, and the opportunity to have an impact on businesses and people. The downside is you work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it’s high risk, stressful, and it can be hard on relationships. However, working in the corporate world, you have resources, support, and stability. It may or may not have a great culture so check Glassdoor. Some corporations offer stock options and if you pick the right one you can do well. The downside is your roles and responsibility are narrower and navigating internally can be time consuming and frustrating. If you want to go the corporate route decide if small, medium or large is the right fit for you.
Apart from your bestselling book what are three other business books that you would recommend as “Must Reads” to all college students?
These are all classics, and the examples are a little dated, but the wisdom is timeless. First is Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, a great book on principles of entrepreneurship. The second is How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, which is about building relationships. The third is Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles, the most compelling book on why we have a social obligation to become rich.
To find out more about ‘The Science of Hiring Quota Busting Sales Teams’ and Andy Miller head over to Amazon.