Moving from front office Compliance into front office sales.

[Firstimemam]

Hello Mumsnet,

I had my one 1:1 a few weeks back and in the chat I was asking if the sales girl is being replaced and my manager was like, why are you interested and there was an awkward silence. My manager would be very supportive, she said she can really see me in Sales but that was that, I had a chat with the girl who was leaving as well but I still haven't made up my mind because I'm bloody brilliant at my job, I know exactly what I'm
I am doing and would call myself a subject matter expert, so moving into sales and the unknown would be a huge risk. Today the head of sales sent me an email saying he's heard that I'm interested and how about we have a chat next week, pop something in my diary.

People call me the social butterfly of the office and i suppose that's what i am but I'm also a bit like marmite, you either like me or you don't and I'm completely at peace with this.

Should I stay or should I go? I'm scared, what if I fail and I'm shit at sales because after all I've never done it.

• I would in investment banking

Go to the meeting, have a chat and see what you think. Ask if you can do a week shadowing or trial to see if you like it.

I also think there comes a point where you're so good at your job that you should move on to a new challenge!

Have you ever wanted to go in to sales before now? Why is the other girl leaving? Are there very strict targets? What are you like with someone screaming at you (happens a lot if you don't meet sales targets).

Sales is not social butterfly material - I have a marketing background and one of my jobs had a lot of sales involvement. I hated it - constant pressure from my boss to hit targets, each time I hit one the goalposts moved.

Also, do you have a thick skin? If you like to be liked and are a people pleaser you should not go into sales - you will be eaten alive by your customers. However, if you thrive on very high pressure and high stakes, you might love it.