07 August 2025
In a recent discussion with a client, the topic of B2B salespeople in Australia came up - and not in glowing terms. We discussed the quality, mindset, and earning potential of sales professionals across industries. The conclusions were sharp, and in many ways, accurate.
But there's nuance worth exploring.
B2B sales people - attracting and retaining talent
Across many of my clients, one complaint is near-universal.
It’s no longer just “we can’t find good salespeople” - “we can’t find any.”
In technical B2B sectors, the standard expectation is to hire sales people who will actively build client relationships not just sit in the office responding to inbound enquiries.
Mid-range earners working in Industrial sales in Australia typically sell to mining and construction industries. Getting out and "kicking rocks" is a requirement of the job.
And these roles are well-compensated: average $120k to $150k base, plus car, super, and performance incentives. Typically, people at this remuneration level aren't called "sales reps" but more loftier titles like "business development manager", "area manager", "sales engineer" etc.
But even at that level, clients are consistently underwhelmed by the quality of candidates. When they do find someone “acceptable,” disappointment often follows. And if they manage to land a strong performer, that person is frequently gone within 12 months, usually with a polite but frustrating “sorry, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
As my client said to me...
"finding a high performing sales person AND someone who is technically literate in our industry is really difficult - they're Unicorns."
B2B sales people - why the shortage?
Let’s be honest: in Australia, sales is often a fallback profession.
You don’t need a degree. There’s no licensing. And many people drift into sales because they’ve "got the gift of the gab" or simply don’t know what else to do.
The result? A wide variance in skill and mindset. In many industries, especially transactional B2B or SME markets, sales roles are often filled by people simply to earn a living rather than pursuing a professional path.
But that’s not the full picture.
Two very different sales worlds
Top earners performing sales roles work on multi-million/billion dollar deals
There’s a chasm in the B2B landscape between order-takers and value creators.
At the lower end of the spectrum, sales reps act more like admin assistants: they respond to inbound enquiries, quote prices, and wait for purchase orders. Their main skills are product familiarity, customer service, and being ‘pleasant to deal with’. There’s nothing wrong with this, many businesses are built on these roles, but they don’t create value in the true sense.
On the other hand, top-tier B2B sales professionals operate in a different league. They’re:
-
Strategically aware
-
Commercially literate
-
Technically credible
-
Comfortable selling to executives at all levels
-
Skilled in long sales cycles and complex buying decisions
These people are rare and expensive. But when aligned with the right product, brand, and go-to-market strategy, they can generate millions in revenue and build long-term customer relationships that no marketing campaign could replicate.
In smaller companies selling industrial products and services ($5 million to say $25 million revenue) the true strategic selling is often undertaken by the principals (owners and CEO). Failure to successfully invest in strategic selling talent becomes an impediment to growth.
Business principals only have so much band-width. And quite often these same principals are also working on delivering the projects they sell. That's a lot of headwind to push against.
Why is the talent pool so shallow?
Several factors contribute to the shortage of high-performing B2B sales talent in Australia:
Lack of formal development pathways: Unlike engineering or finance, there’s no structured route into professional sales. Training is ad hoc and often product-focused rather than strategic. Further, the quality of training varies widely; some companies provide extensive ongoing skills development, but most - none.
Poor role models: Many junior salespeople are coached by managers who themselves were never trained properly. The cycle continues.
Stigma: Sales is still seen by many Australians as a "pushy" or even slightly shady profession. That cultural bias suppresses interest from bright graduates who might otherwise excel. Engineers who are directed to contribute to the sales process are typically reluctant and see the task as beneath them.
Under-investment: Many SMEs and mid-tier companies treat sales as a cost to be minimized, rather than a function to be elevated.
Locked-in to their current employer: Any mid-tier SME that has good sales people will be making sure they don't lose them. This is especially true of Tier 1 companies (particularly European or North American owned) who attract top talent (or create them). North American sales culture is light years ahead of Australia.
Business attitude: Australian boards and leadership teams are typically dominated by solicitors, accountants, engineers, and operations professionals. Sales and marketing are often viewed as secondary, sometimes even menial, functions. But here’s the irony: the very existence of the business depends on its ability to win and retain customers. Without revenue, there is no profit, no operations, and no enterprise to manage.
Business ignorance: Outside the sales and marketing function, there’s often limited understanding of what professional selling really involves. Sales isn’t seen as a discipline, it’s seen as a personality trait, or worse, a cost centre. This lack of insight leads to poor decisions and misguided priorities.For example: when costs need to be cut, sales is frequently the first department to face headcount reductions, despite being the one function responsible for bringing money into the business. Engineering businesses are more likely to invest in a new piece of equipment that is 30% utilized than use the same money to employ another sales representative.
But here’s the good news
There is a growing recognition, especially in industrial, SaaS, and professional services sectors, that sales is a strategic lever.
Businesses are waking up to the fact that you can’t grow the business with sub-optimal sales people or ad hoc selling models. A business needs people who can identify and develop sales opportunities, close deals, build trust, and understand the client’s business better than the client does.
This shift is creating space and demand for more sophisticated sales professionals. And that means opportunity.
The earning potential? Substantial
Firms that deliver billion dollar infrastructure projects have very mature sales processes. No one sales person "sells" such deals - large teams spend sometimes years bringing projects to fruition. Bonuses paid are BIG. This is the top end of "selling".
While base salaries for B2B sales roles in Australia can vary widely, from $60k for entry-level reps to $250k+ for senior enterprise sellers, the real story is in commission and performance-based bonuses.
In high-value technical or consultative sales environments, it’s not uncommon for top reps to take home $300k–$500k+ annually. That’s CEO-level money, without the pressure of running the whole business.
The problem? Too few people know this. And fewer still are equipped to reach that level.
Final Thoughts
The market is right to be critical of low-quality sales reps. There’s a lot of mediocrity out there. But let’s not paint the entire profession with the same brush.
Great salespeople do exist. And when they’re empowered by the right environment, training, and leadership, they’re among the most valuable assets any B2B business can have.
So if you’re building a B2B sales team in Australia, ask yourself: Are you hiring someone to process enquiries - or to grow the business?
The difference is night and day.
