First of all congratulations on being offered your new sales job! It doesn't matter if you loved or hated your job, leaving your current sales position with pride in a professional manner is essential for protecting your long-term career plans.

Resign in person to your boss

Your boss should be the first person who you tell about resigning before anybody else - even before your mates down the pub! This is important because it saves word of your departure from possibly getting round and reaching your boss before you get to tell them. The best and most respectful way to tell your boss you're leaving is face-to-face so you can discuss why you have made your decision to leave. The next best alternative is having the conversation with your boss via phone.

You should also take a handwritten notice along with you when resigning since it's not only more professional but in many cases, you will need to have a written resignation for legal reasons. It's key that you keep your written resignation short and sweet, a simple thank you and an end date will be sufficient for it.

First thing Monday morning might not be appropriate, but perhaps book a time in their diary so you have a few minutes to explain your decision, rather than being rushed out the door as they fly off to a meeting.

If you're professional in your approach, expect your boss to be too

For many, one of the hardest parts of the process of resigning is the fear of how your boss may react to the news of your departure. People often fear that their boss will have an adverse reaction to the news. However, if you handle yourself professionally, a good boss will be happy to see their employee move on to a new opportunity to further their career.

Thank your boss and your colleagues

Having a strong network is very important in sales, making it vital to make an effort to keep in touch with your former colleagues in case you can benefit from their help in the future. Thanking your boss and colleagues will also help with receiving a strong reference from them when your future employer asks for one.

Be careful when considering accepting a counter-offer

If you have been offered a counter-offer, you need to weigh up accepting it fully since it's estimated that around 80% of people who accept counter offers will leave within 6 to 12 months. Do you want to go back to the start of job searching again a few months down the line if all your needs are not met and you continue to not be happy in your job?

Work your resignation properly

It may be tempting to give your last few weeks not as much focus as you normally would, however, this will be your lasting impression with colleagues and Managers so it pays to work hard and be cooperative right up until the day you leave. Be helpful by ensuring you give a detailed handover, not leaving colleagues second guessing over clients and deals. You may even get a nice leaving present!

After you've started your new role it might be a good idea to announce it on social media and update your LinkedIn page - don't do it before you have left or post comments about why you left that don't look professional. Don't write 'My boss was rubbish!' or 'It was an unprofessional place to work."

If you're looking for a new role in Sales, take a look at our live Sales jobs here or contact our Senior Sales Recruitment Consultant, Natalie Chapman on 0116 254 5411 or email natalie@precisionrecruitment.co.uk