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Where do I need to look to find jobs that pay appropriate MBA salaries?

I am about to complete my MBA in Finance in March 2008, one month away. My undergrad is in marketing. For all of my professional career I have been in the field of sales (products and services.) Currently I am looking for new career opportunities, however I have not seen the results I want. I currently make $45K plus commission. The companies that are contacting me are offering $40 - $45K. From my research in Fort Worth, TX starting MBA salaries average $70K. The platforms I am using for my career search are individual recruiters, monster.com, careerbuilder.com, and hotjobs.com. My question is what do I need to do or where do I need to look to find more appealing job offers with a salary that fits an MBA grad? Thanks, B

Public Comments

1. Research the companies in your area. BBB is a good place to look. Contact them, don't look on those websites. The best companies usually post jobs on their websites. Or you can apply to the companies you'd want to work for. The big paying companies sometimes don't fool with those services. Be more assertive. You can also look at more local resources for job hunting. Monster is ok, but the other two have a lot of junk jobs on them. Good luck!
2. Look to an Executive Recruitment firm, however you may be off on your salary a little. No offense intended by that statement, let me explain. If you are in a salaried position, then yes, you are accurate. However, the base salary of a sales professional varies wildly. The main reasons are: 1) If the base component is high, then commissions/bonus are usually low 2) If it's a long-cycle sale, then the base will be higher and tied to a bonus or commission at the end of the cycle. 3) If the commissions are high and potentially lucrative, trust me, you'll want a lower base because there is no more beautiful way to get paid than for producing results. The more you sell, the more you make if you're on a high commission percentage. I highly recommend talking to a firm that actually listens. If they take the time to get to know you, take a complete profile and see your skillset, then they should be able to help you. Just keep one thing in mind - if they don't get back to you immediately, it's just that they don't have anything immediate. After all, they work for who pays the bills. Their clients pay the bills, not you, the candidate.
3. Reading your question carefully it implies to me that you are not really looking for more appealing job, you are truly only looking for more appealing salary. Anthony laid it out for you very well and I can only add to it that if you really want to get paid what you think of yourself being worth, then abandon your employee mentality and go into business on your own. Your income at the end of the year will truly show what you are worth, not what you think you are. Every employer will try to get as much out of you for as little as possible. That's why they are employers, they abandoned their employee mentality and, being blunt, will always receive many times more than you may even dream about.