How it all Started...

Sales skills transcend sectors: from working in retail, to being the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, to fundraising for a not-for-profit. Having sales experience provides a unique perspective that can be adapted and shaped to the needs of the job at hand. Sales skills are ever-evolving and those in sales will probably agree with me that it is a skill set that we continuously try to perfect and improve upon for that next time. I have been in sales for 14 years and the skills I have honed serve me well.

Early on in my career, I learned to pay attention to people. A focus on customer service underpins any successful sale. I have made a point of paying attention to how people operate, what drives them, what their needs are. Since communication is 55% through body language and 38% is the tone, I also make it a point of paying attention to and understanding the nonverbal cues throughout my conversations and interactions with customers. I now understand how to relate with a wide range of people, to create value for my customers, and to negotiate differences away. I have been exposed to a variety of sales techniques and have adapted them to maximize profits and by extension my rewards. All of this has come after many years in sales, and my learning is not complete by a long shot. But to get to where I am today, I had to start somewhere.

Looking back, the first 100 days as a salesperson were intimidating. Theory was one thing but putting what I learned or the skills I acquired into practice was a different story. I can confirm that real-life situations rarely follow the textbook case studies. I was thrown into it with little formal training and a vaguely defined goal of ‘closing business’. So, with that, I began learning in real-time, picking up tips from senior colleagues, and applying my own tactics.

Here is what worked for me:

• I limited my breaks. To confirm, I had breaks and I did take them, but in the early stages of my career, I wanted to maximize my time actively pursuing leads or interacting with customers. The thought of missing an opportunity motivated me to stay engaged. 
• I made sure I knew what I was selling; I knew my product inside and out. I read the literature and followed that up with some additional research on the side. I analyzed the positive and negative reviews. I researched competitor products to understand the differences and how better to market and sell our product. I made a point of visiting my company’s sister locations to watch my more experienced colleagues in action. I even visited a competitor’s business and watched their salespeople. Basically, I learned everything there was to know about the product and how to sell it. 
•  I sought opportunities to engage with my colleagues and managers whether it be on how to address a challenging sale, or how to improve the next time. These interactions served as invaluable sales training and learning opportunities. 
• Staying positive. I am a naturally positive person but sometimes lost sales or missed opportunities are hard to swallow. In the face of these, staying upbeat can seem like the hardest thing. What I noticed about my staying positive was that I could turn that negative customer interaction or the missed sale into an important lesson. Having this mind frame allowed me to take setbacks in stride and continue fighting for that next sale. Staying positive through challenging times help build my resiliency.
• Developing relationships with colleagues outside of work made my transition into the sales force that much smoother. I was surrounded by like-minded people. Sharing a meal or a drink after work was a great way to decompress from a busy day and celebrate a big sales win with the team. Plus, there is no better way to build a network that you can reach out to in the future. 
• Finally, when all else fails, I always made a point of taking the customer out for a good cup of coffee.

Do any of these tactics resonate with you?

What made your first 100 days manageable?

Do you still apply the lessons learned early on in your career?