3 Excellent Strategies to Kick-Off Your Sales Career
Congratulations. You’ve begun your journey into the wonderful, scary, thrilling, ill-defined, mysterious world of sales.
Here’s the bad news: ain’t nobody gonna take you by the hand and tell you how to be successful. That’s also the good news, because it is best left to you to determine how you define success. You will want to figure that out on your own.
If you want the greatest chance to maximize your early results, here are three ideas to get you started.
1. Develop Great Prospecting Habits
A habit is something you do automatically and frequently. Don’t wait for others to tell you what those habits must be. Determine right now that you will be a great prospector.
In the world of sales, there are hunters and there are gatherers. We call those two types of salespeople prospectors and converters. Make no mistake; you need to know how to convert a lead. But the most successful sales entrepreneurs are great at prospecting.
Start by setting a specific and nonnegotiable daily outreach target. These are the activities that you will do every day without fail that will ensure your success.
And don’t let the veterans tell you that people don’t want phone calls. The best communication is always face-to-face; the second best is voice-to-voice. Let everyone else send e-mail to the prospects Spam folder. You will be talking to that very prospect on the phone.
Here is a resource to consider: pick up the book High Profit Prospecting by Mark Hunter. You’ll thank me later.
2. Develop an Insane Curiosity
The poet e.e. cummings once wrote, “Always the beautiful answer who asks a more beautiful question.” I don’t think the writer was talking about sales when he wrote that, but the application for salespeople is astounding.
You must become consumed with asking beautiful questions. The question to a salesperson is like the paintbrush to an artist. Learn to use it with great skill.
And not just questions, but bold questions. Develop a deep curiosity about your customer and ask question that other sales people simply won’t ask (they’re too scared).
You will go a long way with the phrase, “Tell me more about that”.
As an added resource you might want to consider my book Be Bold and Win the Sale. It will help overcome any misgivings about asking questions.
3. Feed Your Brain
Sales is a creative job. It requires a healthy creative brain, and that creative brain must be fed.
Establish the habit early in your career of becoming an avid reader. Mark Twain once wrote that, “Those who will not read are no better off than those who cannot read.”
John Maxwell puts it this way: “Ten years from now we are no better off than we are today, except for the books that we read in the people we meet.”
Read the blogs. Listen to the podcasts. Feed your brain. You must constantly refuel your own creative energy if you are to maintain your career and your success over a long period of time.
One place to get started is by making a habit of reading The Sales Blog by Anthony Iannarino. Pure sales brilliance.
Establish the habits of success early in your career – like now!
