Three Things to Tell a New Sales Rep

Welcome to sales. Briefly, here’s what you need to know:

No. 1: Dale Carnegie had it right.

In 1936, Dale Carnegie wrote the best book on sales ever written that had nothing to do with sales. That is, it was not a book written to help salespeople sell. The name of the book is "How to Win Friends and Influence People." It’s the premise of the book that you need to understand: You can get what you want when you figure out what the other guy wants and how to help him get it. Gender-specific language aside, this approach works perfectly all these years later. Don’t sell print/signage/packaging/promotional. Rather, seek to understand what the customer is trying to do (i.e. what are their business needs, goals, challenges, etc.) and then come up with a solution. If you can bring that approach to your job, you will succeed.

No. 2: Success will be delayed.

If you are looking for instant gratification, become a bartender. Sales is a job which requires a level of dedication, patience, frustration, and stick-to-it-iveness (it is so a word, spellcheck) you very likely have never experienced. It's important knowing this going in, in order to prepare mentally. Better to set your expectations on the horizon. After a month of hard selling, you are likely to have little if anything to show for it. No sales. Perhaps an appointment or two. And the only thing in abundance will be self-doubt. As such, someone needs to tell you…

No. 3: The definition of, “Doing your job.”

Because you were not going to have the ultimate proof of success — sales volume — yet, you’re going to need to hang your hat on something else in order to sleep at night. Make this your goal: Sales activity. At the end of the day, if you have met your sales call goal, you can call it a good day. In time, you will learn to make better sales calls, but you’ll either have to figure out how on your own, or you can get it from …

The Sales Vault. Hang with sales people who have done what you are trying to do and can tell you how. Go to SalesVault.pro or call Bill Farquharson at 781-934-7036.