How to begin your career in sales/marketing?
When one begins a career in sales/marketing there are lot of hopes and aspirations. We
look forward to a vibrant career where we will meet lot of people and get involved in lot
of action. But in the initial stages of our career most of us face many problems which
dispirit us, degrade our enthusiasm and sometimes even force us to question our career
choice. In this post I try to discuss some of the problems we face as beginners in this
field.
1. Lack of respect/acknowledgement from the people you interact.
Many a times the people with whom you interact will be much more experienced than
you, especially when you go out of your company. Not all of them will be good spirited
enough to give you recognition after learning the fact that you are a fresher, especially if
the product you are handling is a bit complicated or expensive. Learn to talk confidently;
don’t hesitate to get your doubts cleared. At the same time share your knowledge also.
That way you will learn things quickly. Don’t forget that not only beginners, all the
people in the industry are wary of lack of acknowledgement.
2. Dearth of contacts in the industry.
To improve your network in the industry find a mentor who is having good contacts
and who is willing to help you. Sometimes your own relatives will be there well
established in the industry. Whenever you meet people strike a meaningful conversation
with them so that they will remember you. Have a clear networking plan for yourself.
Use your existing contacts to widen your network. Join online groups, attend
functions/seminars of the industry. Workout how all you can improve your contacts.
Whenever you go for a seminar or party where people from and sales and marketing is
the majority you will feel dejected as all others seem to know each other and you are
only one who is all alone. In such situations don’t panic. Regain your composure and
look around. You will find many others who are facing the same problem. You just have
to wear a confident smile and go to any of those people and introduce yourself. Soon
you will find yourself meeting new people and moving around.
3. Lack of proper training

Some times when you meet a customer or when are in gathering of people from your
industry, you face situations where you will not able to answer all the questions tossed
towards you. Some times such situation can embarrass you also. Try to avoid such
incidents as in the industry the first impression always counts. Learn in detail about
what you are going to sell. Prepare a list of questions you may face and get answers for
all of them. Take help from your immediate seniors. Ask them to share their experiences.
4. Learning how to talk to people.
Some people find it extremely difficult to start conversation with prospects, customers,
industry peers and some times your seniors also. Make it a practice to meet and have a
talk with minimum 10 strangers in any social gathering. Keep in mind the common
‘small talk’ guidelines like listening, not forcing your ideas.
5. How to implement new ideas/procedures.
It must have happened with many of you. You joined an established company and you
are trying to implement a new method of marketing or sales of which you are absolutely
confident. But the people in your office either don’t approve of it or they ignore it. Here
you are forgetting one important fact. The idea/method is your child and you have to
market it the way you market your product. These people in your office in the beginning
of their career must have taken many initiatives but have miserably failed to get results.
Now it’s your duty to create a need for a change in the minds of these people as only
you have hundred percent faith in your initiative. Instead of directly promoting your
idea it is always better to indirectly make people understand the benefits of such a
change.
6. When your initiatives don’t give results.
Many of us want our career to be perfect and are not ready to accept any setbacks in any
of our ventures. If something goes wrong they became depressed and desperate. This is
a hurdle all of us have to surpass in the beginning of a sales/marketing career. It will
occur to you that no matter how much effort you are putting, the end results are always
negative. The prospects with whom you spend a lot time, turns you down in the last
moment. But you must recognize the fact that the initial disappointments are a part of
any career and especially if you are into sales/marketing you have to deal with it. Once
in a while you should sit back and analyze what you have done, find out what your
mistakes were and formulate a better plan learning from your mistakes.

7. When you are intimidated by sales target for you.
First and foremost believe in yourself. If your senior believes that you can achieve your
target then why don’t you. Instead of getting intimidated by the targets, congratulate
yourself for gaining your senior’s confidence. Form plans for achieving your target. List
down the leads and opportunities you have and work out how to convert them into
orders. You are in the beginning of your career. You are expected to give your maximum
rather than achieving the targets.
8. How to get it going.
Whatever we have discussed above give you an idea how things are and what are the
options you have. Now how to get it going. Read good literature; books, web pages and
blogs in which people share their experiences. Get help from your seniors and
colleagues. Each of us different set of capabilities. Understand and analyze what you
want to achieve and create a master plan of how you are going to achieve it.
I will recommend some books, blogs and websites for your reading.
www.captureplanning.com
www.mpdailyfix.com
www.sethgodin.typepad.com
www.churchofcustomers.com
Harvard Business Reviews
Marketing Management-Philip Kotler
The Guru Guide to Marketing-Joseph H Boyett