The funny thing about sales is that, for the most part, no one wanted to be a salesperson growing up. The reality today is that all of us do some type of selling – but we often don’t call it that. Rather, we spend the majority of our time persuading, influencing, and moving others. Think about it. What we do each day has some sort of selling component. We don’t all have to be a stereotypical used car salesperson to consider ourselves salespeople. We’re all selling anyway.So, we didn’t go to school to be salespeople. But we find ourselves in positions that require the knowledge, skill, and discipline of selling. And I’m willing to bet that the majority of the people reading this didn’t go through any formal training before, during, or after taking on a “sales” role. For better or worse, most of us learn how to sell on the job. We pick up the phone, create our own prospect lists, and do the grunt work that sales can sometimes require. It’s not easy. And it requires a lot of grit, determination, and discipline to onboard as a salesperson, especially when you’re a rookie. In an effort to share some sales wisdom with the relatively inexperienced salespeople of the world, we reached out to several sales experts. We asked them to answer this question: Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give yourself in your first 3-6 months as a salesperson?

1. You Never Wanted to
Be a Salesperson.
But Here You Are!

2. You never wanted to be a
salesperson.
But you find yourself selling
anyway.

3. We spend the majority of our time
persuading,
influencing,
and moving others.
Think about it.

4. We don’t all have to be a
stereotypical used car salesperson
to consider ourselves salespeople.
We’re all selling anyway.

5. So...
We asked several sales experts
one question.

6. This is
what
they
had to
say...

7. I would work diligently on my business acumen
and situational knowledge. I would ask to ride
along on visits with the experienced sales reps
who were doing good work. I would also ask
every prospect and customer to explain to me
how their business works and how they think
about their challenges. Look, you are a
salesperson, but that fact now means you are also
a businessperson. You need to focus on the
business end of the stick.
Anythony Iannarino

8. Commit to continuing your education! The
investment in your education should not stop
when you get out of school. At Acquirent, we call
it “sharpening your ax”. It took me too long (in my
opinion) to realize the power of enhancing my
sales knowledge and keeping my ax sharp. Just
like why professional baseball players take 45
minutes of batting practice before games, sales
professionals need to continue to work at their
craft in order to perform at a high level.
Geoff Winthrop

9. The most important advice I got in sales came on
the first day. My boss told me, "Don't be an order
taker." In other words, get out in front of your
customers. They're looking for leadership, not
someone to fill their orders. It's served me well
ever since.
Michael Boyette

10. Mostly I would have chosen to spend time with
those reps who did not send their days in the
office. While they are good at telling stories, and
all the reasons why the product is hard to sell. If I
would have gone with the small minority that was
out selling and too busy to sit around the office.
You see their name on the leaderboard and desk
nameplate, but you don't see them in the office.
Tibor Shanto

11. I still remember my first sales call (more than 20 years ago)
and I made the classic mistake of “showing up and
throwing up.” Unfortunately, I closed that sale which lead
me to believe that my approach was effective. It wasn’t
because I didn’t close another sale for quite some time.
The key to successful selling is to find out as much about
your prospect’s situation as possible by doing some
preliminary research and asking them thought-provoking
questions during your discovery call/meeting. Then,
position your solution so it clearly shows how they (the
prospect) will benefit – usually by solving a problem they
are facing. Master this approach and I guarantee will have
a successful—and profitable—sales career.
Kelley Robertson

12. Ask around...find out who is exceeding quota and
copy as much of what they do as humanly
possible. Don't try to figure it out on your own or
assume that you'll have the best training. Learn
from the people making money and behave on
the phones just like they do. Earn the right
through performance against quota to do it your
own way.
Pete Gracey

13. If I could start again… I’d first select a
mentor who can help me speed up the
learning curve. I’d ask more questions of
those who are succeeding. I’d take myself
less seriously. And finally have not made it
about me by adopting a focus on What’s in
it for Them which reduces fear, anxiety, and
puts the focus on the buyer which would
have hid my lack of experience.
Nancy Bleeke

14. Learn from the masters. Sit down with established,
successful sales reps. Ask questions, sure, but
more importantly watch them in action. Listen to
them on the phone. Watch how they manage
their day. Learn from their focus, their instincts,
their discipline.
Matt Heinz

15. Ask better questions. Experienced salespeople
get better, more insightful information from
their clients. Why? Because they ask better
questions and it causes them to learn how to
listen and interpret. I was so proud of the first
“ride-along” my IBM Branch Manager ever did
with me. I walked out thinking I had hit a home
run. My pride lasted until we got back in the car
and he said to me; “Craig, do you know that
every single question you asked of that
prospect you should have already known
before we got there? You have to ask better
questions.” I never forgot that lesson.
Craig Wortmann

16. What
About
YOU?

17. LET US
KNOW
ON TWITTER
@SalesEngine