Where to Begin

So I recently started working with a person who’s brand new to sales, I mean, he’s never even had a job in sales before. It can be overwhelming not only as the person trying to learn, but also as a coach on exactly where the person should begin. So obviously I had to take a step back and think about this for a second let’s start with some motivation, I thought to myself.

So I started telling him about my experience in sales and how I got into it and became a student. Which quickly went into a prospecting conversation. Which, as you all know, requires a little bit of math. Before too long, I realized that he had a glazed over look on his face and I don’t think he was really paying attention

I paused and took another step back. I believe that the best place to start in sales is to start with your why. For him he was looking for a career change, and he needed to see some results so that he could prove to himself and his wife that this was a viable option to get him away from the current career that he didn’t really love. So we started talking about the low hanging fruit. This is the sales that will come easy to you in your personal network usually. I told him to reach out to some of his friends and family and just explain to them that he’s learning and ask for information so that he could practice, and on that we ended the lesson.

The next week he came back with both a business and a couple of personal contacts that gave him information, and he was excited about writing some business. He was full of questions and hungry for more knowledge. Sometimes, as the philosopher would say the first part of a great journey is a very small step.

Here are three tips to get you started:

• If you don’t know about the “why” then check out Simon Sinek’s     YouTube video on this topic. He is inspiring on a whole other level.
  
• Start basic, I know that there are a ton of people out there who show up in a private jet and tell you that they can help you get where they are, but really, life is not about being where someone else is, it’s about being where you are. 
• Don’t be afraid. We all suffer from imposter syndrome, this is that feeling that you aren’t good enough, or that you can’t do it because no one would buy from you. Everything you learn, try or experience in life is hard, remember that first kiss? But now it’s probably not that scary anymore, and really you can only enjoy things when you get past the fear of the unknown.