Have you just landed your first job in sales? In fact, it might be your first job full stop. Sales can certainly be a solid field in which to start your working life – as, in commonly-used words of entrepreneurs quoted by Lifehack, “if you know how to sell, you can do anything.”

Working in sales can lead you to pick up skills transferable to many walks of life. However, if you are still learning the ropes, here are ways of helping to neutralise the sting of the learning process.

Tap into advice from a mentor

Even Luke Skywalker had his Yoda – and, along similar lines, you should look through your team for an experienced salesperson who would be willing to take you under their wing, so to say.

Your company might already run a mentoring scheme about which the sales manager can tell you. Even if not, you might be able to obtain a mentor through more informal means – and, once you do, ask him how he has handled tough clients and what sales strategies seem the most effective.

Look closely at what you will be selling

If you start attempting to sell the product without having first sampled it for yourself, customers could be capable of detecting insincerity in your words or tone. This could ultimately sink your chances of furthering a sale to that customer, so familiarise yourself with the product first.

Let’s assume that this product is a food. In this instance, you could taste the product and look at its nutritional information, enabling yourself to impart well-informed details to customers.

Don’t try to take on too much too early

It’s possible to be a little over-ambitious when you have recently started working in entry-level sales. However, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. In a strict sense, your job will be not closing deals, but instead finding them. To this end, court the prospect, this LinkedIn article urges.

Treat your time with a prospect like you are on a first date. Ask questions to assess what they are like, what they want and how your product could prove to be the missing piece of their metaphorical jigsaw.

Get up to speed with company protocol

You could garner an unprofessional image if, when dealing with customers on calls, you keep bumbling because you haven’t quite learnt how everything works at your company.

Before you even pick up the phone to a customer, you should thoroughly learn your company’s procedures for sending invoices and making deliveries. The objective here is to prevent a prospect being able to pick up on your inexperience as a salesperson.

Be persistent

You could often feel despondent in the early months of a sales career – perhaps because you keep getting handed the hardest clients or need to make multiple cold calls to customers who spurn you.

However, remember that rejection happens even to experienced salespeople – and you can increase your confidence by taking sales training on offer from our own company, Impel Dynamic.