{"id":19673,"date":"2022-05-27T13:16:58","date_gmt":"2022-05-27T20:16:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/?p=19673"},"modified":"2023-07-07T20:22:18","modified_gmt":"2023-07-08T03:22:18","slug":"get-into-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/sales\/get-into-sales\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips on How to Get Into Sales Regardless of Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sales is one of the few jobs where you can earn more than six figures without a college degree. Including commissions, the average salary for a senior sales manager can reach nearly $100,000 per year (or more), so it\u2019s no surprise that many people want to get in on the action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what if you don\u2019t have any experience in sales\u2014or at least, not yet? How do you join this lucrative, exciting, and fast-paced industry? Below, we\u2019ll give you a few tips on how to get into sales regardless of your experience.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is It Easy To Get Into Sales?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sales<\/a> is all about communication and building rapport. So if you\u2019re already an effective communicator, the basics of sales probably won\u2019t be difficult to master. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skills Needed To Get Into Sales<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like any other profession, you need to gain and hone some soft skills to get your sales career started. Most of these involve communication\u2014for example, written and verbal skills, and active listening. Let\u2019s look at these sales skills<\/a> and how you can acquire them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written and Verbal Communication<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sales is all about communication. You should be able to properly communicate with your potential client, whether it\u2019s an individual consumer or another business. While sales isn\u2019t necessarily difficult, you do need to demonstrate strong written and verbal skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Potential clients should feel like they\u2019re investing in a useful product or service. You need to understand their problems, and try to see which features of your product can solve their problems. Remember, prospective clients care about their problems, so you need to focus on providing them with proper solutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To improve your written skills, try writing mock letters to an imaginary prospect. To improve your verbal skills, try talking to a mirror. This can help give you the confidence of speaking about a product while maintaining eye contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Active Listening<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many people think that sales is just about pitching your product or service, but this isn\u2019t really the case. One of the most important skills required for a career in sales is active listening.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To show that you\u2019re actively listening, ask questions. For example, if you\u2019re selling a pen, ask your prospective client something like, \u201cWhat don\u2019t you like about your current pen?\u201d or \u201cWhat features do you want your pen to have?\u201d These sorts of questions often help start a conversation where customers can clearly explain what problems they\u2019re having, or what they want to achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, you use this information to personalize your pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more you listen to your prospective clients, the more confidence they\u2019ll have in your product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ability To Become a Subject Matter Expert<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Customers are more likely to buy your product if they\u2019re confident that you can provide a solution to their problem. So before you try to sell anything, you need to learn everything you can about the product you\u2019re pitching. Do your homework. If you don\u2019t sound knowledgeable about what you\u2019re selling, the client won\u2019t trust you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you do thorough research about the product or service you\u2019re selling, you\u2019ll also gain confidence that you can pitch the product and answer your client\u2019s questions. Customers will always have questions, and if you understand the product you\u2019re selling, you\u2019ll position yourself as an expert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public Speaking and Presentation Skills<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you want to work in sales, you\u2019ll need to be adept at both public speaking and giving presentations. Often, you\u2019ll be pitching to a group of people, rather than a single person. Demonstrating confidence is critical. Once you lose hold of your audience\u2019s attention, they\u2019ll likely lose interest in your product or service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try to create a presentation with relevant data\u2014including visual graphics always helps\u2014so that your prospective clients know you\u2019ve done the proper homework beforehand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To improve your public speaking skills, you can try pitching your product to your friends or family, and asking them for feedback. This can help boost your confidence, and it will ensure a smooth presentation when you meet with actual customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Time Management<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Time management is an important skill in any field, but more so in sales. When pitching to customers, you need to be punctual, and make your prospective clients feel as if you aren\u2019t wasting their time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arriving even a few minutes late for a meeting could leave a bad impression. Be prompt, and your clients will appreciate your professionalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some situations, you\u2019ll need to follow up with your prospective client a few days after meeting them. Make sure that you\u2019re punctual with this too. Customers will appreciate your reliability if you reach out to them when you promised to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A simple way to improve your time management is by relying on your mobile phone and computer. You can schedule meetings and other events in your calendar apps and get reminders beforehand so that you can properly prepare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Types of Entry-Level Sales Jobs To Look For<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ready to dive into a sales career? Let\u2019s look at some sales roles that can get you started at an entry-level<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Retail <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A position in retail is one of the easiest ways to start a career in sales<\/a>. You can start off by working as a salesperson at a retail store or wholesale company. This is an excellent position for an entry-level salesperson because it allows you to practice the skills we mentioned above\u2014but without the pressure to close clients, as you\u2019ll most likely interact with low-ticket customers and small-scale businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this role, you\u2019ll be responsible for helping potential customers find the products they need, and finalizing sales. These sales will typically be small, but this kind of role can give you valuable experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sales Development Representative<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Sales development representatives<\/a> talk to leads and qualify them for the sales funnel. Companies use a sales funnel to locate the most winning prospects and track them through each stage of the customer journey. As a sales development representative, you would work as a middleman\u2014talking to leads, checking if they should be moved further along, and passing relevant information to the sales representatives for the next phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This position is a good fit for an entry-level salesperson because you have to talk to potential prospects, ask questions, and understand their problems. This can improve your communication skills and help you learn how to talk with more confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Account Manager<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An account manager is a great position if you want to learn how to communicate efficiently and build customer relationships. An account manager is the point of contact for a customer. You help them during the sale, and respond to their queries. And once a customer signs on, the account manager is also responsible for pitching upsells\u2014upgrades to a higher-priced product or service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve probably interacted with account managers before. With banks or other financial institutions, customers are introduced to an account manager who helps them manage their accounts and responds to their questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This position is a good fit for an entry-level salesperson because it helps you learn how to form good relationships with your prospects and nurture relationships with existing customers so that you can upsell your product or service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outreach Specialist<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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An outreach specialist finds leads and establishes a conversation with them. This is the beginning of the sales funnel. After you contact these leads, you guide them through the initial phase of the sales funnel, making sure they\u2019re interested in your product on a broader level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nowadays, this is mostly achieved through cold emailing or cold calls. You might face a lot of rejection at this stage because it\u2019s the initial phase of the sales funnel, and not a lot of people are necessarily ready to buy your product or service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This role is a good fit for an entry-level salesperson because you can gain sales experience by starting conversations with leads, introducing them to your company, and explaining how your organization can help them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How To Get a Sales Job<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Starting a career in sales might sound difficult, but here are some steps you can follow to help you land a sales job more easily:<\/p>\n\n\n\n