How do I start a sales job with no experience?

This is a question that has been coming up quite a lot recently due to the pandemic and I want to help people who are struggling to answer this question

Quickly after this question it soon follows with, don't you have to be a natural-born closer to be able to sell? Some may disagree but I don't believe you have to be a natural-born closer sell.

This isn't so much about people out of school, it is for people who have been let go from their non-sales role jobs and now looking at the option for sales roles.

I don't want to jump too far ahead but there are transferable skills from any industry that can help you with selling but please remember one thing, almost everyone is a salesperson in some way, a lawyer sells to the judge that his client is innocent, a mother sells the idea to her children the boogyman will get them if they don't go to bed on time and Doctors sell the idea that everything will be fine with the surgery and there is no need to worry.

YES, everyone is a salesperson, some just don't know it yet

So, going back to the initial question, how do I start a sales job with no experience?

Well, you have most likely been selling your whole career anyway, it's now time to understand what you are good at and what needs improvement

People tend to think that sales is all about new business and attracting new clients but who is there to service and nurture the clients to ensure they renew? Account Managers, that's who

Think about that, how many times have you bought something because the salesperson was professional was there through every step of the way?

Why can't that be you?

I think the way to get started with this is mentally knowing that sales is nothing new to you, you have the skills that can transfer over and if anything you could be the missing piece of the jigsaw because you could bring something to the table old school salespeople haven't been doing

Are you a problem solver?

If you answered yes then you fit the requirement that every salesperson MUST be

What it all boils down to at the end of the day is, a client has a problem and you have a solution, it is as simple as that,

Yes there are techniques and other skills you need but it's all about having a solution for the client.

How do we find out the clients' problems?

By asking questions

If you didn't know, the best salespeople who are the ones who listen

Have you come out of a job where you had to be a good listener?

Well you have one of the major skills to be a salesperson

I really can not be any clearer when I say this, you have probably been doing a job in the past where if you applied them skills in a sales role you would be earning double the wages

The highest-earning industry in the world is the sales industry, FACT

Have I eased some of the pressure you might be feeling?

Now, it isn't as simple as getting on the phone and calling people, there is more to it than that

You must learn everything there is to know about the product or service that you offer but please remember, you are selling the benefit, how does it benefit the client? what does it do for them?

You must keep practicing your objection handling, clients will throw objections at you all day long, you must have the ability to deal with and get through them, remember that a sale does not start until the client starts to object, it shows they are interested

Understand the set up within not only the company you are speaking with but also the company you will work for, you must know what the process is within your clients' company, who are the decision-makers? how long does approval take? what is the time frame? Ask your point of call what their experience of putting something through like this is.

The company you work for won't just have a sales team., it will have a marketing team, finance team,. The HR team and of course upper management. Maybe one of the reasons you are looking for a job is because you didn't cement that relationship with other teams and isolated yourself, well that must change in the sales environment, if you need sign off from finance and HR, will they help if they don't care for you as a person because you have not cared for them? I think not. Your relationship with marketing is pivotal, they need you to close the leads and you need them to nurture. Sit with them and ensure you are both working in the same direction with the same objectives

All of this is how you should speak when you are in your interviews

How did you work with other team members and divisions?

How have you handled the pandemic, what have you done to rise above it?

I hope this information has helped to understand that there is no need to be scared of a sales role, you have the skills already from your previous job. What I look for now in people is their tenacity and how they treat people. If you treat people the right way and have the ability to overcome adversity, you will have what it takes to succeed in sales

This has been the icing on the cake but if you want the cherry then understand one thing, empathy wins the day in sales, understanding the client's problem and having the ability to step away emotionally to provide a solution wins all day.

I am adding this now as a final thought, Sales roles are seen as unprofessional and who would want to be salesperson? I WOULD, I AM and I AM very proud to be. Unless that is your mindset, you will not make it, you have to wake up every day with hunger and thirst to be the best you can be and you can't do that if you don't like the person you are every day. I firmly believe this.

Let me know your thoughts on the article, if you have any questions, I am happy to speak

On a daily basis I put of content to help and inspire others in the sales industry, please share with people you feel would benefit from what I am showing.

Have a great day and remember and please make sure you show your potential employer that your skills transfer over to sales and that benefits them in a way that leads to company success.