My First 90 Days: Sink Or Swim In Sales

In this series, professionals share how they rocked — or didn't! — the all-important first 90 days on the job. Follow the stories here and write your own (please include the hashtag #First90 in the body of your post).

A few years ago I joined a highly competitive sales department, I had sales experience but not in this particular industry. It was an exciting opportunity to grow and develop. On my first day 2 members of staff were fired, so those #First90 days really were Sink or Swim. Here is the story:

My first week was to be my formal sales training, but unfortunately actually contained no training at all. I was paired with one "experienced" sales person, who between taking 2-3 hour lunch breaks, sat around talking and generally not doing any work. There never seemed to be anyone who could answer my questions or train me on these new processes and products. I still have the piece of paper filled with unanswered questions that I had after that first week.

Advice: I always advise anyone starting a new job, to write down all the questions they have over their first few weeks. You can then find the right person to ask, and get the answers you need. It's the best way to piece all the pieces of the puzzle together, so that it makes sense in your head.

The second week was go time, thrown into the deep end with no training, no book to read, no manual, no supervisor to help. The office was very messy, and full of paperwork un filed and spread out everywhere. Not the best start to a new job by any means, but the way I saw it, full of opportunities. For all that this company lacked, it gave me a chance to prove myself, excel and help the company grow.

There are plenty of good companies out there that will provide proper training and give you the tools to succeed, but the reality is that with or without that training, the moment you start working it is down to you to define what happens.

For me, I started going through the computer at all saved documents, old and recent, and taught myself the essentials. I organized the office, which taught me what I needed to know about the paperwork, and the rest I learnt through just doing.

Advice: When you start a new job, it is ultimately down to you to lead your training, your learning and your success. It can be easy to sit around waiting for someone to show you, but the answers are all around you. Show initiative, show enthusiasm and see what you can teach yourself. It might give you that extra boost and help you achieve more in those early days.

After that I just worked hard, very hard, and steered clear of the politics and distractions that were steering other staff away from success. I actually learnt so much more from all the reading and hands on learning that I had done. Sometimes being thrown in the deep end isn't a bad thing. But in those 90 days you are given the choice, sink or swim.

After my #First90 days I actually got promoted and had the chance to make sure new sales staff joining the company didn't have the same struggles. I created a thorough induction and training scheme that was supported both by myself and also with plenty of relevant documents and training on USB.

For a lot of people, the first 90 days of a new job are full of mixed emotions:

• Excitement - You are excited to start your new job/career and prove yourself. Make sure you hold onto this, but be patient with your training and learning, enjoy, observe and be a sponge to the information.
• Frustration - It can be very frustrating not being able to deliver results straight away, especially as you may be learning new processes or skills. This is normal and fine, use it to fuel your learning, read more, ask more questions, always make sure that you understand what you need to understand.
• Anxiety - People can become anxious, wanting to prove themselves quickly. In sales especially, there is a constant need to compete and be seen to achieve. However don't let that distract you from actually learning and working hard.
• Motivation - This is all new, and you can see very clearly where you need to be successful. It's then about learning the tools and processes you need to use to achieve it.

Always remember that a new job is a new opportunity, they've offered you the job because they believe that above other people, you will do the best at that job. So enjoy your first 90 days, even if it is sink or swim, use that opportunity to define your place in the company.

If you've enjoyed this post please do Like, Share and Comment your thoughts. How were your first 90 days at work? Are you in those 90 days now? How is it going?