Whether you’re a recent graduate or a working individual who’s looking to switch career paths, sales is a profession that has become extremely popular and highly rewarding if you’re someone who loves working with people. Luckily, there is no one way to get into a sales career which opens doors for many people.
Let’s dive into three simple yet effective steps you can take in order to get into a sales career.
- Choosing an industry
In order to succeed in sales, you have to be passionate about what you’re selling. If you do not believe in the product/service you are pitching then it is futile to convince anyone else to do so. It is also important to consider that some industries are more difficult to perform in than others.
- Building your Resume
If you have no previous sales experience, what you will need to do is highlight your transferrable skills and make it clear on your resume what your objective is. Your objective is where you will be stating whether you’re looking to kickstart your career in sales as a new grad or make the transition out of your current career path into sales. Avoid including the non-transferable skills and achievements that are unrelated to sales as they’re irrelevant. Another tip is to include prominent keywords from the job description you’re applying to in your resume. For example, cold-calling, prospecting, closing, lead generation, etc.
- Acquiring necessary sales skills
If you love working with people and you’ve got excellent communication skills, you’re off to a great start. But it is most definitely not enough to get you started in a sales career. There is an ample supply of sales books, courses, podcasts, and videos out there that you can use to educate yourself and better your chances of landing your first sales job. You may also state these on your resume to showcase your passion for sales, especially if it’s a course certificate.
Once you’re ready for your job search, you’ll want to craft a pitch to present to interviewers, employers, and people you connect with. The key point here is to really sell yourself and showcase your sales skills. Keep in mind, that when kickstarting your sales career you will want to look for entry-level roles and work your way up. Often these roles have low base salaries and high earning potential through commissions so your yearly income will vary depending on how well you perform.
Author: Bryan Payne is the Chief Talent Scout and Founding Partner at Just Sales Jobs with over 25-years of experience in sales and leading high-performance sales teams. Bryan and his team specialize in recruiting top talent within the Greater Toronto Area to Kitchener Waterloo. You can reach him at bp@justsalesjobs.ca
