How to build a career in sales from scratch

Ten years ago, working as a sales manager was considered a “transshipment base” for yesterday’s students or an outlet for losers; today it is one of the most sought-after professions in the Russian market.

And job seekers are increasingly becoming experts already held in other areas who have decided to retrain. And not surprisingly, in the field of sales there are a number of indisputable advantages:

- You can start a career as a sales manager at any age - if the candidate is talented, quickly learns and navigates the situation, then maturity will be even a plus: customers from 45 years and older are easier to make contact with peers;
- The sales market is very dynamic, therefore, the career will not remain in stagnation - a good salesman can take a step up the steps of the career ladder from 3 months to 6-12 months, so you can grow to the head of the department in five years;
- Large companies are happy to transfer highly skilled, experienced specialists to foreign branches.
However, in order to succeed, you need to start right - and stick to the right strategy in the future. On how to do this, we were advised by the development director of a consulting company, career consultant Yekaterina Pasechnik.

What should be the first steps for the start to be as successful as possible?
First of all, think over and fix your career plan - why do you need a job in sales? What do you want from this job? For example: professional growth, the development of negotiation skills, the ability to work in a team, gaining new connections, the ability to work for results, and be in demand on the labor market. From this and build on, planning your first steps in the profession.

How to choose the right company to start?
Of course, it is important to choose a company with a good reputation in the market, but for the sales manager there are additional important criteria:

- The company has a training system. Not one training per year, but full-fledged systematic training from the initial stage to the advanced level;
- A clear and transparent motivation system - the sales manager should be focused on earning bonuses, fulfill KPI (note: KPI is a key performance indicator, it helps to analyze the effectiveness of both the company as a whole and an individual employee).
What are the basic rules for beginners?
- Learn! Ask your HR department or potential manager: what is the training system in the company? Are they only learning company products or is there a systematic sales skills training? If the company does not provide systematic training, take responsibility for your education yourself. Read books and blogs, listen to podcasts, watch videos, go to sales workshops, and attend online courses. Now there is a lot of information, including free information.
- Find a mentor or mentor. Optimal if it is someone inside your company. The person with whom you will discuss your questions, analyze what is obtained and what is not. Learn from his example: ask to make several calls with you, to take you to negotiations.
- Be proactive and persistent! Practice making calls, figuring out needs, making a presentation of your product. Record yourself to the recorder, listen and repeat again. After seventy repetitions, your speech with the client will sound confident and natural, which will achieve the best result. Call customers more, make appointments, ask you to recommend - in a word, be active!
And remember - all even the coolest and most respected experts were once as new as you are.