Tips for Noobs: 6 Tips for finding your dream sales job
This may sound counterintuitive, but when you’re starting your sales career, don’t be in a hurry or just take any old job. I see so many young people pick the first job (and sometimes it accidentally becomes their career) based on who offers the most money or where their friends work. Recovering from a bad first job or toxic manager is doable, but you need to avoid it like the plague. You’ll pick up bad habits, get jaded early, and start your career off on the wrong foot. It is much better to take your time, do more research and nab a job that matches your goals the best.
As VP of sales, I helped build a tech company from $0 to $100M in sales and have trained over 200 sales reps right here in Greenville. Here are the top tips I’ve learned for landing your dream sales job.
1. Find the right fit.
Find companies that will invest in you just as much as you’ll invest in them. Research them on Reddit, LinkedIn, Glassdoor and Google. Getting in on the ground floor with a small, cool company on the upswing is always a great move. You may want to work for a huge tech company, but you could get lost in the crowd. Find places with great training programs, positive people and good cultures. As a bonus tip — remember to stay in touch with the folks you meet that are just starting off like you. They’ll be running the show at various companies in 20 years just like you will!
2. Hello, CEO.
So, you’ve found a company that aligns with what you love. But, there are no job postings. Now what? Be bold and go directly to the CEO. Find the CEO through LinkedIn and tell them you’re interested in working for their company. Tell them why your background could be helpful to help the CEO complete the mission they are on. You find this info out by doing your homework online and with others that work for the company. Ask who on their team you should connect with. You’ll make a great first impression and have nothing to lose!
3. Make a complete commitment.
Prove your passion to yourself and others by going all in. Make a bold move by just showing up like my old friend, Missy Park. When she started out, she wanted to work for The North Face, one of the world’s biggest and best outdoor-recreation clothing companies. She drove to their offices with no appointment and sat in the lobby all day until she got a meeting. She got the job and she runs her own thriving women’s athletic company, Title Nine. Be like Missy — know what you want and show up!
4. Play the part.
Throughout my career, I noticed that the people who got promoted almost always looked the part. They dressed well, were well-kept, and carried themselves with confidence. They just kinda looked like a boss even if they were not the boss, yet. By this, I don’t mean you shouldn’t be your authentic self or blow your check on designer clothes. But, you probably shouldn’t show up to an interview in dirty shoes and a wrinkled shirt. Fake it ’til you make it to a seat at the board table. Look the part and your chances of promotion will go up dramatically.
5. Tap into your tools.
Your school’s programs, social media, your local community, your network — use the tools at your disposal to your advantage. This takes time and research, but the payoff is plentiful. After I graduated from The Citadel, I blindly drove out to Silicon Valley to work in tech (yes, as a poli-sci major with no experience). Had I leveraged my resources better, I would have known that a fellow Citadel alum was head of sales at Apple and could have at least had a conversation. The fishing was so rich out there at that time, I had no trouble finding sales jobs with great companies. But, it would have been nice to know that I had a Citadel grad out there who could have given me a look to work for what became a “pretty good company.”
6. Stay hungry.
Immerse yourself in your industry. Read publications, listen to podcasts and learn something new every day. Stand out by comparing yourself to yesterday. Ask yourself what you’re doing to get better. I find the best way to do this is to put it on the calendar and do all of your reading once a week — and make sure you have a customer/user visit once a week, too. You’ll get a leg up on the competition and be a more well-rounded person, too.
Questions? Email me at info@noobschool.org and we’ll answer them in a future article.
John Sterling is the Amazon bestselling author of “Sales for Noobs” and CEO of NOOB School, an online resource for new salespeople. Previously, John helped build and sell Datastream for over $200 million. He has trained and hired hundreds of sales reps globally. Subscribe to his YouTube channel for new sales content every week. https://noobschool.org
