One of the most pivotal experiences of my life was doing an internship in sales at the age of 18. I worked for 3 months for a magazine selling their monthly print subscription. Here is what I learnt. A thread.
1/ Getting five minutes of someone’s time is the toughest thing to do in the world.
2/ What you say in the first 30 seconds matters more than your entire pitch.
3/ If you don’t know your product inside out, making things up won’t work.
4/ How relatable you are and where you eat your chole bhature might matter to someone buying from you.
5/Listening is a skill and should be learnt with full intent.
6/Whether it’s for a few hundred or a few lacs a sales relationship is at the end of the day a relationship. Nurture it.
7/Phones slammed is not equal to rejection. What you’re selling and how you’re doing it won’t necessarily appeal to everyone.
8/Following up is not equal to you being needy. Do it with the grace it deserves.
9/ And lastly, while doing everything else, be you. Don’t change who you are to make the sale. Your passion is enough to get you through. Combine it with resilience and your chance of conversion will only increase.
