TOP 5 LESSONS YOU’LL LEARN FROM WORKING IN SALES

Stereotypically, sales is for extroverted people who love talking, meaning lots of people are put off getting into a sales career. 

But sales is evolving into an industry that caters to a wide range of personality types and ambitions and it offers invaluable lessons and transferrable skills that can provide you with life lessons in both professional and personal environments. (See here for Sales Career FAQ’s)

But what lessons are that fundamental to be learned in a sales environment? Keep reading.

LEARN TO TALK AND BUILD RAPPORT WITH STRANGERS

Let’s face it, meeting and being expected to impress new people – especially in a professional setting – can be daunting. But in sales, it's a daily occurrence. This may make sales even less attractive, but how else will you learn than through practice?

Whether you're meeting a potential client for the first time or engaging with a lead over the phone, you’ll learn how to establish trust and create a positive connection with someone from very early on – a skill that is so valuable in any career. 

YOU’LL LEARN THE POWER OF BEING GOAL-ORIENTED

Sales is naturally a target-driven, goal-oriented environment – meaning every single day you’ll be working towards something. 

This sort of environment builds a strong sense of motivation, but more importantly, it teaches you to set and pursue goals in the right way. With constant goals set for you, you’ll quickly learn how to measure them for yourself in a way that is realistic, but also challenging. 

And with goals, comes discipline. The work ethic you’ll gain from working in a sales environment will be easily transferrable to your entire career.

YOU’LL LEARN HOW TO DEAL WITH REJECTION

Rejection is a part of life – not just a part of sales. But if you want to experience rejection enough so you can handle it better and find ways to turn it into wins – sales is the perfect route for you.

One of the most common words you’ll hear in sales will be, “no”. That may sound demotivating but hearing that will:

• Teach you how to be resilient

• Teach you to not let it ruin your mindset and positivity 

• Teach you how to stay motivated

You’ve probably heard sayings such as “failure is success in progress” and this is one of the core mindsets you’ll learn in a sales environment. You’ll learn to welcome failure because you know it gets you closer to improvement… Whilst doing it with a smile. Embracing rejection fosters a mindset of perseverance and positivity that will extend to all aspects of life.

Not to mention, the ability to handle rejection with grace and professionalism is such a strong skill to have, allowing you to earn respect and build a reputation amongst anyone you come into contact with. 

YOU’LL LEARN PERSUASION WITHOUT PUSHINESS

With resilience comes plenty of, “no’s”, comes how to not take no for an answer. 

Any profession, sales or not will have some element of negotiation and if you never learn how to stand your ground and explain your point you will miss out on so many opportunities. A large element of sales is negotiating and objection handling, something that will force you to think of creative responses and not back down after the first rejection.

But surely working in sales will just teach you how to be pushy? Contrary to popular belief, the best salespeople build great relationships whilst selling so negotiation often works in the favour of the prospect as well as themselves. When learning the skills of negotiation and objection handling, you’ll learn the perfect balance between confidence and empathy. This skill translates beyond sales, enabling you to communicate persuasively and build trust in any professional setting.

YOU’LL LEARN TO LISTEN WITH PATIENCE

When you’re pitching your service in sales, if you truly want that pitch to be successful, it requires understanding and patience. 

You’re going to have to study that prospect properly, meaning:

• Studying their industry

• Studying how the market is impacting their business

• Studying their company goals and vision

And most importantly, listening to the prospect talk rather than going straight into that call with speaking. By actively listening to prospects and taking the time to learn their needs, you develop empathy and understand how to tailor your approach to meet their specific needs.

Think of how many companies lack smooth operation or client relationships that get ruined due to not listening properly. The conscious act of listening in sales will translate to any profession and any organisation. 

- Written by Arun Sutton

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