What I Wish I had Known Before I Accepted My First Sales Job (or, First Job Ever!)

Transitioning from college to my professional career has been one of the most exciting and eye-opening experiences of my life. As a former athlete, my life in college was scheduled down to the hour. As I began working as a Sales Representative at The Moery Company, however, I came to understand the demands of adjusting to a professional setting.  As I look back over my first year, there are some aspects of the job I wish I had known before I started out
Collaborate: My colleagues are some of the very best in the business. As a newbie in the professional world, I was inquisitive and eager to learn from them, yet I was reluctant to engage at first fully and truly open up about things I was struggling with in fear that question I had was “too obvious” or something I should know. As I near the end of my first year I have found it’s crucial not only to ask questions but to observe my colleagues and ask questions about why they do things a certain way. Use the people around you to grow your unique method of selling!
Take your time: You won’t learn it all in one day. Don’t rush the process that only experience can give! You can take in as much information as your brain can hold, but sometimes the “practice does make perfect.” Experience will allow you to use that learned information maturely.
Be you: This sounds super cliché, but I genuinely believe that in sales your clients want to talk to you as a human, not as a “salesperson.” Be yourself, look out for your clients by going the extra mile. Bring good energy and guide the sales call or meeting you are in. A good attitude and thoughtfulness can change the course of any call that seems to be going downhill.
So, if you are just starting out in your career or are managing someone who is new to the workforce, I hope you find these tips helpful.  Ask questions, embrace the notion that “practice does make perfect,” and be yourself!  I believe these tactics will serve as a solid cornerstone for my work for years to come.
Moery Sales Associate, Madeline Trabucco joined the team in 2017. Follow her on Twitter and connect with her on LinkedIn. If this content resonates with you, check out Madeline’s first blog, “Three Things I Learned at My First Job.”