Right out of high school, I was hired to work for a local startup called Bandalier. They’re an inside sales organization (I had no clue what that meant at the time I was hired) based out of Binghamton, NY.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into with this gig. At the time I was hired, I was at a point in my life where I knew that I needed more professional experience under my belt. I knew that I had to level up by expanding my knowledge and skill set.

Somehow, I found the perfect opportunity. I had the privilege of working with an amazing team at Bandalier for over a year. I no longer work with them, but my time there was crucial to shaping me to be the person that I am today.

Little did I know, a job in sales was just what I needed to take the next step in my career as an inspiring entrepreneur. Here are my 3 biggest takeaways from one year in sales:

  1. Sales Experience Is CRUCIAL For Young Entrepreneurs – I can NOT stress this enough. Having sales experience under your belt is essential to your success as an entrepreneur. Sales is everything in business, and more importantly, you need to be able to sell yourself, especially if you want to be an entrepreneur. In my year of experience, sales has taught me how to connect with people on an emotional level, how to overcome objections, and most importantly, how to deal with rejection. All of these learnings and experiences now contribute to my everyday life as an entrepreneur.
  2. Every No Takes You One Step Closer To A Yes – This is the key to everything in my opinion. As an entrepreneur, patience is so key. By understanding this concept, patience will come easier to you. In sales, you’ll get told no on a day to day basis. Multiple times. With no mercy shown. But what you’ll come to find out is that every no will take you one step closer to a yes. Rather than dwelling on the rejection or failure, I changed my mindset to become happy and excited, knowing that I was now one step closer to my end goal. Sales has trained me to be persistent and consistent, wins are just around the corner!
  3. Confidence Trumps Any Other Quality – This is just the simple truth, and you won’t understand it fully until you get some experience in sales. Having confidence in not only yourself, but also what you are selling, is the most important quality of a successful salesman. This translates to anything else in life. Sales teaches you how to build confidence on the micro basis, by getting better with every pitch or call and putting in the reps. By setting goals for yourself and crushing those goals, you’ll start to build up confidence. You now know that you deserve success. Once you reach this level of confidence, you’ll quickly rise to the top of your organization. Confidence is everything, and a job in sales is the best way to build your self-confidence.

These were my biggest takeaways while working for Bandalier. The most important mindset to have as a young ambitious entrepreneur is to work to learn, not to earn.

There is no better learning environment than a sales organization, and as you learn, you’ll most definitely start to earn your worth.

I hope these takeaways gave you some valuable insight into the upside of working for a sales organization and what it can do for the future of your career as an entrepreneur.

Author(s)

  • Andre Haykal Jr

    CEO @ KnowledgeX

    I am a lifelong student and follower of Jesus Christ. I believe that when you push yourself to seek discomfort, you will experience the best that God's life has to offer. I am currently in my senior year of college, pursuing a degree in Business Administration & Marketing from Binghamton University’s School of Management. I am also the Co-Founder of KnowledgeX (www.KnowledgeX.us). KnowledgeX is a consulting agency based out of Binghamton, New York that is known for The Client Attraction Machine™, an 8-week online group coaching program that helps B2B service providers generate a steady flow of calls booked with pre-qualified high ticket buyers on autopilot without spending a penny on ads. ————————————————————— What Do I Do? Outside of being both a full-time college student and a full-time CEO, I co-host a top 100 business podcast called Real Talk University and I am also the author of an Amazon bestselling book, What They Won’t Teach You. ————————————————————— What is KnowledgeX? As business professionals, we understand that our revenue is a direct proportion of how many prospects we are making an offer to. That's why we’ve created The Client Attraction Machine™ to help solve your lead generation problems for good with this 8-week interactive online program. Here's how we help: 1. Fill your calendar with 50+ sales calls every month 2. Attract high ticket buyers that are pre-qualified 3. Do all this on autopilot with $0 in ad spend Enroll in The Client Attraction Machine™ 8-week program today, and you'll never have to worry about where your next client is coming from AGAIN. To sign-up for The Client Attraction Machine™ 8-week program, message me directly or email me at [email protected] ————————————————————— If you've made it this far, THANK YOU! Follow me on here and reach out anytime, I’d love to connect. Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.knowledgex.us/ My Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1077974930/ Instagram & Twitter: @andrehaykaljr