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:
- 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.
- 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!
- 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.