Speeding Acclimation in Graduate Sales Positions

The circuit of daily phone calls, visits and emails performed by graduate sales professionals can seem a long distance from the university classroom. The lessons of interpersonal communications, marketing and using positive language found in sales programmes need to be applied if graduates want to succeed. The transition from the classroom to the board room does not need to be jarring or nerve-racking. You need to get comfortable in your professional skin if you want to advance upward in the sales field.

An initial step needed in graduate sales jobs is making a connection with a sales partner. Your partner may seem like an adversary in the early days when trainers tell incoming trainees that everyone needs to reach a certain commission level for success. This adversary quickly becomes a friend when both parties realise that a positive relationship will advance both careers.

Common ground with your early clients is another way to find an identity as a graduate sales professional. This common ground can start with hobbies and interests found during casual conversation. It is easier to broach the subject of purchasing new products and trying out samples when you have another connection to the individual.

Your approach to studying sales materials and product manuals should not differ greatly from your university work ethic. You should carve out a space in your home for quiet study to avoid distractions from your phone, television and computer. A commitment to researching beyond recommended materials can help you gain a greater grounding for your sales pitch. It is important to think of your successes and failures in the field as grade reports that can dictate where you will head in your professional future.

Sales people who are committed to their products may create a bubble around themselves as their careers progress. It is important to break through this bubble and meet other sales people and professionals within your company. A dense network of contacts in research, marketing, maintenance and other sections of your employer can help you get more accomplished in your early career.

A good way to get acclimated to any sales position is developing different pitches for each client. Established clients do not need a hard sell for regular products but need to be convinced about your company’s new products. New clients need to find something compelling in your sales pitch before they consider your products over the competition. A full spectrum of sales pitches will help you find a comfort zone in your sales life.

Scott Deane is the Marketing Manager of meta-morphose international, a specialist graduate sales training agency. The company have graduate jobs in the UK and Internationally.