First Sales Job? Here’s How You’ll Survive It
Starting a new job where you have no background experience nor prior knowledge of is daunting. Well, that’s Thisya. When she was in college, studying Environmental Engineering, the thought of getting into education never crossed her mind, let alone working as a salesperson who deals with students on a daily basis. That all changed when she joined Ruangguru.
Thisya is now a crucial member of Ruangguru’s Field Educational Consultant (FEC) team — they visit schools and introduce Ruangguru to the community — which she was assigned in through one of Ruangguru’s career programs called Management Associate Program (MAP). Because she’s a management associate, she’s been given specific sales targets that are way more demanding and intense than any other FEC.
“The point of my job is matching problems with solutions,” Thisya said. “My job consists of meeting with my clients, who are students, explore their problems, and provide solutions.”
When she first dived in her sales job, she was surprised by how much pressure she had to handle, facing extraordinary targets each day and even on weekends.
Thisya admitted that being a salesperson has not been easy. She understands that it has taken commitment and spirit to handle the pressures of reaching daily targets. Thisya also said that a positive mindset has been her key supporter at work, though she didn’t get there without some doubt of her own.
“There are some people who say Sales is the lowest job in the world,” Thisya said.
She questioned it at first: “Is it true?”
But that thought immediately vanished when she encountered a book; Every Job is A Sales Job by Dr. Cindy McGovern. “That hits home,” Thisya said.
“When you are asked by your superior to do something in their place, you’re being a salesperson. Because you are there to provide the solutions.”
So, is Sales really “the lowest job in the world?” If all jobs are sales jobs, what does that make of other jobs? We can say that it all depends on one’s perspective, whether one can see their job as an act of selling. For Thisya, however, Sales is definitely not “the lowest job in the world.”
Despite all the challenges, Thisya said she’s glad she got to be a part of FEC through MAP. MAP itself is a career development acceleration program for fresh graduates or those who’ve had at least two years of pprofessional experience.
What MAP does is help prepare its associates, like Thisya, for a role in the company’s management. This program is designed with a variety of challenging targets that emphasize both depth and breadth in personal development (which is probably why Thisya was tasked with such big targets).
By joining MAP, Thisya said she had the flexibility to do everything her way and still be mentored by so many experts.
“Instead of being upset, I feel grateful to be placed in this field where I could broaden my expertise,” Thisya said.
After all, Thisya is still learning and practicing her traits, just like any of us. And because ofthat, she’s also sharing a few insights based on her salespersons experiences. Basically, Thisya said, to be a Sales, you must master four fundamental skills:
1. Positive mindset
When it comes to sales work, a positive mindset is key. You must be confident that what you do will succeed, even at times that seems impossible to achieve.
“Since I was in college, I have a principle that if I put my mind on something, it will come true as long as I work on it,” Thisya said. “Miracles come when faith meets hard work.”
2. Knowing what and who you’re dealing with
In order to devise the right strategy and execution, you need to know exactly what task you are working on and what your clients are like.
“If you don’t have a clear idea of what you’re working on and your client’s profile, the strategy that you set will not fit,” Thisya said.
Hard work without the help of sufficient knowledge will only end in vain.
3. Excellent Product Knowledge
Sales is all about matching problems with solution.
“You must understand the product you are selling so you can offer the product as the solution to problems your client are facing,” Thisya said.
4. Good preparations and excellent execution
Preparations ground the three fundamental skills listed above, because in comes the most important question: how should we reach our goals?
“This is when preparations and excellent execution come into play,” Thisya said. “You’ll achieve your goal by setting a proper strategy, using all three fundamental skills in your preparation, and execute it well.”
Hopefully, this article gives you a look into what working in Sales is like and the skills you need to succeed. But, to be frank, according to Thisya, you don’t need to master all things to begin a fulfilling sales job; she started from scratch, too.
“What you actually need is to work hard and to work smart,” Thisya said.
If you are seeking professional challenges like Thisya’s and eager for the right environment to grow, join Ruangguru’s MAP program by clicking this link!
