Job Shadow

1. What is the most embarrassing thing that happened to him during a sales call?  Tell the story!  If he has no example, then ask for one of someone he knows.

Dave went to meet with a potential lead that he had been calling to get a meeting with for over a month. When he arrived to meet with the lead, the lead started yelling at him. He said “ you the guy that works at Wesh 2? You’re the one sleeping with my wife.” Dave was shocked, he didn’t know ho to react. The lead kept yelling over and over again “ you slept with my wife I know its you.” Dave knew he was making it up, he assumed that it was the leads way of getting out of the sales meeting.

1. Detail his most satisfying sale ever made.  Tell the story!

In the beginning of his career he was having a rough patch and was having trouble making a sale.  After having a long conversation with his supervisor he realized it was either sink or swim. Three days later he closed two huge sales of $70,000. That’s when he realized sales was the right career for him.

1. Would he recommend a career in sales? Why or why not?

Yes, Dave said he would recommend a career in sales because you get to control your own destiny. There is no cap on how much you can make, f you ever feel like you need or want more money you can always give yourself a raise. It isn’t like a typical job where you have to wait for you supervisor to acknowledge you and give you a raise.

1. What is his biggest challenge in sales?  What specifically does he do to overcome it?

Getting an appointment was always his biggest challenge. No one likes to be bothered by a sales person.  He kept going back over and over again until he booked an appointment. If you try hard enough you will almost always be able to persuade them to give you a moment of their time.

1. What does the sales rep feel is the most important part of the sales process?  Why does he feel that way?

If you are dealing with an existing client he feels the most important part of the sales process is always going to be customer service and also making sure you plan things out and never bail on your client. If you are dealing with a new/ potential client it’s having a system in place and following it precisely, an amazing elevator pitch, a great presentation (ex: PowerPoint, pictures, portfolio) and again good customer service.

1. Describe the qualifications and attributes that he believes someone should have to succeed in this sales job.  What can a new rep do to develop / sharpen these skills?

According to Dave not just anyone can work in sales. You need to be money hungry, have a charismatic personality, be driven and never be afraid of the word “no”.  Practice makes perfect, the more you practice and put yourself out there the better you will get.  Also don’t depend on only on the list of clients your company gives you, get out there and network. Networking is the key to sales!