Syed Faizan Shahid

agent at Ultimate Properties

advice for an 18 year old trying to get into sales

greetings to all

i am an 18 year old doing my bachelors in business major

sales has always caught my interest

i love the idea of persuasion, helping people , getting commission for the work i put in

any advice for me ?

👑 Sales Strategy

🙏 Mental Wellness

☁️ Software Tech

24 comments

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oldcloser

Arsonist

💀

You won't know if the picture you've got in your mind is real unless you get in it with both feet. Look for part time SDR work. If you can stomach 100 dials in a 4-hour shift with few conversations and minimal success at the beginning, you might get a good understanding as to what the job really is. It's changed. Nobody is handing out sales jobs to people who haven't been hardened by the grind.

Prospecting, calling, strategizing, researching... all of it to find out if your prospect is qualified to even have a conversation with you, the person who will be scheduling appointments for sellers with experience. There will likely be no selling at all for a few years, just appointment setting.

If you're successful in this capacity, then the learning really begins. You'll go from teller, to seller, to consultant, to mastery over years. And only after you've achieved some mastery, does the job become rewarding in a meaningful way. It's a difficult road, but the gratification is grand and the income can be as high as someone with a degree in specialized medicine.

If this sounds like a path for you, just get in. Do whatever is necessary to build brain callouses. You'll get tolerant of the inherent rejection and learn to focus on the prize. And that prize is just one thing. Money.
Welcome to the war room.

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

This is GREAT fucking advice. All of it is so true.
I was an AE straight out of my post-grad in business - literally started the Monday after I finished. I was then managing a team in 6 months.

This does NOT happen any more. I would hate SDR work, but it's now a necessary evil to get where you want to be.

If you're unable to find that type of PT SDR work or a commission only gig, or can only do it in the summer, you can even do a bit of (high-ticket) retail during the school year. It's usually easy to fit around your schedule and will give you a bit of experience, though it's nothing like B2B work.

oldcloser

Arsonist

💀

☝️ facts

agent

really appreciate the advice, may god bless you , honestly the sdr role seems like a rat trap to me , but i understand career has steps and id need to persevere to success .
im looking for internships for sdr and sales assistants , by the end of 2024 i want to build an unbreakable mentality.
love the effort you put for advising me.

oldcloser

Arsonist

💀

I don’t imagine I’ll be the only one. My pleasure.

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

Get an internship with a local or remote company as an SDR. Get your teeth knocked in early so you understand the reality of our profession.

Pachacuti

Politicker

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

Go to college. Get a technical degree in something which interests you. Don’t get a business degree. Any monkey can get a business degree. What will set you apart is your exposure to something technical.

Fenderbaum

Politicker

Retired Choirboy🪕

I agree, go to college and get a technical degree. You're young so take advantage of it because the older you get, the harder it will be to go to college. Keep your focus!
When I was your age, I didn't know my ass from a hole in the ground.

agent

i do realise that , thing is im already doing my bachelors in business
:( but since its not so tough i got time to work and gain experieinc3

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

Check out the Academy:

https://bravado.co/blog/tag/academy/

medhardwaredr

Opinionated

Director of Sales NA

It can be difficult to break into sales right out of college so find a product you like and believe in and target that/those companies. If a sales role isn’t open just get in the door and work your way into it. Find a mentor in sales that stands out and learn so when your time comes (and it will) you will be a step ahead of the game. Good luck! Sales is a wonderful, bewildering life style so be ready for the ride of your life

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Do they have tech companies/SDRs where you are?

oldcloser

Arsonist

💀

agent

i live in the united arab emirates ( abu dhabi ) and they ask like 2 years of experience for entry level jobs... ig ill try internships

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

That sounds like a good approach, though it makes me crazy when experience is required for an entry-level job. Is there a specific kind of experience that’s expected?

agent

Sales experience.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

And there are internships available? If so, that’s clearly the route, and good for you for thinking of it.

agent

As soon as an internship comes up , there are 100s of applicants. Probably with a driving license , so im kinda left out

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Why is a driving license a requirement?

agent

Good question, it's actually so we don't excuses like bus was late or it's hard to commute etc, also some sales job like real estate agents need to drive thier customers to the homes to show it

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

In the US, plenty of professionals commute via transit. You just have to prepare. In the case of jobs that require driving - don’t target those.

wolfofmiami

Opinionated

🐺

If you really wanna learn sales, pick up a commission only role and do it while you’re in college it’s tough, but easy to get a role without any experience and you eat what you kill so it’ll force you to learn

Armageddon

Opinionated

Enterprise Account Executive

Start as an SDR with a reputable training program and provides upward mobility. It will be tempting to go to a small start up, and to be honest you can and probably would learn a lot more the right start up. But they are often limiting in upward mobility and, plus the million dollar equity pipe dream they are going to sell you is load of crap.

Go somewhere that is known for its sales culture. Work hard and stay there for at least 5 years... It will be temping to jump ship at multiple junctions, and you will have recruiters offering you more comp to do so, but stand your ground... Once you've had some success in Ent or as a leader, then look to move elsewhere.

This is coming from someone who did pretty much the opposite, and regret it. My friends who followed this playbook were W2ing 200-300k at 26 when I was just getting going as an SDR

Armageddon

Opinionated

Enterprise Account Executive

just realized the 18 y/o part, was thinking you were looking for full time. Part time work is the way to go, someone is looking for cheap SDR labor. Learning the skills now will set you up for success once you're out of school.

Also read sales books, there are a lot of suggestions here.

Most importantly, ENJOY COLLEGE! you have the rest of your life to work

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Syed Faizan Shahid

advice for an 18 year old trying to get into sales

24 comments

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