As you begin ensuring your life is in order so you can put everything on hold and pursue your summer sales job, here are 3 suggestions to consider as you prepare to knock doors:
- Take advantage of pre-summer training opportunities. Most summer sales companies offer preseason training. Clear your calendar to participate in these training events. In fact, if you have the chance to knock a few doors before traveling to your area it wouldn’t be a bad idea to do so. The more preseason practice you can take part in, whether through role playing or actually knocking doors, the more likely you will get off to a quick start during the selling season. You can read all the sales books you want, but practicing how to sell what you will be selling will prove to be more valuable…unless of course the book you read is Door-to-Door Millionaire 🙂
- Set your summer sales goal NOW. Setting a sales goal is more than just coming up with a number or dollar amount that you’ll feel good about earning. You should know exactly what it will take to accomplish your goal in terms of daily, weekly and monthly sales production. Share your goal with your manager or an experienced sales rep to get their feedback on the probability of reaching your goal. But even if they say it can’t be done…work to prove them wrong. My first summer I set a goal of 442 accounts and my manager told me I’d never do it because it had never been done. He didn’t realize that I didn’t just come up with a random number but I knew exactly how many sales I needed to make every day (even down to every hour) and when I ended the summer at 464 accounts I proved that my goal was attainable.
- Mentally prepare yourself to suffer through a learning curve. Even the most experienced sales reps need a few days to find their groove. You will be extremely disappointed if you think you will be making the big bucks within your first few days or even weeks of selling. Be patient and don’t give up…the more doors you knock, the more potential customers you will interact with, the more sales you will make. Door-to-door sales is a process of learning, adapting and practicing. One is not born with natural door-to-door sales talent.
Don’t underestimate adequate preparation before you begin your selling adventures.
Best of luck this summer!