This summer I had the unique opportunity of interning with ULINE shipping supplies. I want to highlight my top 3 areas of growth as an account representative over the course of my time there.
- Handling Objections: At the beginning of the summer, I had a difficult time handling rejections. This was mainly due to my lack of experience and product knowledge. As the summer progressed, I grew in both areas and became much more confident when handling objections. That said, there is always room to improve and I will seek to do so in the future.
- Over Preparation: I learned this summer that there is great value in being overly-prepared. In this profession especially, taking the time to be prepared, set agendas, determine demos and plan your sales call is vital to the success of your visit. Similarly to handling objections, I grew drastically in the area of preparation. However, it is nearly impossible to be totally prepared; one can always research the customer a little more or take a more thorough look into its account information.
- Being Patient: A focus on staying positive, engaged and energetic while getting to know the customer and its business, before diving into “my agenda” is vital to growth as a sales representative. I was often anxious to start discussing products and getting specs, which often startle or confuse the customer. The key is to hone in on a few discussion points and be completely dedicated to those topics. Listening for pain points or areas of need is important for this skill.
BoweryJE22
I think handling objections and rejections is definitely an important aspect of sales. Just because you do not make a sale with an account on your first attempt does not mean it is over. I think how professionally you handle rejection will definitely affect your chances of doing future business. Also I think being over prepared is also very important. Not only being organized with setting agendas and knowing your customer, but also knowing your products and services inside and out. You do not have to reveal all of your knowledge at first but the more you know your company, the better equipped you are to answer questions and meet the needs of potential customers.
This post makes me remember some old wisdom my mother continually told me as a child, “an ounce of preparation is worth a pound of cure”. I wish I would have listened more in my youth.
It is great to read some of the things you learned from your internship. A sign of a successful one is when you take away ways you can improve and become better.
These are good and important things to remember when you are selling. Thanks for sharing.
Clearly from what you shared with us in class, you were very successful with this internship. This is great advice to adhere to especially coming from a proven salesman such as yourself.