My advice for after college

My advice for after college is this:  Every college grad should obtain 2 years of sales experience.  Period.  Why?  It’s sales skills that get you your job, maintain your job and advance your career.  Every now and then I dust off the old telephone and make a few cold calls for friends with small businesses just to keep my skills sharp.  Otherwise, it’s too easy to get complacent and think the world will deliver opportunities to your doorstep.

Another very compelling reason is because sales can be . . . FUN!  You get to meet new people, and if you are really interested in business, you get to see so many other types of businesses and learn how people make money.  Don’t be afraid, because even shy people can excel at sales, with just a little practice.

Here are some important skills to consider developing that relate to the sales process:

1.  Get your details straight.  Half of the battle is getting the right name, number and email address.  The web is chock full of resources to locate each of these critical tools

Skills:  Perseverence, Research, Attention to detail

2.  Track the results and follow up.  You must notate whether you left a voicemail or spoke directly, what the content of the vm or conversation was, and what the next step is.  Then, follow up to move the relationships forward.  Use a ledger, excel, word, a CRM program, etc.

Skills:  Organization, Follow up

Sales training can be found in a number of places, but new grads, if you were like me, will be light on extra cash.  I recommend starting with Dale Carnegie or Sandler Sales training CD’s.  You can check them out for free at your local library.

The bottom line is this.  Work takes work.  The fundamentals are all related to sales, whether you are a computer programmer or a volleyball coach!  You must be organized, follow up with people, pay close attention to detail, persevere and research to find the best ideas and alternatives.  So take my advice for what to do after college – try sales!

Good luck!

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 Julie LaCroix, M.A.,  has a private practice in Newport Beach, CA,  which serves adults of all ages looking for help with how they got “stuck” in their careers.  Maybe it’s the wrong job, maybe it’s the wrong field altogether.  Or maybe you just don’t know what else is out there.  Her practice is designed to help you, wherever you are in your career journey. She earned a B.A. in Psychology from UCI and an M.A. in Educational Clinical Counseling from Azusa Pacific University.  Email Julie at www.julielacroix.com.