Starting a new sales job is an exciting time, but it can also be a stressful one – you want to be the best that you can be and prove that you were the right hiring choice for your new sales job by going above and beyond. You can set the stage for this success and relieve the attendant performance stress by preparing for your first week well ahead of your start date. Use these suggestions as starting points for your new sales job.

Update Your Relationship Building Skills

Success in sales is based on the ability to form relationships on the personal and business levels. The more quickly you are able to form these relationships, the stronger your sales numbers will be. Remember also that relationship building is one area where improvements can always be made, and there is never a better time to update this skill than the time you have before starting a new sales job.

• Look into literature on relationship building published since you last worked on updating your relationship skills.
• Determine whether any quality seminars or networking opportunities are upcoming in your area so that you can practice your skills.
• Spend time analyzing the specific traits and habits that will allow you to build new relationships in your new sales job.

Do Your Research

Your new sales job will likely include in-depth training, but you will learn more from that training if you arrive prepared with an understanding of your new employer’s industry. If you received materials during the interview process or after being offered the sales position, use these as a starting point for familiarizing yourself with the company. Take the initiative to learn all you can from your new employer’s website, and then take the further step of researching the industry as a whole. The internet is useful for this, but be sure to use reliable sources, and don’t forget that public libraries often have resources beyond what the internet can provide, including subscriptions to high level industry publications.

Work on Your Sales Story

Whether your new sales job is your first sales job or the next step in your career, you will need to have a great sales story to get started. Your employer may provide you with an outline for a sales story, but it will be up to you to personalize it and make it your own. With that in mind, you can get started on your sales story before you start work and be ready to sell ahead of the curve.

• Based on your research, identify potential credibility points for your story.
• Look to the company’s website to identify any past success stories you can use.
• Focus on power words appropriate for the industry that will motivate customers and help you thread your sales story together.

Arrive Prepared to Meet Your Targets

You put effort into making a good impression and landed the position; the challenge now is for you to maintain that positive impression through your first week and beyond. Make sure that you are ready for your first day with appropriate attire, a clean notepad, and writing utensils. Write down any questions that you already have instead of relying on your memory alone, and ask these at appropriate times during your orientation and training. Most importantly, look into what the average sales numbers are for the industry in which you will be working, and:

• Identify your preliminary sales targets and goals based on these numbers.
• Prepare to ask your new sales manager about preferred targets and goals, and what you might do to exceed them.
• Set incremental goals that will support your aim of becoming a top sales person in your new sales job.

A new sales job can be a fresh start, or a continuation of past success. Be ready to make the most of your sales career by starting your first week at a new sales job prepared to excel.