Successful people have one thing in common: a tenacious drive for success. They simply don’t give up in the face of failure. If you’re finding yourself in a sales rut and worrying that you’re a failure in your new sales job, take heart. With hard work and a few new strategies, you can prevent sales failure at your new job and spur yourself on to greater success.

Let Defeat Motivate You

In sales, you have to develop a thick skin. People will say ‘no’ to you, but what you do with that ‘no’ will determine your success. Instead of hanging your head low and nursing your wounds after a failed sale, analyze your experience and find out what you could do better next time. Then get back out there with your newfound improvements and let that defeat motivate you to your next sale.

Get Trained

Your new company should offer you training for your new sales job, but sometimes managers just don’t have the time or resources to offer new sales reps as much training as they really need. If you find yourself in this position, be proactive and get the training you need.

Maybe you can turn a more experienced sales rep on your team into a mentor of sorts. Take other sales reps out for lunch and ask them questions about their own success and what you can do to improve your skills.

Read books about sales techniques, and subscribe to a trade journal that covers your industry. The more you know, the more prepared you will be to answer questions and make sales.

Make the Most of Performance Reviews

Most sales reps bristle when it comes to performance reviews, but you should look forward to these, especially when you’re at a new sales job. This is your chance to get specific feedback on your performance and ask questions. Before your performance review, make a list of questions you have about your new company, the products and services you offer, and anything you need clarification about regarding the sales process. Don’t be shy and think that by asking questions you’ll give the impression that you don’t know what you’re doing. Sales managers really appreciate sales reps that are humble enough to ask questions and seek their guidance in an effort to be more successful.

Improve Your Follow-Through

Executing plans is not a skill that comes naturally to most people. Most of us like to make plans and get things rolling, but then we lose interest in what we formerly committed to because we’re more interested in what’s going on right now.

Successful salespeople develop the skill of following-through, and if you can perfect this skill at your new sales job, you’ll find that your work is much more successful. One thing you can do is to change the way you set goals. Instead of setting a goal of “making 20 cold calls for the week,” set the goal of “following up with everyone contacted last week. Your follow-up calls aren’t the first contacts you’ve made, so they have a greater chance of success. Follow-up calls could include the following:

• Re-emphasizing the business value of your services or products
• Sharing ideas and insights gleaned from your last conversation
• Continuing to education your prospects and proposing new questions

Following through can make a big difference in your success, so do what you can to develop this skill at your new sales job.

Are You Doomed to Sales Failure?

Sales failure is up to you. It’s not a matter of bad luck, poor management, lame trainers, or low-quality products. Every sales rep has it within himself or herself to find sales success. You just have to take charge of your experience in your new sales job. Let defeat motivate you, be trained, make the most of performance reviews, and improve your follow-through. Do this, and you will be successful.