Written by Indeed Editorial Team
Updated July 24, 2025
21 pieces of career advice for salespeople
Here are 21 strategies you can use to build a successful career in sales:
1. Get a professional mentor
A sales mentor can give you advice in a wide range of career areas, including where to search for jobs, how to succeed in interviews, which professional organizations to join and what to look for in a commission contract. They can also connect you with people in their professional network, which can help you get a job or a promotion. If you have a good relationship with a former manager or other senior sales professional, consider asking them to mentor you in your career.Related:How To Make the Most of Your Mentor Relationship
2. Have a career plan
Identifying your ultimate sales career goals early can help you build a plan for a rewarding career. Reflect on your ideal sales job and research what steps you might take to reach that position. You might ask your mentor how to get this position or do research on professional organizations’ websites or message boards. For example, if your goal is to become the director of inside sales for a software organization, you might start as an inside sales representative, move on to account manager and then earn a position as a director of inside sales.Related:How To Map a Clear Career Plan (With Example)
3. Build a professional network
When you attend industry conferences, interview at companies or join professional organizations, you can exchange contact information with other sales professionals. These connections can help you get a job, earn a promotion or develop your skills later in your career. You might also build your industry network through professional social media accounts, where you can connect with salespeople in your industry from across the world.Related:6 Networking Statistics That Show the Importance of Networking
4. Be persistent
Persistence can be a valuable trait in both your job search and your daily sales tasks. When you’re searching for a sales job, you might apply to dozens of positions before finding the best match for your skills and professional goals. Staying persistent can ensure you find a job that helps you advance in your career plan. Successful sales professionals are also persistent when they’re working with customers. They might contact potential customers multiple times, submit several pricing plans and overcome many objections before closing a deal with the customer.
5. Understand the product or service
Knowing about every aspect of your product or service can help you answer questions and build the customer’s confidence in you and the company. When you start in a new sales position, spend some time exploring the features of each product and predicting what kinds of questions your customers might ask. If you work in software or technology sales and enjoy learning about products and running demos for customers, you might consider earning an additional degree in engineering or IT so you can become a sales engineer.
6. Identify your customer base
Understanding who your customers are and what they value can help you engage with them about the product or service you’re selling. When you begin in a sales job, ask your sales manager or an experienced team mate to help you identify the intended customer for each product or service. For example, if you’re a sales representative for an IT services firm, you might sell products for companies of varying sizes in different industries. You can also learn about the customer base for products you don’t sell, so you can refer potential customers to other teams at the company.
7. Be willing to customize
While many organizations provide sales professionals a list of approved items and services that they can sell to customers, sometimes, customers might require a specialized solution for their needs. If you speak to a potential customer who might benefit from a custom plan or product, ask your sales manager if you can create an individualized strategy for them. Offering to combine services or sell products in non-standard amounts can help you secure a deal with the customer.
8. Learn about your competition
Often, potential customers consider multiple companies when they’re shopping for a product or service. Learning about the other companies your customers are considering can help you distinguish your product or service during the sales process. In some sales organizations, a sales manager or marketing team might conduct competition research, while in others, the individual sales representatives conduct this research themselves. Consider making a spreadsheet to collect information about competing companies’ product or service line, prices and features, so you can emphasize your company’s strengths easily during customer calls.
9. Earn industry and leadership certifications
Taking part in certification programs can help you learn new skills and deepen your understanding of the products and services you sell. Depending on your industry and professional goals, you might complete a range of certification programs. For example, salespeople in the IT and software industries might earn technical or coding certifications. You might also choose project management or leadership programs, where you can learn valuable interpersonal skills that can help you work more effectively with your colleagues.Related:Top Certifications for Sales Professionals
10. Work with your colleagues
While many sales representatives manage their accounts independently, their sales team can provide insights into customer behavior and advice for closing deals. Consider meeting with the other members of your team weekly to discuss trends in sales. If multiple members of a sales team notice a change in customer behavior, you can notify your sales manager about this new development to see if they have a solution. For example, if four members of a software sales team experience increased price objections from customers, the company might benefit from offering payment plans.
11. Organize your workday
While many sales jobs have flexible hours and allow remote or hybrid work, having a structured schedule can help you stay productive and meet your quota. If you have a flexible workday, consider making your own schedule based on previous periods of success. For example, if you’ve found that you’re more productive during the morning, you might dedicate two hours in the morning to prospecting calls and then schedule your customer meetings in the late morning and early afternoon.
12. Emphasize value
Successful sales representatives in many industries often make deals by convincing their customers of the value of their product, even if it’s more expensive than the customer might prefer. By emphasizing value over price, you can connect your product or service to the customer’s long-term success or happiness. Reflect on the features of the product or service and connect these features to the customer’s needs.
13. Understand the market
Learning about the economic conditions that might affect your customers’ purchasing habits can help you design a sales approach that overcomes their objections. Your market research might depend on the industry you work in and the type of customer you target in your work. For example, if you sell realtor management software, learning about the current housing market and the economic stability of small and large realty firms can help you connect with your customers and convince them of the product’s value.
14. Learn from your customers
As you advance in your sales career, you can use your experiences with customers to improve your sales tactics. When you negotiate a deal, you might reflect on what steps you took to ensure your success, and when you miss a deal, you can identify areas for improvement in the next customer call. Some sales organizations use formal surveys to gauge customer response to sales tactics, but you can also do informal surveys by asking customers what they hope to get from their sales experience.
15. Develop your communication skills
16. Maintain an online presence
As you progress through your sales career in a specific industry, like technology or automotive sales, you can use your online persona to establish yourself as an expert in your field. If you’re interested in writing, you might contribute articles to your company’s blog where you discuss industry trends and offer advice. You might also interact with professional organizations through social media outlets, sharing and commenting on posts relating to your industry. Crafting an expert online persona can help you when you request a promotion or search for a sales leadership job.
17. Set personal goals
While sales organizations often establish official quotas for sales professionals and teams, many successful salespeople set their own personal goals, which might be higher than their official quota or focus on different aspects of the sales cycle. For example, a software salesperson might have a sales quota for $10,000 per quarter, but they might also set their own goals to improve their referral or conversion rates. Setting your own goals can let you target areas for improvement and ensure you surpass your official quota.
18. Ask for help
Being proactive about your needs can help you develop a strong relationship with your manager and improve your skills. You might ask for an individual meeting or training call to discuss a challenging account or a new product in the company’s portfolio. Experienced team mates and managers might also have techniques that can help you stay focused and improve your sales documentation.
19. Try different approaches
Sales approaches are different techniques you can use to connect with clients. Some are more direct, while others emphasize asking questions and leading customers to a solution. When you’re starting at a new sales job, you might try several approaches with customers and measure your success rate with each one. Once you find a sales approach that works for you, you can create your own sales script that fits your technique.Related:13 Types of Sales Approaches To Try
20. Use technology effectively
While some salespeople meet with customers in person, many sales organizations have adopted technology that lets their sales team connect with clients remotely. Learning how to use video-conferencing tools can allow you to create presentations and video resources that appeal to customers and increase your chances of closing a deal. You can also use task management tools to stay focused and improve your documentation processes, which can help you meet your sales quota.
21. Develop strategies to stay focused
Some sales processes, like cold calling and prospecting, can require you to stay focused for long periods of time. To be successful in these tasks, you might develop a strategy that helps you stay productive. You might reward yourself for every 20 or 25 calls with a short break or a walk. Other strategies include setting a timer and eliminating distractions by turning your mobile phone off or wearing noise-canceling headphones.
