Have you recently landed your first, entry level sales job? Congratulations! I can imagine you may feel a little overwhelmed or find yourself wondering if you are in over your head.

It’s understandable. Starting out in sales can be a daunting task, especially for those who are completely new to the field. Whether you’re an experienced sales professional starting with a new company or you’re a new salesperson looking for entry level sales jobs in tech, medical, industrial sales or some other field, you’ll get good tips from this sales strategy we’re going to cover.

In this article, we will outline the initial steps to take when planning your sales approach.

Be sure to check out Kyle Milan’s Youtube video on a related topic.

Assess Existing Customers in Your Entry Level Sales Job

The first and foremost step in our sales strategy is to evaluate your existing customer base. The groundwork done by your predecessors can be a vital resource to you in this regard.

First, you’ll want to find the company’s comprehensive list of clients and categorize them into three groups. These groups should be based on the growth potential you see in them.

• Group 1 – high potential
• Group 2 – solid potential
• Group 3 – questionable potential

You’ll want to get a diverse set of opinions on these customers, in order to gather a more truthful assessment of their sales potential. So ask senior stakeholders in the company about the list of prospects and clients.

This part of your sales strategy is essential because there’s a great chance that more products and/or services could be offered to the B2B sales client. The best sales opportunity that you have is NOT with a cold target audience, or even prospects.

The best opportunity you have for instant sales conversion is always with existing clients.

Collaborate with as many knowledgeable individuals in the company as possible to help you rank these customers based on growth potential. Avoid relying solely on one person’s perspective, as diverse opinions will provide a more accurate assessment.

After you have identified sales potential with the current client list, you can begin prioritizing your engagement strategy around that list. You’ll want to analyze their current activities, as well as look into fixing any past concerns or historical issues. Consider all of this information when planning your approach for any entry level sales job.

Reactivate Past Clients and Prospects

If you’re starting an entry level sales job or just starting with a new company, the next thing you want to do is find or compile a list of past clients and prospects and create a promotional campaign aimed at ‘reactivating’ a relationship.

This is your next biggest sales opportunity in entry level tech sales jobs, or any other field, because the groundwork has already been laid for you.

You can begin by compiling a list of prospects who received quotations in the past three years and were not closed. This will be your prospect reactivation list. You should write a 3 to 5 part email campaign aimed solely at this segment of prospects.

Next, you should compile a list of past clients the company had up to 5 years ago. Then you should write a 3 to 5 part email campaign aimed solely at this segment of prospects.

Each email should be personable. You must acknowledge the fact that you haven’t done business in a while, or at all. You want to win them over, or win them back. You want to share the exciting new product/service offers that better solve the pains, problems, predicaments that they are dealing with.

You should provide a call to action of scheduling a 15 – 20 minute Discovery Call where they can share their vision, their challenges, and you can share possible solutions. On this call you should also try to secure a next-level sales call – an in-person site visit.

This is especially worthwhile for entry level tech, medical, and industrial sales jobs, where the transaction size per client is significant.

You should make a point to (re)introduce yourself and inquire about the status of the previous quotation. This approach allows you to leverage existing interactions and potentially turn dormant prospects into active clients.

And, even if they don’t land you a sale, you are getting your face in front of the client, keeping lines of communication open, so that when they need to change, you are in the front of their mind. Never underestimate cool and cold leads, and if they are in your CRM, make sure you are reaching out at least once every 3 months to evaluate their needs have changed.

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Creative Follow-up Techniques When Getting Started in Sales

Once you’ve reached out to existing customers and revisited unsold prospects, the key to success lies in persistent and creative follow-up. Acknowledge that traditional methods such as calls and emails may not always yield results. Instead, explore alternative avenues, such as LinkedIn connections or personalized snailmail, to break through communication barriers. The most important thing in this phase is to not give up, and continually follow up with as many creative avenues as possible.

Some ideas for creative ways to follow-up are detailed below, but don’t feel limited to only these methods. Be creative and incorporate your own sense of style and personality into your follow-ups, as this will make them more memorable, and keep your prospects feeling more like friends than potential clients or business prospects.

Video Messages Sales Strategy

Creating personalized video messages addressing your prospects is a great way to add some humanity back into your sales strategy and allows you to convey any messages you have for your clients with a personalized touch, and in a very engaging manner. You can use video platforms like Loom or Vidyard to record brief messages that highlight the value of your product to the client, and the benefits it could bring to their business.

Sales Strategy: Customized Content Packages

You can also consider tailoring content packages specifically for your prospects. This could include industry insights, case studies, relevant articles, or any combination of these, in a physical package, with personalized content. This is the kind of content you want to include in your reactivation email campaigns.

You’ll win over prospects solely from the commitment you show by taking the time to put these packages together, while also providing them with actionable information and valuable insights that perhaps they had not considered.

Sales Strategy: Interactive Webinars and Workshops

Inviting your prospects to participate in exclusive webinars or workshops is an excellent way of covertly following up with your prospects, without it seeming like a sales strategy. Position it as an opportunity for them to gain insights into industry trends or overcome a specific challenge. This not only keeps you on their radar, but also positions you as a source of authority and a thought-leader in the field.

Sales Strategy: Surprise Gifts

Sending unexpected and thoughtful gifts to your prospects is a great way to increase engagement with them. These gifts ideally are personalized to their interests or needs, and they don’t have to be extravagant. A small, thoughtful gesture can leave a lasting impression and make you stand out from your competitors.

Sales Strategy: Social Media Engagement

Leveraging social media platforms creatively can also be an effective sales strategy for following up with your prospects in ways that they may not expect. Engaging with them on platforms like LinkedIn by commenting on their posts, sharing relevant content, or sending a personalized message.

Social media provides an informal and non-intrusive way to stay connected, and keep your name fresh in your prospects’ minds, without having to seem like you are desperate or nagging them to close a deal.

Remember, the key to a successful follow-up strategy is to tailor your approach to each prospect’s preferences and the nature of your pre-existing relationship. Be genuine, add value, and maintain a consistent presence without being overly persistent.

One must be cautious to avoid attempting to sell to prospects who are not genuinely interested or have no current need for your products or services. Use a combination of persistence, consistency, and your best judgment in your follow-up efforts, and stay mindful not to become an annoyance.

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Conclusions for Entry Level Sales Job Growth

Starting small and finishing big in most entry level sales jobs, whether in tech, medical and pharmaceuticals, and certainly in the manufacturing sector, requires a strategic approach, a steadfast mindset, and an ability to persevere.

By assessing existing customers, revisiting unsold prospects, and employing creative follow-up techniques, new sales professionals can lay a foundation for success. Remember, persistence and consistency are key in building and maintaining fruitful client relationships.