Inside Smartcar: 3 lessons I learned from being on a sales team

Hello! I’m Paige, a Business Development Manager at Smartcar 👋 As part of the founding Business Development team, I’ve learned a lot about my strengths while exploring the challenges and opportunities that come with a career in sales. Whether you’re experienced in sales or looking to break into sales, I believe there are three big components to long-term success — which I describe in this blog.  I hope you enjoy the read!

Sales can be an intimidating career to break into, but it’s definitely worth the hurdles.  

I chose to pursue tech sales because I enjoy building relationships with others while being a part of something new and disruptive.

Occasionally, it can be discouraging to not get the responses I want after spending so much effort sitting through meetings that don't always go as planned. However, there are three lessons I practice consistently to grow in confidence and improve my performance.

Learn from failures

It’s scary to look at your mistakes right in the face. But I've learned far more from my failures than my success.

The mistakes I’ve made taught me how to become resilient. I used to try my hardest to avoid making mistakes out of fear of being wrong. But if there’s anything I’ve learned from a career in sales, it’s that errors and misjudgments happen — you have to learn from them and keep going.

Here’s an example some people reading this may relate to: Not having enough confidence during introductions and not asking individuals to repeat themselves when I don’t understand them or can’t hear them well.

But by switching my focus from playing it safe to learning through trial and error, I now understand the importance of being teachable.

I’m constantly growing from my mistakes, asking myself how I can do better, and realizing that I’m always moving one step closer to getting it right. These errors have helped me become more confident not only in myself but in the quality of my work.

Ask and give feedback

Beyond learning from my mistakes, I’ve also developed a whole new understanding of feedback.

Instead of fearing being wrong, I’m now motivated to ask for assistance if I’m stuck or unsure of how I can improve. Asking for feedback gives me insight into weaknesses I may have never picked up on myself. Each constructive observation that has been shared with me has helped me establish the objectives I want to work toward.

Another important aspect of feedback is being able to communicate my needs to managers and coworkers. This emphasis on asking for feedback properly has helped me exceed my quota multiple times here at Smartcar.

Set goals and stay organized

My skills in staying organized have become a valuable asset in staying on top of my responsibilities as a Sales Development Representative (SDR).

By organizing my most important information in a system that really works for my team and me, I’ve established the best ways to learn what each account needs and what the right next steps are. This includes keeping track of every booked meeting, documenting the concerns of each account, identifying the best messaging to approach them with, and analyzing their interests and points.

Some methods I’ve used to help me stay organized include writing a to-do list in my planner on a day-to-day basis, writing down my weekly goals, and maintaining a detailed list of all my engaged accounts.

My ability to organize has helped me improve how I set and reach my goals. Since then, I’ve been able to keep track of my wins no matter how big or small — which has helped me recognize all the achievements I’ve attained and where I stand because of them.

Work with a team that encourages you to grow

The great news is — we’re hiring!

If you are interested in working with Smartcar, check out our Careers page to read more about the role and what it entails.

You can contact me on Linkedin to chat or email us at jobs@smartcar.com if you have any other questions!