Why I Forced Myself Into Sales

I’m really an introvert who pretends to be an extrovert.

Nobody believes me when I tell them that. But it’s true.

In my early 20’s, I had a real hard time promoting my work. I was awesome at doing my job, but I was terrified of selling myself to outside entities, peers or upper level management.

I would freeze at the very notion of bringing attention to myself. If I had to promote myself, I would start to feel my organs shake inside me.

I mean, couldn’t these people just see I worked so hard and kicked ass at what I was doing? Why did I have to sit across a desk to tell you how great of a job I was doing or how good I was?

The thought of it went against every thing I deemed natural in the world.

Ugh. But some time around 26 years old, I had this epiphany:

If I didn’t learn how to sell, I would probably end up being frustrated in what ever job I had.

I realized I couldn’t depend on people to see that I was good at what I did. Reluctantly, I realized I had to tell them I was good.

So I decided the way I was going to learn how to sell was get a sales job. Yep.

My first sales job was a Business Development role for a NYC Wall Street recruiting firm.

I was responsible for finding jobs for our recruiting team to fill.

I sat in a bull pen environment, desks facing desks in one large room—no cubicles… no offices. I had to cold call (or email) Controllers, CFO’s, Tax Directors, CIO’s, etc, to cultivate relationships and get open job assignments to work on.

This is why I know how to find jobs so well… it’s how I made my living.

And I did it as an introvert.

Some days, especially in the beginning, I sat at my desk and I wanted to cry. Initially, I hated calling and pitching recruiting services, even though we were a fantastically reputable company.

I felt like a used car salesman.

The phone felt like it was 1000 pounds.

But as tears welled up in my eyes, I would hold them back, breathe in and tell myself, “Don’t cry in the open bullpen. Just dial one time.”

And to make matters worse, my boss, who was just one year older than me, was totally an extrovert and booked meeting after meeting with ease.

My boss did every thing by her gut.

I couldn’t do that. Because my gut was telling me to cry at my desk then go home.

Instead, I set microgoals. Sometimes it was as simple as “Make one call in 10 minutes.”

I wrote scripts on what to say when I made the calls. I had email templates for the shortest of replies.

I left nothing to chance. Not that I didn’t wing it now and again, but if I found myself saying or writing the same type of content, I would keep it to fall back on to make the next time easier.

And that’s how I train job seekers to land their ideal job.

Here’s what you do: Turn it into a process. Even if you’re an extrovert, you shouldn’t leave it to your gut. And if you are an introvert, you really can’t leave it to your gut (because you know what your gut is going to tell you).

Be systematic.

And that’s what I devised my 7 Job Landing Steps to Land Your Ideal Job eManual.

In this eManual you will learn:

**How to find the the right contacts to reach out to find the unpublished job market (Hint: it’s not in HR).

**What to write and say when you find the right people to contact.

**What questions to ask when you secure an interview, because you will.

Get the 7 Job Landing Steps eManual + our 8 Deadly Job Search Mistakes Preventing You from Landing a Job recorded training video using this link:

The Job Search Bundle

I have mapped out how to find hiring managers and what to say as part of a seven step system to take the churn out of your stomach and empower you to get traction.

If this introvert can do it so can you.

Be Well!

Lisa

Lisa Rangel – Executive Resume Writing Services