As a military veteran, I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but I didn't know where to start. I invested in courses and programs that didn't help me much until I read Robert Kiyosaki's book, Rich Dad Poor Dad. He talked about his own experience as a door-to-door salesman for Xerox, which inspired me to get a job in sales.

I started doing door-knocking for free to get some leads for my friend who was a salesman for Culligan Water. I ended up getting 7-12 leads on my first day, and the sales manager was impressed. So I applied for a job and started my training to become a salesperson for Culligan Water.

My first task was to memorize the first two pages of the sales script, and I was given a day to do it. I worked on it during my 12-hour shifts in the Air Force and managed to memorize it overnight. The sales manager was surprised and gave me the next two pages to memorize. I did that too and was soon knocking on doors and making sales.

It wasn't easy to knock on someone's door cold, but I learned some valuable lessons that helped me become a successful salesperson. Here are five of those lessons:

🔥 Be Coachable: When someone you trust gives you advice, take it seriously. Robert Kiyosaki told me to get a job in sales, and I did. My sales manager told me to memorize the script, and I did. Being coachable means being open to learning and willing to put in the work to improve.

🔥 Prospecting Is Critical: As a salesperson, you need to find people who are interested in your product or service. Prospecting is the process of finding those people. I started with door-knocking and got 7-12 leads on my first day. That was a good start, but I soon realized that I needed to do more to build my leads list.

🔥 Memorize Your Script: The sales script is your guide to making a successful sale. It tells you what to say and when to say it. Memorizing the script helps you to sound confident and knowledgeable, which makes it easier to build trust with your potential customers.

🔥 Master Your Presentation: Once you've got your leads and memorized your script, it's time to make your presentation. This is where you showcase your product or service and explain why it's valuable to your potential customer. Mastering your presentation takes practice, but it's essential to making successful sales.

🔥 Sales Training Is Critical: In my experience, most people don't take their sales training seriously. They think they know it all and don't put in the effort to learn new skills. But sales training is critical to your success as a salesperson. It helps you to develop your skills, learn new techniques, and stay motivated.

In conclusion, my experience as a door-to-door salesman taught me many valuable lessons that I still apply to my work today. From the power of a positive attitude to the importance of resilience, these lessons have helped me to build a successful career and achieve my goals. If you're looking to develop your sales skills or start a career in sales, I encourage you to take the lessons I learned to heart and apply them to your own work. With dedication, hard work, and the right mindset, you too can become a successful sales professional.