So how to learn how to sell? Seems like you're starting, and some here are suggesting books. There's also classes, but I would say that classes are not necessar

So how to learn how to sell? Seems like you're starting, and some here are suggesting books. There's also classes, but I would say that classes are not necessary, unless you need external feedback on how you're doing on the fundamentals. What I want to emphasize here is actual practice. So I would engage in some kind of activity that involves getting out and asking people to make decisions for you. Start making careful and reasonable pitches at work (be careful not to undermine your credibility in your current job, though). Maybe you canvas neighborhoods with petitions for your favorite causes. Or get into membership drives for your favorite organizations. Just in general, try to get into situations that require you to exercise the muscle of asking people to make decisions for you. So specifics: - read books on it (I've read too many to count, and there are diminishing returns - so many are about telling stories and scripts for asking for the sale, but I like The Wedge for its emphasis on taking sophisticated business from your competition) - take a college course on it (I took personal sales at FSU, undergrad - great experience - and there was sales school for my door to door sales job when I graduated from high school) - actually do it (I sold books door to door to get my feet wet, ran club membership tables and campaigned for my fellow students in college, then I sold financial services until I burned out on sales and went into grad school and programming) Practice is important, but so is theory. To be successful you need: - Credibility (ethos) is about your reputation and professional appearance and delivery. - Enthusiasm (pathos) is the energy you need to meet people where they are emotionally and help them see how the product solves their problems. - Knowledge (logos) includes the information you learn about your product as well as intelligence you gather on your prospect on how their problems can be solved with your product. Don't worry too much about getting started in sales early. I realized a bit too late that I was doing financial sales without the necessary credibility to be successful in the way I wanted to do business - I should have done my MBA and other financial studies first. And I also realized that I would not be as successful in sales as I could be as a technologist - I have a real problem telling people they're right when I know they aren't - but learning how to deal with interpersonal disagreement was an important goal I had for wanting to work in sales in the first place.