Throughout my sales and marketing career, I realized that I wanted very much to help guide others. As I watch young salespeople trying to establish themselves, memories of my earlier days appear vividly in my mind. That motivated me more and more to want to share my experiences to help develop young salespeople.
I too was once naïve, lacked skills, and needed to learn the trade. I saw in many of the young salespeople a version of myself trying to break into the business and be successful. Like me, they all had the fundamental attributes, enthusiasm, energy, excitement, desire, initiative, etc. If we could mold those and train them with the necessary skills, that could lead them to success. How wonderful it would have been if someone had taken me under their wings in my youth to teach and guide me in being a salesperson. While I did not have this luxury, I realized that I could be in this role today to guide others.
Aside from working on my own sales career, being a mentor was a goal that grew in intensity with time as my skills strengthened. If I had an opportunity to mentor someone, I would surely devote time and effort to do so. I was convinced that I could be a good mentor and provide the proper guidance to aid any aspiring salesperson.
Like any other professional, successful salespeople are not born, they are trained. They learn the skills and hone their skills with practice. During my career, I diligently looked for opportunities to be a mentor, and find mentees who were sincere about a career in sales and marketing, especially in hospitality and attractions. The first time I was invited to speak at a university to hospitality and business students, I realized that the university was a great place to start. Introduce selling and hospitality to them while they are in school and impressionable, to create interest and encourage them to select this profession. This would help them evaluate their vision for a career and plan their education to support this vision.
I devoted much of my time to universities and with each chance to speak, I could see myself building momentum with many students. Many of these students asked me to mentor them much to my delight. All the mentees I worked with had enthusiasm, optimism, and a great desire to learn and be successful. I can teach skills, but I cannot teach enthusiasm, optimism, and desire. That comes from within and if they start with this, half the battle is won.
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