Are you part of the young salespeople demographic? Well, know that just because you are young does not mean that you cannot succeed in sales. Find out first hand in this interview between Dale Beaumont and Kirsty Dunphey about what Kirsty learned as a young salesperson.
At just 21, Kirsty co-founded and became managing director of M&M Real Estate. In 2006, Kirsty sold her share in her real estate company and is now an in-demand sales and service speaker and trainer performing around 30 keynotes presentations a year.
Having started your sales career at a young age, did you find that your age was a barrier when selling?
Here are some things I have learnt about selling at a young age:
The best way to counteract youth is with knowledge – if you are young, I do believe that you have something to prove. You have to demonstrate that you’re as qualified, if not more, than the next ‘older’ person. The best way to do that is to be as knowledgeable as you possibly can be in your field. Counteract youth with enthusiasm – I’ve always found in my career that there will always be people who just want to give the ‘new guy’ a chance. Your enthusiasm and obvious youth will draw these people to you.
Service sells – even though clients didn’t say anything, I knew I looked particularly young to be doing my job. Sometimes I still get asked for ID and I’m 28 now! As a counter-measure I made sure my levels of service were more better than good. I wanted to knock the socks off these people so that when they were talking to their friends and family they couldn’t help but mention this amazing ‘young’ person who they had just dealt with.
Tenacity trumps youth – if you are not instantly recognised as being the most qualified because of your age, then earn that status by being doggedly determined. Never give up! Don’t hide your youth – when I first started I dressed professionally, but I never tried to dress like my grandma (you lose credibility). I always spoke in a professional manner, but still made sure I used the same words as I would use with my friends. Pretending to be something you’re not never works well.
Be yourself, and remember to sell yourself! Remember youthfulness is attractive – I found I attracted clients who were also young or liked being around someone who was young. It’s a win-win situation if you look at it from a positive perspective.
For more of this interview check out Dale Beaumont’s “Secrets of Top Sales Professionals Exposed!“.
