"To ensure you get the most from your summer sales experience, it's vital you take steps beforehand to prepare for what's to come."

Summer Sales Prep

It's almost that time of year again — Summer Sales! I'm a firm believer that the benefits gained from this work will far outweigh any sacrifice made. To ensure you get the most from your summer sales experience, it's vital you take steps beforehand to prepare for what's to come. With several years under my belt, I will share 9 ways you can start preparing to make this summer your best!

1. Learn the Pitch

Coming into my first year selling, I had done nothing more than talk to my recruiter, sign some papers, and wait until I was to leave for the summer. Terrible mistake! I had no idea what to expect, what knocking doors would be like, and how to present the pitch. In fact, I didn't even know the pitch at all. After intense role-playing and script memorizing, I finally had the pitch memorized — assuming the person at the door said ALL the right things. Unfortunately, you'll be hard-pressed to find those people.

My first 3 days were unsuccessfully spent knocking doors and getting frustrated with people raising concerns I had no idea how to handle. Eventually, I got a sale, but continued to struggle for several more weeks. Had I learned the pitch beforehand, I would have been able to focus on how to overcome objections and improve my presentation. Learn from my mistakes and make sure you have the pitch completely memorized before you leave for the summer.

2. Burn Your Ships

This story comes from New World explorer, Hernán Cortés. In 1519, Cortés began his conquest to conquer the Aztec Empire. Upon arriving, Cortés commanded his crew of men to "Burn the ships." He arrived determined to conquer or die, and was willing to burn any attempt at escape or surrender. As history goes on to tell, Cortés and his men successfully conquered the Aztecs and went on to shape the course of history.

When it comes to summer sales, prepare by determining you are going to stick it through the summer! Many door-to-door salesman quit after a short time because they didn't anticipate it being so challenging. You must "burn your ships" metaphorically speaking by removing the option of backup plans. This is THE plan, so stick it through and you'll forever change the course of your life.

3. Find Your Why

Before anyone leaves to do summer sales, they should ask themselves this simple question: "Why am I doing this?" I would wager 99% of the people who take on this job will respond with: "For the money." If that's your WHY, that's to be expected. However, I want you to dig a few layers deeper. Too many people leave for the summer with the blanket statement of making some extra cash, but find this WHY to be shallow in its ability to produce large rewards.

Try the 5 Why's exercise: Ask "Why are you doing Summer Sales?" then ask "Why do you want to [your answer]?" four more times. By uncovering the reasons why you are really wanting to do summer sales, you will discover a motivation that is deep and powerful.

4. Set Goals

Goals serve as landmarks in your journey through life. Summer sales is no different. Before beginning your sales adventure, make sure you've taken time to set different goals for yourself. I typically will break down my goals into SUMMER, WEEKLY, and DAILY subsets. The most important goal you will set for yourself is: How many sales do I want to make? Use your WHY to motivate you to accomplish these goals.

5. Leave Distractions Behind

There comes a moment when an activity becomes more of a distraction than a benefit. Learn from my experiences and prepare for the summer by identifying the distractions you have in your life. Be brutally honest with yourself and recall your why for the summer. Once you've found the distractions, remove those types of activities and items that may distract you from being your most productive self.

6. Invite Your Friends to Come

My favorite summers were the ones when I was surrounded by good friends. One simple way you can help prepare to make your summer sales experience amazing is to invite your friends and family to tag along with you. You'll have people you already know and love joining you, you'll feel more committed to making this experience a good one, and competitions will get fired up as you're going head-on with your personal friends.

7. Read Books and Articles

Congrats, by reading this article you've already started prepping for your summer sales experience. In addition to reading articles, I'm a huge fan of educating yourself through books. I love audio books and have a few favorites I would recommend any salesman to consider reading:

  • Door-to-Door Sales: How to Make $100,000 in one Summer by Tyler Evertsen
  • Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
  • The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes
  • Sell or Be Sold by Grant Cardone
  • Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

8. Watch Sales Trainings

I love videos! They can deliver a message that you can remember and visualize far better than any method I know. When I need to learn something, the first place I go is YouTube. You'll find tons of amazing door-to-door sales tips and tricks there — whether it's how to overcome a certain objection, how to get to yes, what to present in your pitch, or how to improve your body language.

9. Overcome Your Doubts

My first summer, I drove from Salt Lake City, UT to Cincinnati, OH with the dream of making $20,000 that summer. My dad was nice enough to accompany me on the 30 hour drive. We talked lots, listened to music, and listened to "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki. This whole time I was pumping myself up for what I was sure was going to be an amazing experience. By the time we arrived, I was ready to start pounding doors… Or so I thought.

You will inevitably have doubts creep in before and during your summer sales experience. The key is to recognize them for what they are and push through. Remember your why, lean on your team, and trust the process. Every successful salesman has faced the same doubts and overcome them. You can too.