Sales Ride Along

Hello!

On Monday I got to go on my first sales ride along. The name of the person who I accompanied is David and he focused on Auto sales. Since I'm not much of a car person I was a bit concerned about how much I would really get from the experience, but I turned out to be pleasantly surprised with how things went. We started out in the UT office where he explained some of the logistics about selling ad space. After we discussed the process, we got in the car and headed to our first client.

The first sales manager we met with was from De la Fuente Cadillac. David told me how the sales manager here was very old fashioned and it definitely showed both in our interaction with him and with the overall look of the dealership. We discussed ways to draw consumers for their upcoming tent sale and in the end came up with an informal design prototype and a set of dates to publish the ads.

After this meeting, David didn't have anything scheduled, but decided to visit some of his other clients to talk about how previously purchased ads worked for them and to try selling future ad space. He said putting in the extra effort to meet directly with clients even just to show interest was a key to his success. Doing this helps build relationships and shows his clients how he has their best interest in mind.

We also chatted about a career in sales in general since David has been in the industry since he graduated college. It was really interesting to hear how he worked his way up to the position he currently holds. He also explained some of his favorite perks such as the freedom of not being confined to a desk from 9-5, the flexible schedule, and the overall independence. I never really considered a career in sales, but after this experience I definitely have more interest.

I look forward to reading about everyone's experiences this week!