First sales job, fresh out of university over 20 years ago...

- 100 cold calls a day

- Sat in front of the CEO

- The only salesperson in the open-plan office - you could hear a pin drop

- My task was to call hundreds of C-level execs.

- No training

- Seriously nerve-racking

- Self-doubt & self consciousness rife...inner monologue: "I'll sound like a clueless idiot."..."What if I get chewed out?" (Yes to both - you can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs)

- Daily train crashes

But I could get into 'flow'...

- No smartphone (not invented)

- No computer (this was not given till I'd passed probation)

- No LinkedIn (also not invented)

- No email / no sequences

- Definitely no ChatGPT

Just a phone and a printed list of 2,000 leads - of varying quality - to get through.

Amazing what you can do when -

- You have zero distractions

- It's just you and the other person at the end of the phone

- Some people were rude

- Some friendly

- Some indifferent

- One or two interested

But every day I became slightly better - and it taught me everything I needed to know to forge a successful career in sales.

It helped me build the muscle for thinking on my feet, to get into the zone.

I learnt about the world of business, different personality types, and a range of industries.

I learnt how to become a chameleon and how to adjust my tone/delivery accordingly for the best response.

I learnt how to handle myself and how to hold my own.

If you can pick up the phone, cold call someone and secure contractual business.

You can do pretty much anything.