How to Get Into Sales with No Experience (The Best Opportunity You Don’t Know About)

Are you tired of feeling unfulfilled and underpaid in your career and ready for a change? 

Sales might be the perfect fit for you.

“But I have no experience, Cole!” 

Doesn’t matter.

I was a bartender before I started a sales training company that’s doing just over $30 million in annual sales.

And many members of our training program, Remote Closing Academy, started in careers that aren’t remotely related to sales–fields like teaching and plumbing.

You don’t need experience to get into sales.

All you need is a great work ethic and a willingness to learn.

Have that? Great.

I’m about to show you how to get into sales, learn recession-proof skills, and uncap your earning potential based on principles we’ve used to help 100s of people just like you transition into a sales gig.

How to Get Into Sales: The 4 Primary Steps That Work (Even If You Know Nothing About Sales)

Step 1. Master Your Mindset

Success in sales largely comes down to your mindset.

Because at the end of the day, sales is a skill that can be learned. 

Some people are naturally gifted, sure, but most great salespeople develop into superstars due to their mindset.

And there are 3 main attitudes you need to adopt as you begin your sales journey:

1. Be willing to put in the work.

Sales is demanding–especially when you’re starting out.

Yes, you can eventually achieve an unmatched work-life balance where you have 4 vacations in Europe every year, but you’ll have to put in a lot of work to get to that place. 

You have to constantly learn, hone your skills, and be willing to do nitty-gritty work like outreach, appointment setting, and more.

Don’t come into this new field expecting it to be easy.

Come ready to grind. 

There is tons of untapped potential in the sales industry just waiting for you. 

But the competition is also ratcheting up, and there’s always someone out there willing to work harder than anyone else.

You can easily get to 6-figures and beyond in annual income if you put in the work. 

2. Be willing to fail.

You aren’t going to be good at sales at first.

You’re going to feel really nervous and uncomfortable on sales calls.

You’re going to constantly question yourself.

And sometimes you’re going to fall on your face.

But those who go on to become great salespeople persevere. They expect to fail–they even welcome failure.

Because they see failure as a learning opportunity. 

How far are you willing to go? How uncomfortable are you willing to make yourself? How long are you willing to stick to this?

Your answers will ultimately determine whether this new career path is right for you.

3. Always listen and ask questions. 

Great salespeople are great listeners–both on sales calls and when getting feedback or mentorship.

So, come into your new sales career ready to develop your listening skills.

There will be countless learning opportunities, and you’ll shorten your learning curve if you actively listen and ask questions.

Step 2. Learn Sales

Many people assume sales is a natural gift rather than a learned skill.

This is completely false.

Like anything, some people are more naturally gifted salespeople than others, but everything you need to know to be a great salesperson can be learned.

And even better, you don’t have to pay tens of thousands of dollars to a university to acquire these skills.

There are tons of free and inexpensive resources available online that will teach you what you need to know (and the last one specifically has helped people start seeing success within as little as a few weeks):

1. YouTube channels and blogs

There are countless YouTube channels and blogs focused on sales, offering tips, strategies, and advice from experienced salespeople. 

This is a great way to get started and learn the basics. 

As a start, I highly recommend my personal channel and the Remote Closing Academy channel–we post tons of insider sales trainings on both.

2. Books

There are many books out there that cover the core principles of sales. 

Most people recommend classics like The Sales Bible by Jeffrey Gitomer and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. 

These are great, but I personally think Influence by Robert Cialdini is one of the best books an aspiring salesperson can read. 

It’s not specifically about sales per se, but it’s about the ultimate goal of sales…persuasion.

Ideally, you’d read all three and many more because books are one of the most economic ways to learn the key principles of sales.

3. Mentorship and courses

If you want more structured learning, you might consider working with a mentor or taking a course. There are many sales courses available online or in person, ranging from short workshops to more comprehensive programs or even mentorship.

This is exactly what we do through our training course, Remote Closing Academy, which shows you how to get into sales quickly and start making serious money.

In the program, I lay out everything you need to do, what order to do it in, and more (based on my journey from bartender to $30k+ per month as a closer). 

RCA is the fastest and most efficient way to get into sales because it helps you get up and running within just a few weeks (which is especially helpful if you want to leave your current gig as quickly as possible). 

Step 3. Find the Right Offer

Most people knock Steps 1 and 2 out of the park and completely miss the importance of finding the right offer.

Don’t make this deadly mistake.

The offer you sell can make or break you.

It directly impacts how much you make per sale, how many sales you can make, and more.

Going with the wrong offer could mean making tons of sales and not making enough commission to make the venture worthwhile. 

Or on the flipside, it could mean picking an overpriced offer in a competitive industry that never gets any sales at all.

Here are 3 things to consider to avoid these two horrible, but common scenarios:

1. Find industries you enjoy

It’s important to find an industry or product that you’re passionate about. 

Because if you’re genuinely interested in the product or service you’re selling, it will be far easier to stay motivated and enthusiastic, even when things get tough.

This also helps you better understand the nuances of the specific product/service you’re selling and how the customers within that industry think about purchasing decisions.

And this leads to more sales.

2. Find a validated offer

A validated offer is a product or service that has already been proven to sell. 

Make sure whatever specific offer or company you’re looking at has at least sold their product a few dozen times (especially if it’s a course or coaching program).

The last thing you want is to commit to selling something that no one actually wants. That’s why it’s important to look for reputable companies whose offers have already achieved product/market fit. 

3. Work with companies with a qualified inbound lead flow

This is another critical piece that can make or break the quality of the offer you’re selling.

You can get on an incredible “validated offer” but you’ll be set up for failure if they don’t have consistent lead flow.

You get paid to sell things, and if you don’t have people to sell to, your earning potential will plummet (or even be nonexistent).

Always make sure any company you’re looking to work for has an existing lead flow for you to work with.

Step 4. Choose Your Gig

Now that you’ve developed the right mindset and skills, and found a validated offer, it’s time to choose the best gig for you. 

And as I’ve alluded to, there’s a HUGE opportunity in the sales industry right now that requires little-to-no experience.

Remote closing.

This is where you get placed in a company with a proven offer and qualified lead flow, and you take sales appointments with potential customers for a commission on the sales you generate.

This is how tons of people are switching from teachers, plumbers, and other careers to sales and generating $20k-$30k per month.

Interested in learning more about this opportunity?

Click here to signup for a webinar where I break this down in detail and show you how you can take advantage of this once-in-a-generation opportunity.

If you’re more interested in an overview of all the different gigs you can get as an entry-level salesperson, keep reading.

1. Setter

Setters are responsible for booking sales appointments with qualified leads. They look through their company’s CRM and contact records to find prospects who’ve already filled out interest forms with the company already, and they try to get them to book a sales appointment.

This is EASILY the best way to get into sales without experience.

And you can still make good money–many setters make anywhere from $5k to even $15k per month. 

2. Closer

Closers focus solely on “closing” the deal. 

This is a natural next step for setters.

You can still become a closer without experience, but it’s much easier to start as a setter. Sometimes it only takes a few months to move into a closer role, and many closers can make upwards of $30k per month depending on their industry and skill set.

3. Sales Development Rep

SDRs are similar to setters but they usually have the additional responsibility of generating leads. They’re responsible for cold outreach to potential leads and getting them to book appointments with the sales team. 

Some companies might call their setters “SDRs” instead. 

These roles usually have slightly lower earning potential than setters just because you have to find some of your own leads and develop your own relationships.

4. Account Manager

A sales account manager is a sales professional who is responsible for managing and growing relationships with a portfolio of existing customers. This typically involves a combination of account management, sales, and customer service efforts.

They mainly focus on trying to upsell or cross-sell existing customers. 

And while it’s a great role to consider as well, account managers usually make less than closers because their opportunities are limited to existing customers only.

How to Switch to a Sales Career Fast

The fastest way to get into sales and actually start making money is to learn from someone who’s done it before.

And that’s exactly why I created Remote Closing Academy. 

I’ve helped hundreds of people switch from just about every line of work you can imagine to sales and start generating more money than they ever thought possible.

Making 6-figures as a closer isn’t some pipedream, it’s well within reach if you’re willing to put in the work.

Interested in seeing how I can help you transition into remote closing?

Click here to apply to join Remote Closing Academy and accelerate your new sales career.