My Sales journey so far By Kyle Kislowski

When I graduated college, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my career, so I decided to work as a bartender in the hospitality field for a few years. I always knew that hospitality was not the be-all and end-all – and I always had a higher expectation with my life accomplishments than where I was in my mid-20s. I knew I needed a change – but did not have a tremendous amount of guidance on finding the right career fit once I was years past graduating college. The skills that I mastered in hospitality, which included primarily people and social skills, shaped my sales career’s early path. All I needed was a chance to prove myself and a culture to bring out the best of my talents early on in the SaaS field. The supplier sales team at Taulia turned out to be the perfect fit for me, and it was the best decision I have ever made career-wise.

Joining Taulia’s supplier sales team

I joined Taulia’s supplier sales team a little over three years ago and my primary role is to enroll our customers’ suppliers to our platform so that both our customers and their suppliers can utilize our working capital solutions. My goal is to onboard as many supplier prospects to our platform as possible, but it is important to quantify goals as much as possible. Working at Taulia allows me to be the best version of myself every day by receiving trust and autonomy from my team. We are all individual revenue contributors in the supplier sales team and primarily work from home, which allows me to have control over my schedule and workflow.

Breaking down my morning routine

A productive morning routine provides a healthy foundation for the rest of the day’s success. I start my day at around 6:00 a.m. and take my dog on a long walk so that she and I both get our morning exercise. This has been a vital mind-shift to my success, especially working from home. I get home around 7:00 a.m, make coffee and tidy up the apartment or read until 7:30 a.m, then work on any emails from the previous day until our morning team meeting. After our team meeting, I spend the next few hours following up with key accounts and prospecting accounts I have yet to engage with. I like to work out at noon and come home with a clear mind for the afternoon – which consists of more cold calls and emails to prospects. I spend most of the day on LinkedIn, leveraging these social touches as some of the most vital parts of the sales cycle. Sometimes, it is silly to think about, but I like to compare Sales to being an athlete. If you are not taking days off, not sleeping/eating well, or just not focusing on your overall health/wellness – you will never be a top performer in your field.

Preparation and maintaining my cool

Something I’ve learned during my sales career is the importance of being able to control your emotions in any situation. In sales, we must be able to handle objections in a cool, calm, and collective manner; which is absolutely essential to any sales role. To ensure that I’m always at the top of my game, I stay up to date on my product, competitor, and industry knowledge. This helps me to have the confidence to handle any objections or specific questions. Something else I’ve learned during my sales career is that consistency and dedication to the follow-up process is vital. I’ve learned that buyers want to buy, and they want to buy from sales reps they like. I believe mastering a solid rapport and providing solutions to blatant pain is essential, but following up and simply being a good person goes a long way just the same!

Podcasts and professional development

I am currently prioritizing my professional development and I’ve learned I need to be constantly stimulated. For me, this starts with engaging with podcasts. I follow many inspirational sales leaders on podcast platforms and regularly listen to their episodes. Sometimes, I even connect with these leaders on LinkedIn. By connecting on LinkedIn, it creates a cascading effect of meeting new people in the community and listening to their recommendations on other podcasts and books that I can ingest to further my professional development. I also need to mention these podcasts and LinkedIn connections are free and open to anyone. That should be noted by any and all AE’s that read this blog.

I firmly believe Taulia is where I belong in the immediate future – as it is a company with leadership that emphasizes career development and personal well-being. Those are two critical core values I have, and I am excited to see what is next for me at Taulia!

My top sales tips

If you’re looking to get into sales, here are some of my top sales tips that will help you to become inspired, successful, and reach the top of your game!

• Talk less. Listen more. You can’t learn anything while you are talking.
• Research. Be prepared. Do not ask questions that you can find the answer to on Google.
• Always be clear and confident when discussing the next steps with a prospect.
• Unplug. Take your vacation days, or you will burn out and not perform at your peak.

If you’re looking to join a fast-growing company and want to join the Taulia Sales team, please get in touch now.