---
title: This is Why I Succeeded in Sales
description: Jill Konrath's sales job at Xerox was tough. Turnover was high. Lots of reps left. Yet in only one year, she was 165% of quota. Learn how she did it.
image: https://www.jillkonrath.com/hubfs/Blog_Images/jk-pick-one-300.jpg
---

# [Jill Konrath](https://www.jillkonrath.com/)

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![jk-pick-one-300](https://www.jillkonrath.com/hubfs/Blog_Images/jk-pick-one-300.jpg)

I never wanted to be in sales. I only went into this field because I had an idea to start a company. The [SCORE ](http://www.score.org)consultant I met with told me my plan wouldn't succeed unless I learned how to sell.

Ugh! It was the last thing I wanted to hear. But I listened ... and got myself a sales job at Xerox. It was brutal, hard work. Turnover was high. Lots of reps left, feeling like total losers.

### Here's why I survived -- and even thrived -- in this challenging profession.

I was terrified of failing. Fear is a powerful motivator.

I had no backup plan. If I failed, I refused to return to teaching (my previous career). If I failed, I couldn't start my company. I couldn't fail.

I gave myself one year to figure it out. Just. One. Year.

### Twelve Months to Sales Success

I threw myself into learning sales. With a deadline, you do that.I took advantage of all possible learning opportunities.

I read every book on sales I could get my hands on. I even convinced my boss to start a library so I wouldn't have to fund it myself.

*(Note: [Agile Selling,](http://www.amazon.com/Agile-Selling-Quickly-Todays-Ever-Changing/dp/1591847257/) my newest book, goes into great detail on all these strategies. Check it out.)*

I took a serious look at my colleagues and realized they weren't geniuses. If they could do it, I certainly could.

When I was struggling, I kept reminding myself that I just hadn't figured it out yet. YET. YET. YET. That's an important word.

### Whatever it took to succeed.

I threw my pride out the door. Rather than trying to impress my boss with my smarts, I embraced my ignorance. I proactively asked for help. I wanted to know what how to eliminate problems before they occurred.

I sought feedback on my selling skills. I hated it. But I did it anyway. I listened, made changes and got better.

I listened to my colleagues'phone conversations and made joint sales calls with them. I noted where they ran into trouble. I paid attention to what worked well. I asked tons of questions.

I borrowed other people's brains when my own was insufficient. When stuck, I'd ask myself, "How would Jim do it?" or "What would Diane suggest?" I got smarter.

I kept going when other people quit. I learned from my successes and more importantly, when things didn't go well.

I redefined all failures as valuable learning experiences. I had to; it was too just too painful fail so often.

When I got good at one thing, I moved to the next area of mastery. Prospecting. Demoing. Writing proposals. Slowly but surely, I figured most of it out.

### Committing was the key to my sales success.

At the end of year one, I was 165% of quota. By that time, I decided I really liked sales—more than my original entreprenuerial dream.

It was challenging. Ever-changing. It stretched me beyond what I thought was possible and kept me on my toes.

Over the years, I've used this same process a gazillion times. It works when you're selling new products or selling to new market segments. It works when you take a new sales position. It works when you start your own company.

It just plain works. Best of all, it's 100% replicable.

*For more insights into these strategies, check out [Agile Selling](http://www.amazon.com/Agile-Selling-Quickly-Todays-Ever-Changing/dp/1591847257/).* It just came out in paperback.

### Popular Posts

### Topics

- [Sales Prospecting (154)](https://www.jillkonrath.com/sales-blog/topic/sales-prospecting)
- [Success Mindset (134)](https://www.jillkonrath.com/sales-blog/topic/success-mindset)
- [Working Smarter (71)](https://www.jillkonrath.com/sales-blog/topic/working-smarter)
- [Winning Deals (64)](https://www.jillkonrath.com/sales-blog/topic/winning-deals)
- [Wild Card (58)](https://www.jillkonrath.com/sales-blog/topic/wild-card)
- [Selling Tools (50)](https://www.jillkonrath.com/sales-blog/topic/selling-tools)
- [Buyer Insights (43)](https://www.jillkonrath.com/sales-blog/topic/buyer-insights)

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