16 years ago I had my first job in sales and I wish I knew then what I know now I was 16 and it was the summer holidays My best friend told me about a telesales company he was working for selling advertising It sounded glamorous I later found out it was selling perimeter boards for Wolverhampton FC My job was to book appointments with local businesses They slammed the yellow pages on my desk and I was given a choice Front or back - I booked meetings with gatekeepers - I begged and pleaded my way into meetings - I accepted counterfeit yes's from strangers The reps would turn up and 30 minutes later call the office saying "Jack, a waste of time... again" 6 weeks past and £0 earned in commission Fast forward to today and my agency does exactly what I did then but for other businesses The difference being, the prospects want to be there - Does the prospect have the problem you solve - Can they give examples of the problem - Are they genuinely motivated to solve the problem Most conversations last between 10-15 minutes due to the depth of discovery Not all meetings are created equally Remember you will die