Gaining business-to-business sales experience can be very difficult, but it also is necessary to even be considered for many sales jobs. Many colleges offer internships, and you can gain experience by interning at a business-to-business sales company. Some sales companies may have entry-level jobs in which you can gain business-to-business sales experience under the guidance of higher-level employees. Much like the entry-level method, some jobs may allow you to briefly work with the sales department for similar experience. If these methods do not work, some sales companies will accept you if you have taken courses dealing with this sales arena.
Gaining professional experience without having a job is one of the hardest aspects of getting a professional job. Colleges can help you fix this problem via internships, which allow businesses to pay little to no money and gain extra workers in the process. This means they are much more willing to hire an intern than a paid employee. While business-to-business sales experience can be gained from a variety of businesses, it is usually best to intern with sales businesses. If this is impossible, find businesses that accept interns and regularly sell to the other businesses.
Some sales and other businesses will be unwilling to take you as a new business-to-business sales employee with no previous experience, but they may be willing to hire you as an entry-level worker. In this position, you can gain business-to-business sales experience by talking with managers and other workers in this field. If this is the case, then the business normally will promote you to business-to-business sales if you are competent in the field.
Many jobs have sales departments from which employees sell products to other businesses. Similar to the entry-level method, you can ask managers to place you in the sales department, even for just a few days a week. If they are unwilling to move you, even briefly, then ask if you can watch the employees working. While watching will not give the best experience, it will give you some experience that you can apply later.
If these methods do not work for you, then you can still apply for a business-to-business sales position without any experience. First, however, you should make sure you take college classes or online courses about sales and read books that highlight popular and modern selling methods. By showing an employer that you are very knowledgeable about the field — even if you have not had a chance to gain any practical experience — he or she may consider the knowledge to be equivalent to experience and be willing to hire you.