The reason I, who thought technical terms sounded like alien language on my first day of a new job, still managed to survive as a salesperson

May 2017.
I jumped into the world of digital marketing.

At the time, I was honestly a bit full of myself.

"I have sales experience, so I'll be fine."
"I'll be able to get results at the new company right away."
"If anything, this is where my career will take off."

……Yeah.
I wish I could tell my past self from a few days later.

You are being way too naive.

On my first day of the new job, the meeting content was basically a spell

At my new workplace, there was IT, web advertising, digital marketing, DX, CRM, CV, CPA, LTV, and so on.

In meetings, unfamiliar words were flying around at incredible speeds.

The people around me were using technical terms as if it were second nature, organizing client issues, and discussing the direction of proposals.

As for me, on the other hand,

"What does that acronym stand for?"
"Is CV conversion? No, wait, what even is conversion in the first place?"
"What exactly does DX mean, and what are we supposed to do with it?"

I was in a state like that.

Of course, I kept a serious expression on my face.
But inside my head, I was basically frozen.

Perhaps, while I was sitting in that meeting room, my Wi-Fi was the only thing that had disconnected.

I felt ashamed of myself for thinking "I'll be fine if I'm in sales"

I had worked in sales at my previous job, too.
So, I thought I had the basics of sales down.

Listen to the customer.
Organize the issues.
Make a proposal.
Build a relationship.

The flow itself remains the same.

But sales in digital marketing wasn't that simple.

To understand a customer's issues, I needed a variety of knowledge, including advertising, websites, data, systems, operations, production, and analysis.

Without knowledge, you cannot even stand on the foundation of a conversation.

I didn't know what the customer was struggling with.
I didn't know what the internal specialists were talking about.
I couldn't tell if a proposal was good or bad even when I looked at it.

Even though I was in sales, I didn't have the weapons to fight as a salesperson.

This feeling was quite tough.

Before I knew it, I was taking the last train home every day.

I wasn't getting results.
I lacked knowledge.
But the projects were moving forward.

Before I knew it, I had started working until near the last train every day.

Customer support during the day.
Internal coordination from the evening.
Creating proposals and materials at night.
Researching terms I didn't understand even after I got home.

Those days continued.

Honestly, I thought about it many times.

"Maybe I failed at changing jobs."
"Maybe I'm not cut out for this industry."
"Compared to everyone else, my level is just too low."

Looking back now, I think I was quite cornered.

But at the time, I didn't even have the luxury to stop.
I just had to cling to the work in front of me.

A consultation about SNS advertising that came to me during that time

One day, I received a consultation from a customer.

"I want to strengthen our SNS advertising."

For me at the time, it was a very high-difficulty theme.

Moreover, competitors were also involved in that project.
There was also an agency already involved as the main lead.

If you think about it normally, there was very little room for me to get involved.

But at that time, I didn't have much to lose.

I lacked both knowledge and experience.
I had no track record.
So, I decided that at the very least, I would act faster than anyone else.

I listened to the client, researched what I didn't understand, consulted with my team, and desperately put together a proposal for social media advertising.

If you asked me if it was a perfect proposal, it probably wasn't.

But, in my own way at the time, I prepared as much as I possibly could.

The deciding factor wasn't a 'great proposal,' but the fact that I 'really paid attention.'

As a result, the client chose my proposal.

Honestly, I was incredibly surprised.

It was partly because the main agency wasn't putting in much effort.
But more than that, what the client valued wasn't the flashiness of the proposal.

That I 'really paid attention,'
'responded immediately,'
and 'faced their challenges head-on.'

The fact that they felt that way was what mattered most.

At that moment, I finally understood a little.

What you need for sales isn't just knowledge.
Of course, knowledge is necessary.
But what's even more important is the attitude of trying to truly see the other person's problems.

This small success became a major turning point for me.

Small successes allowed me to believe in myself just a little bit

Starting with that project, things began to change little by little.

I became more confident in my conversations with clients than before.
I was able to ask my internal team of experts more questions than before.
I began to understand the intent behind the proposals little by little.

Of course, I didn't suddenly become a salesperson who could do everything.

There were still many things I didn't understand, and I made mistakes.
But I started to think, 'Maybe I can do something too.'

This was huge.

People don't just suddenly gain great confidence.
I think you have to pick up one small success,
keep reminding yourself of it,
and just keep moving forward, little by little.

What matters in sales, in the end, was 'building trust'

The lessons I learned from this experience still remain with me today.

What's important in sales isn't just special speaking skills.
It's not just about cool proposal materials either.
It's not just industry knowledge.

Of course, all of those are important.
But what's even more important is,

properly observing the other party's issues and responding to them properly.

Respond quickly.
Don't leave things you don't understand ambiguous.
Keep small promises.
Think ahead about what the other party is concerned about.
Even if it's not flashy, build it up carefully.

Trust, I think, probably can't be built with a single stroke of luck.

I think it's something that, before you know it, is built little by little through the accumulation of daily small interactions.

The hardship of those days has become the foundation of who I am now

Looking back now, that period was truly tough.

Last train every day.
Full of jargon.
No results.
Feeling down about the gap between me and those around me.
Getting sick of my own helplessness.

But I don't think I would be who I am today if it weren't for that period.

Admitting when you don't know something.
Still hanging in there.
Valuing small successes.
Building trust through steady accumulation rather than flashy strikes.

I learned all of that back then.

As for me now, I'm even considering starting a business as my next step.
I haven't achieved anything yet that I can talk about arrogantly.

But if I could say just one thing to my past self, I would say this.

It's okay. Even if you don't understand anything right now, it will properly build up.

It's okay to be impatient.
It's okay to be anxious.
It's okay to lack confidence.

Even so, if you face the small tasks right in front of you properly, when you look back someday, they will have become your foundation.

That is what I believe.

#ReturningToPreviousEmployer
#BlackCompany
#SalarymanInHis30s
#JobChange
#Career