The Sales Vault

What New Reps Get Wrong

What New Reps Get Wrong

It's 5pm and you accomplished very little. No sales, just busy work. What's missing? The answer is in Bill Farquharson's blog this week.

One of the biggest mistakes in your first sales job is confusing motion with progress.

If you’re new to sales and wondering, “Why am I not getting sales yet?” this is usually the reason.

The cure? Structure.

There are two types of activity in sales:

  1. Maintenance Activity
    • Responding to emails
    • Researching endlessly
    • Internal meetings
    • Proposal tweaks
    • Administrative work

This feels productive. But it rarely answers the question: How do I build a sales pipeline as a new sales rep?

  1. Pipeline-Building Activity
    • Prospecting calls
    • Conversations with decision-makers
    • Setting first appointments
    • Following up consistently
    • Asking open-ended diagnostic questions

This is how you generate leads when you’re new to sales. This is what belongs inside a daily prospecting plan for beginners.

If you want to know how to be successful in your first 90 days in sales, understand this:

  • Only pipeline-building activity creates future revenue.
  • Revenue is a lagging indicator.
  • Pipeline activity is not.

If you’re asking yourself what you should be doing in your first sales role each day, start here.

Build pipeline first.

Everything else comes second.

Need structure? You know where to find me.

New Program! Join Any Time

Subscribe Now

Follow Bill on LinkedIn and subscribe to the Short Attention Span Sales Newsletter to get these tips delivered straight to your inbox!

Join the sales vault

Join with your sales team and save! Association Members & Franchise Owners may qualify for a discount. View Partners→

Contact Bill

What The Sales Vault Community is Saying

Rated 5 out of 5
Rated 5 out of 5
Rated 5 out of 5
Rated 5 out of 5
Rated 5 out of 5
Rated 5 out of 5

Trusted by Leading Brands & Associations

Join the top companies and industry groups that rely on The Sales Vault to elevate their sales performance.

Get Started today!

Simple, Flexible Memberships

Get unlimited access to our entire library, live workshops, and AI training—without breaking the bank.

Scroll to Top

Get Bill's Weekly Tips Delivered to Your Inbox

Sales tips are released every Monday morning.  As always get Bill’s Free Weekly Sales Tip at SalesVault.pro. Bookmark the page: This Week’s Tip

Looking for a notification by email? Connect with Bill Farquharson on LinkedIn and Subscribe to his Weekly Newsletter.

Get notified via LinkedIn

Please note, you will need to join LinkedIn to connect with Bill and subscribe.