Before we talk about what you need to learn, let's talk about what you already know.
Most people approach learning sales backwards. They assume they're starting from zero. They think, "I need to learn everything from scratch."
But that's not true. You're not starting from zero. You're starting from years of experience using these exact same skills—you just didn't know they had names.
The moment I realized I wasn’t starting from zero:
Early in my role, I was terrified. My manager asked me: “Have you ever convinced someone to do something? Have you ever explained why they should try something new? Have you ever negotiated anything?”
And I realized: I’d been doing all of that for years. I just didn’t call it “sales.”
This assessment is designed to help you do the same thing—recognize what you already have. Because once you see it, you can't unsee it. And that recognition builds confidence faster than anything else.
Answer these questions honestly. Don't rush. Really think about your answers. And write them down—this isn't just an exercise you do in your head.
1. Think about a time you convinced someone to try something they were hesitant about.
Maybe it was convincing your partner to try a new restaurant. Maybe it was getting your kid to give a new activity a chance. Maybe it was persuading a friend to watch a show you loved.
What did you do to convince them?
Write your answer:
Here's the truth:
That was sales. You identified their hesitation, addressed it, positioned the value, and helped them make a decision. That's literally what B2B sales reps do every day.
2. Think about a time you had to negotiate something.
Maybe it was negotiating your salary. Maybe it was getting a better price on a car or a piece of furniture. Maybe it was working out a schedule with your boss or a contractor.
How did you approach it?
Write your answer:
Here's the truth:
That was deal-making. You identified what you needed, understood what the other person needed, and found a way to make it work. That's exactly what happens in sales negotiations.
3. Think about a time someone came to you for advice or help solving a problem.
Maybe a friend was struggling with a decision and asked what you thought. Maybe a coworker needed help figuring something out. Maybe your kid came to you with a problem at school.
What did you do?
Write your answer:
Here's the truth:
That was consultative selling. You asked discovery questions, identified the real problem, and helped them see a solution. That's what top salespeople do—they don't push products, they solve problems.
4. What are you naturally good at that people come to you for?
This could be anything. Maybe you're great at organizing. Maybe you're the person who always knows what to say when someone's upset. Maybe you're good at explaining complicated things in simple terms.
Think about what people say about you:
Write your answer:
Here's the truth:
Every one of those strengths translates to sales. Communication = presenting. Organization = pipeline management. Empathy = understanding client needs. Following through = closing deals.
5. Think about a time you handled conflict or a difficult conversation.
Maybe you had to have a tough conversation with a coworker. Maybe you had to address something with your kid's teacher. Maybe you had to resolve a dispute between friends or family members.
How did you navigate it?
Write your answer:
Here's the truth:
That was objection handling and relationship management. You didn't avoid the hard conversation—you navigated it professionally. That's exactly what you do when a client has concerns or pushback.
6. Think about a time you had to sell yourself.
Maybe it was a job interview. Maybe it was convincing a teacher, a landlord, or a coach to give you a chance. Maybe it was asking someone out. Maybe it was pitching an idea to your family or your team.
What did you do to make your case?
Write your answer:
Here's the truth:
That was personal branding and pitching. In sales, every first conversation is a version of this—you’re asking someone to invest their time, attention, and eventually their money. You’ve been making that case your whole life. Now you’re going to do it on purpose, for someone else’s product, and get paid for it.
Sales isn't just about conversations. It's about how you organize your time, manage competing priorities, and keep things moving even when everything changes. Sound familiar? You've been running this operating system your whole life.
7. How do you plan your week when you're balancing work, kids, and everything else?
Think about a typical week. You're juggling schedules, meals, appointments, deadlines, school events, and your own needs. How do you make it all fit?
Think about what you actually do:
Write your answer:
Here's the truth:
That's pipeline management and territory planning. In sales, you're managing dozens of prospects at different stages, prioritizing who needs attention, and making sure nothing falls through the cracks. You've been doing this with far higher stakes—your family.
8. How do you build routines, schedules, or checklists that actually work?
Maybe you've created a morning routine that keeps the household running. Maybe you have a system for meal prep, homework time, or bedtime. Maybe you've built checklists for grocery runs, travel packing, or work tasks.
What systems have you created?
Write your answer:
Here's the truth:
That's process building—one of the most valuable skills in sales. Top performers build repeatable systems for outreach, follow-up, and client management. You're already someone who creates order out of chaos. Sales just gives you a new context to apply it.
9. How do you handle last-minute changes while keeping things moving?
The babysitter cancels. A meeting gets moved. Your kid gets sick on a day you had plans. Something breaks. Life throws a curveball and you have to adjust—without everything else falling apart.
How do you adapt?
Write your answer:
Here's the truth:
That's adaptability under pressure—the single most important skill when a deal shifts, a client changes their timeline, or a prospect throws you a curveball on a call. You don't freeze. You adjust. That's what great salespeople do.
Read through your answers. Really look at them.
You just documented proof that you've been using sales skills for years. Persuasion. Negotiation. Problem-solving. Communication. Conflict resolution. Relationship-building.
You're not starting from zero.
You're starting from years of experience. You just need to learn how to use these skills on purpose—in a professional context, with a strategy behind them.
Every time you've convinced someone, negotiated something, solved a problem, handled conflict, or built a relationship—you were practicing sales. You just didn't have the title.
The difference between what you've been doing and what professional salespeople do? They do it intentionally. They understand the psychology behind it. They have frameworks and strategies. And they get paid for it.
That's what this course teaches you. Not new skills. How to use the ones you already have—on purpose, with strategy, in a way that generates income.
Before you move on:
Save your answers. You're going to want to reference them later—especially when you're building your LinkedIn profile or interviewing for roles.
These examples are proof of your capabilities. They're your transferable skills in action. They're evidence that you can do this.
Ready for Module 2? We're about to destroy the six myths that have been holding you back.
Now that you can see you have real, documented proof of sales skills, let's take it one step further. I want you to actually translate what you do every day into the language companies use when they hire salespeople. Because here's the thing: hiring managers aren't going to ask you "Have you ever convinced your kid to eat vegetables?" They're going to ask about consultative selling, pipeline management, and objection handling. But you already know how to do all of those things. You just need to learn the vocabulary.
Below is your Skills Translation Matrix. This is the cheat sheet that turns your lived experience into professional sales language. Study it. Save it. You're going to use it in Week 4 when you build your resume and LinkedIn profile.
| What You Call It | What Sales Calls It | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Convincing someone to try something new | Prospecting & Persuasion | You already know how to position value and overcome initial resistance |
| Helping a friend work through a tough decision | Consultative Selling / Discovery | You ask questions, listen for the real problem, and guide them to clarity |
| Negotiating a better price or deal | Deal Negotiation & Closing | You understand give-and-take, know your bottom line, and find creative solutions |
| Juggling kids, work, errands, and deadlines | Pipeline Management & Prioritization | You manage multiple moving pieces without dropping the ball |
| Having a tough conversation without it blowing up | Objection Handling & Relationship Management | You stay calm under pressure and find a way forward |
| Getting a refund or resolution from customer service | Negotiation & Persistence | You don't give up, you stay professional, and you get the outcome you need |
| Building morning routines and family systems | Process Building & Sales Operations | You create repeatable systems that work consistently |
| Adapting when plans fall apart at the last minute | Agility & Problem Solving | You pivot fast, re-prioritize, and keep everything moving |
Real Talk from Katherine:
When I first saw a list like this, I cried. Not kidding. I had spent years feeling like I wasn't qualified for anything beyond retail. And then someone showed me that the stuff I was doing every single day at home and at work was the exact same stuff companies were paying $60K, $80K, $100K+ for. I just didn't have the language. This matrix gives you the language. Don't underestimate how powerful that is.
Here's something I wish someone had told me before I walked into my first interview: confidence isn't something you feel. It's something you build with evidence. And you just spent this entire module creating evidence. Now I want you to organize it into what I call your Confidence Bank.
Your Confidence Bank is a collection of 5 specific stories from your life that prove you can sell, negotiate, solve problems, manage complexity, and build relationships. You're going to use these stories again and again throughout this course. They'll become your interview answers, your LinkedIn bullet points, and the proof you reach for when imposter syndrome tries to convince you that you don't belong.
Your 5 Confidence Bank Stories
For each one, write 3-4 sentences about a specific moment. Include what happened, what you did, and what the result was. Be as specific as possible. "I helped a friend" is not a story. "My friend was about to sign a terrible lease, and I helped her negotiate a $200/month reduction by finding comparable listings in the area" is a story.
Story 1: A time you persuaded someone
Sales skill: Prospecting & Persuasion
Story 2: A time you negotiated a better outcome
Sales skill: Deal Negotiation & Closing
Story 3: A time you helped someone solve a hard problem
Sales skill: Consultative Selling
Story 4: A time you managed chaos and kept things on track
Sales skill: Pipeline Management & Prioritization
Story 5: A time you handled a difficult conversation with grace
Sales skill: Objection Handling & Relationship Management
Why 5 stories? Because that's all you need.
In every interview, on every LinkedIn profile, in every cover letter, you're going to be asked some version of "Tell me about a time you..." and these 5 stories will cover 90% of those questions. You'll learn how to adapt them to different situations in Week 4. For now, just get them documented.
Save these somewhere you won't lose them. A Google Doc, your Notes app, wherever. You will need them.
Now let's zoom out from the stories and focus on patterns. Look at everything you've written in this module. What themes keep showing up? Are you the person who stays calm when everything is on fire? The one who always knows the right question to ask? The one who people trust with their biggest decisions?
I want you to identify your top 3 strengths and connect each one to a sales role that needs exactly that strength. This isn't about guessing. It's about reading the evidence you already created.
Strength #1
How this maps to sales:
Strength #2
How this maps to sales:
Strength #3
How this maps to sales:
Real Talk from Katherine:
When I did this exercise, my top 3 were: persistence (I don't give up), empathy (I genuinely care about people's problems), and organization (I keep every plate spinning). None of those are "sales skills" in the traditional sense. But they're the exact qualities that made me one of the top reps at my company. Your strengths don't have to sound fancy. They just have to be real. And they have to be yours.
Why this exercise matters beyond Week 1:
The stories you just documented are going to show up again in Week 4. They’re your interview answers. They’re the proof points on your LinkedIn profile. They’re the foundation of every cover letter you write.
This isn’t just a self-awareness exercise. It’s research. You’re cataloguing evidence that you are qualified—evidence that most candidates with years of experience can’t produce because they never stopped to look for it.
Save these answers. Screenshot them. Put them somewhere you can find them. You will need them in Week 4.
What you just learned shows up differently depending on which sales path you're exploring. Click your path to see how this applies to you specifically.
In B2B sales, your self-assessment skills translate directly into account management and relationship building. The persuasion skills you identified? Those are the same muscles you'll use on discovery calls when you're helping a procurement manager see why your solution solves their problem. The negotiation experience you documented? That's exactly what happens when you're working through contract terms with a decision-maker.
B2B sales cycles are longer, which means relationship skills matter even more. The patience you have when helping a friend work through a big decision is the same patience that wins accounts worth tens of thousands of dollars. You're not closing someone in five minutes. You're building trust over weeks or months, and that plays perfectly to the strengths most women already have.
Your pipeline management skills from running a household? They map directly to managing a CRM full of prospects at different stages. You already know how to keep track of who needs what and when. In B2B, that's called territory management, and it's one of the most critical skills companies look for.
The stories you wrote in your Confidence Bank are going to be gold in B2B interviews. Hiring managers for SDR and BDR roles want to hear about times you were persistent, organized, and built trust with someone. You now have 5 stories that prove exactly that.
Before you move on, let's make sure the key concepts really clicked. Answer all questions correctly to unlock the next lesson.
1. What is "consultative selling" most similar to in everyday life?
2. When you negotiate a better price on a purchase, which sales skill are you using?
3. True or False: You need formal sales training before you can use sales skills.
4. Pipeline management in sales is most similar to which everyday task?
5. What is the most important thing companies look for in entry-level sales candidates?
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