How to get into sales with no experience
To get into sales with no experience, start with an entry role that teaches you the basics on the job, such as appointment setting, inside sales or customer-facing retail, and build from there. Learn one simple sales framework, practise it out loud until it feels natural, and show employers the people skills you already have from teaching, nursing, retail or parenting. Expect a learning curve: many sales roles include commission, and confidence (and pay) usually grows over months, not weeks.
Do you really need experience to get into sales?
Usually not. In the US, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says that for sales representatives selling non-technical products, “a high school diploma is typically sufficient”, and much of the learning happens through on-the-job training. Employers hiring entry-level salespeople care far more about how you talk to people, how you handle rejection and whether you’re coachable than about a sales title on your CV.
I’m proof of that. I started as a primary school teacher in a small town, with no sales background at all. My first taste of sales was network marketing in 2014, I worked as a fitness coach from 2017, and when I moved into remote sales in 2020, I made $440 in my first month. Not typical, not glamorous, but it was a start, and I’ve since generated over $10M in online sales. The skills were learnable. That’s the point.
Skills you already have (and how to sell them)
The hardest part for most career changers is believing their background counts. It does. Here’s how common backgrounds translate:
| Your background | What you already do | How it shows up in sales |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching | Explain ideas simply, manage a room, handle pushback from kids and parents | Running a clear call, handling objections, keeping control of the conversation |
| Nursing and healthcare | Stay calm under pressure, ask careful questions, build trust fast | Discovery questions, listening for the real problem, building rapport |
| Retail and hospitality | Read customers, upsell, cope with busy shifts and difficult people | Reading buying signals, recommending the right option, resilience |
| Parenting | Negotiate, stay patient, juggle priorities, follow through | Negotiation, follow-up, managing a pipeline of leads |
| Admin and customer service | Organisation, CRM and phone confidence, solving problems | Appointment setting, lead tracking, smooth handovers to closers |
When you apply, don’t write “no sales experience”. Write what you did: “explained complex topics to 28 students and 50 parents a term” or “calmed anxious patients and gathered key information quickly”. Specific beats humble every time.
How to get into sales with no experience: step by step
Step 1: Pick your entry point
Not all sales jobs are equally beginner-friendly. The most common starting roles are:
- Appointment setter: you contact or reply to leads, qualify them and book them in with a closer. It’s usually the gentlest way in. Read more about appointment setter jobs from home.
- Inside sales or sales development rep: similar to setting, often in a company team with a base wage and targets.
- Retail or in-store sales: not remote, but a fast way to get real reps with real customers.
- Closer: runs the actual sales conversation. Usually a step up once you’ve built skill; see what is a remote closer and the closer vs setter comparison.
Step 2: Understand how you’ll be paid
This is where many beginners get caught out. Sales pay is often a mix of base and commission, and some remote roles are commission-only. For a sense of entry-level pay, Payscale reports US appointment setters average $16.08 an hour in base pay, with commission on top, based on 76 salary profiles. That’s US data, and it varies a lot by company, industry and location. Before accepting any role, ask:
- Is there a base wage, or is it commission-only?
- What’s the commission rate, and when is it paid?
- Where do the leads come from, and how many will I get?
- What does a realistic first three months look like for a new starter?
If they can’t answer those clearly, that tells you something.
Step 3: Learn one simple framework
Don’t try to learn everything. Most good sales conversations follow a similar shape:
- Open: set the agenda and build a little rapport.
- Discover: ask questions about where they are, where they want to be and what’s in the way.
- Clarify: repeat their problem back in their words so they feel heard.
- Present: show how the offer solves that specific problem (not every feature).
- Handle concerns: money, time, “I need to think about it”. Get curious, not defensive.
- Ask: clearly invite them to decide.
The discovery part is where teachers and nurses tend to shine, because asking good questions is already your job.
Want to see if remote sales could work for you? Book a free call with the She Sells team.
Step 4: Practise out loud, a lot
Reading about sales doesn’t make you good at sales. Talking does. Ways to practise for free:
- Role play with a friend or partner: give them a list of objections and run the call start to finish.
- Record yourself: listen back for filler words, rushing and talking over the other person.
- Write and rehearse your answers to the five most common objections until they sound like you, not a script.
- Practise messaging: appointment setting often happens in DMs and texts, so practise short, friendly, clear replies.
Step 5: Build simple proof
Without experience, proof is what gets you hired. Record a short mock call, write a one-page summary of how you’d handle a lead, or ask a local business if you can help with their follow-up calls for a set period. Bring it to interviews. It shows initiative and lowers the risk of hiring you.
Step 6: Apply smartly
Target industries you understand. A former nurse selling health services or a teacher selling education programs starts with credibility. Tailor each application, lead with your transferable skills, and be ready to role play in the interview, because some sales interviews include one.
Step 7: Give it time
Your first few months are for learning. Track your numbers (calls, conversations, bookings, closes), ask for feedback on recordings, and look for one improvement a week. Results in sales take time, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you something.
What to avoid when you’re starting out
Beginners are the main target for dodgy “sales opportunities”. I started in network marketing, so I know how appealing they can sound. Watch for:
- Pay-to-join schemes: starter kits, buy-ins or stock you must buy to stay “active”.
- Recruit-to-earn models: the US Federal Trade Commission warns that when promoters emphasise recruiting as the real way to make money, that’s a red flag, and that most people who join MLMs make little or no money.
- Employers who charge you for the job: the FTC is clear that honest employers will never ask you to pay to get a job. Paid training is a separate decision you make for yourself; judge it on what it teaches, who teaches it and its refund terms.
- Income promises: no legitimate sales role can promise what you’ll earn.
- Pushy, manipulative tactics: if a company trains you to pressure people, walk away. Good sales is helping the right people decide, and being fine with a “no”.
Getting structured support
You can absolutely teach yourself, using the steps above. If you’d rather learn with coaching and practice partners, She Sells (a registered trademark) runs two programs. She Launches is the foundation, with live coaching, role play and frameworks; it doesn’t include direct placement. She Soars is the career program through the She Sells Cert III in Remote Sales certificate; once you’re certified, our recruitment team works with you to land a role within 90 days, or your money back. See our programs, or start free with the She Sells community and the “She’s Not Selling” podcast.
Still weighing up your options? Our guide to the best remote jobs for women compares sales with other work-from-home paths.
Ready to find out if sales suits you? Book a free call with the She Sells team.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest sales job to get with no experience?
Appointment setting is usually the easiest entry point because the job is focused on starting conversations and booking calls rather than closing deals. Retail sales and inside sales roles are also common first jobs. Each gives you real practice that you can build on.
Can a teacher or nurse move into sales?
Yes. Teachers already explain ideas, manage pushback and hold attention, and nurses ask careful questions and build trust quickly, which are core sales skills. The move is mostly about learning a sales structure and practising it, then showing employers how your background applies.
How long does it take to get good at sales?
It varies, but most people need a few months of regular calls and feedback before they feel confident. Progress comes from volume and reviewing your own calls, not from reading. Expect early results to be uneven.
Is commission-only sales worth it for a beginner?
It can be, but it’s risky if you need a reliable income straight away. Look closely at lead quality, the commission rate and what new starters actually earn in their first months. If you can, start with a role that includes a base wage while you build skill.
Do I need a degree to work in sales?
For most entry-level sales roles, no. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics notes a high school diploma is typically enough for sales roles selling non-technical products, while technical or scientific sales often requires a degree. Employers mostly look at communication, resilience and coachability.
Results vary. Nothing here is a promise of income — see our earnings disclaimer.
