From Stressed Out Job to Thriving Saleswoman | Stef Talks About Her Job GLOW UP

Stephanie Lopez is a sales rep at Simple Power, a local solar company in Bakersfield California. She helps families save on their utility bills through solar! She was working a job that wasn’t making her happy, and took a leap of faith for something bigger. Her guts paid off as she began thriving in her newly discovered skill: selling.

I asked her about her job glow up to see what we can learn when wanting to take that big jump in our lives towards something better.

How did it feel when you made your first sale?

Exhilarating. I stayed up the night before writing a play by play of a solar close. I wrote everything I had to say and do word for word. The following day I showed up nervous, a stuttering mess, but followed the script I had spent countless hours studying. Sure enough, the homeowner signed. I left his house with my shirt drenched in sweat. Fists punching in the air as my coworker Anthony called to congratulate me. I’ll never forget it! A real rush.

What is the hardest part of your job?

The rejection. It’s this fear that enters your mind while knocking or asking for the deal during a presentation. But once you learn to tackle it, there’s no stopping you. What is something you have learned as a salesperson?

How to communicate! My communication and speaking skills sky rocketed after taking this job. I also feel way more confident in myself. Best sales skill I have taken in so far is to REALLY LISTEN. Not just with a customer, but people in general. See from their point of view and lead them in the correct direction.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Married to my fiancé Alyssa and having a baby. Investing the money I made in solar into a business. I have always wanted to own a small bar, but realistically speaking I’d like to invest in real estate. We pretty much all sell in life, whether we sell our partner on which movie to watch or convince our parents to loan us some money. What are 3 tips to be a better salesperson?

1. REALLY Listening to the other person’s reasoning/objections

2. Believing in your product/reason

3. Having good tonality and body language (being assertive) What struggles did you face in becoming a salesperson?

An overwhelming lack of support. I was told my career change from a steady salary to a commission job was reckless. That I was an anxious person and would never learn how to properly sell. I let it get to my head a lot. Especially when I first started dealing with rejection in this industry. I would think back on those people and wonder if they were right.

Would you do anything differently?

HECK YEAH I WOULD HAVE LEFT MY JOB AGES AGO. I think every person needs to have a job in sales at least once in their lives. What helped you the most in your success?

Two huge things! A combination of my brother-in-law and studying. I would watch YouTube videos, read sales books, listen to audio books and spent my entire day on our companies training site. Will taught me and gave me all of the tools I needed to succeed as well. I couldn’t have done it without him.

Do you have any crazy stories while working door to door?

Other than getting screamed at? I have met a lot of loving families who have welcomed me inside their homes seconds after knocking their doors. Feeding me dinner with left overs! How do you deal with rejection?

My fiancé LOL-ed as I read this to her. Not super well to be honest, I usually just take a nap. But overall I have gotten significantly better with how I handle it. I usually call someone from the office for a pep talk. What was your favorite moment so far in work?

The day I trained the office on how to close. One sales guy came up to me after and said he had needed that training. He thanked me and that day he went on to close a deal. Another sales guy said he wished he would have video taped it. I compared the close to Super Mario 64 and it was a hit! If someone is trying to become a salesperson in any field, what advice would you give them?

Give it your all! 100% and you WILL succeed. Take the time to study and the FULLY take the job on.

Stephanie Lopez

@gosolar.steph