By Jared Freedland | Organizational Leadership Emphasis | Spring 2025
What does it really take to succeed in sales?
That’s the question I set out to answer through my senior project.
I wanted to know what it truly takes to succeed in business-to-business (B2B) sales, what skills matter, what challenges to expect, and how professionals actually grow in their roles. So I took a two-step approach:
- I interviewed sales professionals to hear their personal insights.
- I conducted online research to compare expert advice with real-world experiences.
But first, why this topic?
As someone preparing to enter the sales field after graduation, I wanted this project to directly connect to my future career. What better way to prepare than to research the very path I’m about to walk?
Once I had my interviews, I went a step further. I transcribed them, read through every word, and coded them, marking themes and patterns that kept showing up. From that, I identified 8 key themes that kept showing up:
- Learning & Growth (Green)
- Communication (Pink)
- Data & KPIs (Teal)
- Sales Activities (Blue)
- Customer Relationships (Yellow)
- Team Support (Purple)
- Will to Win (Red)
- Resilience (Orange)
I also realized that there are two distinct types of roles in B2B sales:
- Business Development Representatives (BDRs) focus on generating new opportunities.
- Account Managers (AMs) focus on supporting and growing current client relationships.
So I split my interviews evenly: 3 BDRs and 3 AMs, to see what success looks like in each role.
After coding the interviews, I tallied how often each theme came up and ranked them. This gave me a unique view into what each role values most. I then compared my interview findings with my research findings.
Overall, here are my top 5 takeaways:
- Customer Relationships ranked #1 for AMs, and Sales Activities ranked #1 for BDRs showing just how critical trust and connection are for long-term growth for AMs and how important volume, outreach, and consistency is for BDRs in prospecting.
- Being coachable is a game-changer. Everyone I spoke to mentioned the value of feedback and being willing to grow. No matter how long they’d been in sales, successful reps never stopped learning.
- Tracking KPIs and knowing your numbers also proved essential. Data helps guide success, no matter the role.
- Sales is a team sport. Especially for BDRs, peer support and shared learning were crucial. People leaned on each other to keep momentum and motivation high.
- There’s no magic trait. It’s not about being naturally gifted at sales, it’s about combining skills like grit, communication, resilience, and adaptability.
This project taught me so much, not just about sales, but about how to approach learning in a meaningful, professional way. I loved diving into the interviews, discovering real insights, and seeing how theory meets reality. I’m excited to take everything I’ve learned and bring it into my future career in sales!