Your First Month

The first few months is always awkward, so if you feel a bit unnerved or insecure, take comfort in knowing you are not alone; it happens to everyone.

Be prepared to take tons of notes and be a bit overwhelmed with all the new information and jargon you must learn. There is an expression: 'two ears, one mouth,' which means you should listen more than you talk. 

Even if you are an experienced Brand Ambassador, each company and each brand is different, so be prepared with questions and don't be afraid to ask them.

Be patient with yourself: if you feel unsure of what to do next or are stressing that you are not achieving things fast enough, that is entirely normal. I am here to tell you to stop stressing!! They took a long time to find you and they chose you over all the other candidates, they are not going to fire you.

Your first few months on the job are meant to accomplish the following:

• Learn your company's ways of working 
• Gain a deeper understanding of the brand(s) you'll represent.
• Create a target account list (TAL)
• Visit accounts to conduct research & introduce yourself 
• Get to know the sales team.
• Target "low hanging fruit" first (i.e., your friends' bars, practice your pitch on them, if the brand is the right fit see if they will take it in)
• Gather information to create a strategy to achieve future menu & product placement.

An important side note: 

You were just hired, and your bosses do not know you yet, and since you will be spending 95% of your time out of sight, you want to do everything possible to instill confidence in the people who brought you on board. 

So, always look presentable, get your expenses and reports in on time and send your direct report a weekly plan. These things will give them confidence that you are doing the job you were hired to do... even if you might not have a successful week, they will know you are trying and that you are reliable.