Top 5 things you’ll learn in Revenue School

By Heidi Hayes, Revenue School Associate, Canada

If you’re thinking about pursuing a career in sales and applying for Revenue School, you’re probably wondering what skills you’ll gain and how it can elevate your career.

After graduating from college, I decided sales was for me. I had some experience in retail and fell in love with the process of helping customers make the right purchasing decisions. My experience in this program has been nothing short of exceptional - and here’s a sneak peak of what you’ll learn.

1. The Shopify product suite A-Z.

When I joined Shopify, I knew it was a multinational ecommerce company, but I didn’t know about all of the value the platform offers customers. 

Revenue School provides you with a deep dive into the features and functionality of the various ecommerce plans, the entire product suite, and how the products stand out. By the end of the program, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to gain a solid understanding of Shopify products and the ecommerce landscape. 

2. Foundational sales skills.

You’ll get an opportunity to shadow people in various sales roles to get a better understanding of what it’s like to work directly with customers (we call them “merchants” at Shopify). You’ll receive training on how to ask questions to understand the customer's needs, handle customer objections (e.g., budget constraints, timing, etc.), maintain control during calls, sell the value, and use the various tools to support your day-to-day tasks. The program also emphasizes using empathy and ethics to ensure you’re helping customers make good decisions for the long term. 

You’ll also meet with salespeople on different teams from account executives to solutions engineers. The program also brings in sales coaches and leaders that provide amazing presentations on how to succeed in sales. These sessions will give you insight, tools, and advice to ensure you’ll be ready to start making your first calls. You’ll also hear from early and experienced salespeople and receive different perspectives on how they approach the sales process, while gaining an understanding of the foundational skills you’ll need to be successful. 

3. How to handle calls with confidence.

To be great at sales, it's a given that you must be great at communicating - and this is a skill you can improve upon with practice and guidance. There will be many opportunities to refine your communication skills through pitching and one-on-one feedback sessions with sales leaders. You’ll also participate in writing workshops and work on assignments to get the chance to put your skills to the test. 

You’ll learn how to give and receive feedback, perform role plays with your peers and coaches, and hold mock sales calls. Here at Shopify, we value a growth mindset and you’ll receive detailed feedback throughout to support your development.

4. Master your time and thrive in the tech environment. 

Good time management is a key skill in any profession, but especially in sales to ensure you’re productive and don’t miss important details. At Revenue School, you’ll learn about time management and the tools to support you. You'll discover the importance of having a single source of truth in your calendar while managing many different tasks and meetings. 

You’ll also receive training on sales software to help you plan your outreach strategies, manage opportunities, and reach out to prospects. By the time you shadow a sales team, you’ll have the confidence to hit the ground running.

Sales is known to be stressful at times. The program also puts an emphasis on wellness sessions and paying attention to your well-being and living a balanced life so that you can thrive in your position. 

5. Make powerful connections with other Shopifolk.

Given the remote work landscape at Shopify, you might be worried about how networking is impacted. I can assure you there is no shortage of opportunities to network and build relationships at Shopify. You’ll be placed in a cohort with other new grads who will go through the program with you. 

You’ll also be able to meet with other Shopifolk through onboarding, shadowing, Q&A sessions, personal development sessions, sales presentations, and introductions to sales leaders within the organization. From the first onboarding session, you’ll be encouraged to take advantage of what we call “coffee chats” so you can meet new people, learn about different roles, and build your network.  

I truly believe that this experience gives you an accelerated advantage when it comes time to start your first sales role. If you’re thinking about applying after graduation, I highly recommend checking out “​​7 tips on how to apply for a job when you have little to no experience.”