Congratulations on the new sales job! Even if it isn’t your first job in the field, you may feel a bit anxious. You likely feel the pressure to meet (and exceed) expectations, as well as get comfortable with your new team and co-​workers. Chris Gillespie, freelancer writer and founder of Find A Way Media, understands these feelings because he has been there many times. In a recent blog post, Gillespie shares 11 tips for settling in for success in a new sales role. Below are three highlights:

• Leverage your mentor. Mentors are invaluable, especially when beginning a new job. He or she can quickly bring you up to speed on the company culture and help you adjust. Not assigned a mentor? No problem, Gillespie says. Take the initiative and approach one of the sales leaders. “Pitch them on how helping you will make them look good, especially when they help you sell something fast. Then, get their permission to spend time observing them in their prep, on their calls, and in meetings.”
• Learn how deals get done. Each company has different deal stages. Take time to learn as much as you can about each stage. Find out the groups involved at each stage and how each group functions. This helps you learn where to go when you need assistance in the future.
• Know what is expected. The honeymoon phase of a new job inevitably ends. “While everybody loves to hear warm, fuzzy, and optimistic things during the onboarding process like ‘With your experience, you’ll be performing in no time,’ you need to iron out exactly what ‘performing’ entails,” Gillespie advises. “Does that mean hitting quota in two weeks? Two months? A year?” Avoid future blame by creating SMART goals (simple, measurable, actionable, realistic, and timely). Then, get exact numbers from your supervisor so there are no unknowns.

Starting a new sales role is an exciting time. Minimize anxiety, and future headaches, by putting Gillespie’s thoughtful tips into action.