Sales is a high stress, competitive function with steep targets. Everyone wants to do better and overachieve targets. However, every sales team has a rockstar everyone is jealous of. His sales game is always on point. He moves fast, closes more deals and takes away all the appreciation.

Is it that they do something different? Yes, they do. Dave is one such sales rockstar who has been on a fast track to his sales career growth. Let’s look at how Dave brews his secret sauce:

1. He builds relationships

Sales is a process-oriented function where the sales rep and the company has a lot of back and forth. Every aspect of the sale is scrutinized and negotiated. Dave handles this process with a lot of care. He answers all the questions diligently and tries to be available all the time. He tries to build a long and lasting relationship with the client. This helps the client to build trust and makes the whole process smoother.

Building a long and trusting relationship with the client is mutually beneficial in the long run.

2. He asks for referrals

Point 2 is an outcome of Point 1. Because Dave has an excellent working relationship with his client, he can ask for a referral more easily. The client also doesn’t mind giving one. A classic mistake most sales reps make is not asking for referrals. Dave makes it a point to ask for one almost every time.

Referrals are credible and quality leads which convert much faster as well – still only 1 in 10 sales reps ask for a referral. Every sales rep sound make it a point to imbibe referrals in their process.

3. He utilizes tools & materials

Dave makes sure he makes the most of the tools available to him. One great example is giving the client to let the client book slots for meetings or demos from an open calendar. This way the chances of meetings getting canceled is lowered. Dave also invests some time going over the marketing material provided and makes use of it strategically in his communication.

Maintaining an integrated front for the client is important for a firm. It helps them build trust and decrease the apprehension of the prospect to close the deal.

4. He meets with an agenda

When Dave asks for a meeting with a prospect he knows what he wants out of the meeting. He prepares for it and communicates the same with the prospect. This makes him look professional and polished. Our research shows a sale goes through after the 3rd meeting in most of the cases. However, most of the times the sales rep never reaches the 3rd meeting. One more benefit of having a structure chalked out gives you the chance to keep the prospect engaged and interested in what you have to say longer.

5. He calendarizes like a pro

Dave takes a bit out time at the start of his day to plan it, send calendar invites and keep his pipeline ready for the day. He ensures that every minute of his day is accounted for and it helps him do something productive every working minute. It also helps him understand how much workload he has and how much more workload he can take on.

6. He knows how to automate

Automating mundane tasks is the key to move ahead and Dave knows this. He does things like every utilizing the unique email address assigned to him by Salesforce. He blind-copies himself with that email address on an email to a customer or prospect, it automatically records that email as an activity in the contact’s record. He also keeps himself updated on different automation tools available and informs his manager when he sees something that can take his efforts to the next level.

7. He is a brutal critique

Dave knows that he is only human and not on his A-game each time. Instead of losing hope, he scrutinizes his own actions and gives himself some healthy criticism. He also takes up certain things with his manager and asks for tips on how to tackle a particular situation better.

This helps him stay grounded and not repeat any mistakes again.

8. He is alert

Dave keeps an eye out for competition and learns from his peers. If they are doing better than him, he observes them and takes healthy tips to make his performance better. He is always on the lookout for people better than him, in and out of the organization. When he sees an opportunity to make himself better he takes it.

Since sales is a highly competitive function, most people refrain from sharing the ‘tricks of the trade’. Which means most sales reps end up sticking to their own ways instead of looking out for what’s working for other people. Healthy sharing is a way of making sure everyone grows.

Dave is a smart guy. Be like Dave.

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