Jul 25, 2017
Takeaways
- Set Tough, Aggressive Targets: I’ve always struggled with the concept of “quota” and “quota attainment.” Yes, of course we have to have goals for ourselves, but in my opinion, these should be the minimum expectations, not the end result. Whether your quota is $100,000 or $1,000,000 set your targets more aggressive. For instance, if you set an outlandish number of say 10X your goal and build your prospecting plan from there, you’re going to easily overshoot all expectations and leave your company wondering where they even got the number to begin with.
- Balance Personal Coaching with Professional Accountability: Too many salespeople focus solely on the end results -- asking, “how much did you close?” I’m sorry, but this is the wrong question and a sign you’re working for a poor sales leader. The only thing we can control is our daily behaviors and activities. That’s why it’s incredibly important to hold yourself accountable to consistent inputs. This is also where the balance of coaching should come into play. You can’t wait to weeks to get the coaching you need for daily behavior.
- Tie Personal Goals to Performance: What are the intrinsic motivations that cause you do what you do? Essentially, what is your why? Whether it’s buying a house, raising a kid, or just leveling up in your career, tying these personal goals to your daily behavior creates the constant effort need for long terms achievement.
Full Notes
https://www.salestuners.com/david-duncan/
Book Recommendations
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
- The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Matthew Dixon
Sponsor
- Costello – What if every sales rep inherited the habits of your best rep? With Costello, they do
Jul 18, 2017
Takeaways
- Take Advantage of Opportunity: There is a short window of time to take advantage of every opportunity. If you wait until an opportunity presents itself, it’s already too late. Seek out chances to learn, be more efficient, and give 100 percent from the get-go so you’re never in a position to wonder what might have been. Doors open on a daily basis, but oftentimes they are short and they are small. It’s crucial to take advantage of them when they’re there.
- Preparation and Repetition Always Win: You know what you need to do. You’ve spent time role playing real scenarios. You’ve paid attention in training and during your one-on-one’s. With that, don’t think that your sales manager knows something you don’t. You’re the one facing live fire every time you get on a call. Make sure you’re taking the time to prepare and let the repetition of muscle memory take control.
- Don’t Wait Until The End: The earlier you ask hard questions, the better. For instance, if you wait until the negotiation stage to start discussing budget, you’ve already lost. You need to be able to tie your value to real business problems without it looking like you’re now just trying to close a deal. Figure out how to show your prospect they’re better off with you, than without you by going deep in the beginning.
Full Notes
https://www.salestuners.com/cody-lamens/
Book Recommendation
- When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi by David Maraniss
Sponsor
- Costello – What if every sales rep inherited the habits of your best rep? With Costello, they do.
Jul 11, 2017
Takeaways
- Nice Guys Finish First: Kyle believes there’s a misconception out there that salespeople who are selfish are the ones who win the most business. He says It’s the other way around. When you sell with service on your mind (and heart), you will succeed. The best salespeople are the ones who care so much they’re willing to go out on the edge and work hard to make sure their organization accomplishes the thing or solves the problem it aims to solve. What that means starts with doing research beforehand and digging into the needs of the prospect, but it goes deeper than that. Be honest. Be upfront with them. Solve their problem, whatever it may be.
- Practice Sincerity: If you’re not sincere about it, your job is over before it even starts. Instead, find ways to eliminate tasks that don’t require sincerity. Converting accounts is a process that requires empathy. That means finding not only the right people to call, but taking it a step farther and having meaningful conversations about how you can make their lives better. Finding something to love about what you represent will take you far. Knowing in your heart that what you’re selling with make someone’s life better can be the difference between a converted account and a dead lead.
- Sell Yourself First: If you don’t believe in what you’re selling, no trendy sales strategy is going to help you. The first person who needs to be sold in any sort of engagement is the actual seller themselves. Because if you believe in something, if it is a fundamental belief of yours, you are truly representing it as best you can by using it to serve others. From there, you can convert target accounts to customer accounts because you have a belief system in place that empowers you to take on whatever obstacles and hurdles necessary.
- Breakthrough the Clutter: Nearly everyone is on email overload these days, and there are apps and filters galore that stand between your message and your desired audience. While the first thing you need to do is stand out with a catchy email subject line, getting a response to your outreach should follow four steps: show the pains of the organization, hypothesize solutions, define clear next steps and demonstrate persistence.
Full Notes
https://www.salestuners.com/kyle-porter/
Book Recommendation
- The Joshua Principle: Leadership Secrets of RSVP Selling by Tony Hughes and Mike LeMaster
- The Truth About Leads by Dan McDade
Sponsor
- Costello – What if every sales rep inherited the habits of your best rep? With Costello, they do.
Jul 4, 2017
Takeaways
- Make Planned Calls, Not Random Calls: For many people it doesn’t take long to realize that quality over quantity matters. For example, sometimes it’s not about how many calls you make. It’s about making planned calls that target specific prospects. Instead of working your way through a list and starting over at the beginning, make calls to the same two or three prospects in the same account on the same day.
- It’s Hard to Say No to Someone Personally: Face to face communication is huge and while you may not be able to personally meet all of your prospects at conferences, you can introduce yourself by video. It’s friendly and personal and offers you a different way to open up conversations. It’s really hard to say no to somebody when you see their face and they are more humanized.
- Ditch the Buzzwords and Generalities: Quit trying to make everything scale. Paul Graham wrote a great blog post all about intentionally doing things that don’t scale. When you try to stuff a script with all the features and benefits of your product while combining that with every possible use cases you solve, you end up appealing to no one. Try to bucket your prospects into groups of known challenges and then speak directly to them in the phrases they use to describe the problem needing solved.
Full Notes
https://www.salestuners.com/lauren-wadsworth/
Book Recommendation
- Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success by Sylvia Ann Hewlett
Sponsor
- Costello – What if every sales rep inherited the habits of your best rep? With Costello, they do.
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