Many factors can influence whether you hit your sales quota. You might not be spending enough time prospecting, or you might be dealing with an inefficient sales process. It could be that your sales pipeline is running dry or that you’re not benefiting from sales coaching or training.
Serena Miller, the editor, sales best practices at Outreach, says that 67% of sales reps don’t meet their individual quotas, which can affect your organization’s bottom line. Predictably reaching your sales quota can be a big ask, but it can be done by following a few best practices. In this issue of PromoPro Daily, we highlight Miller’s top tips to hit your quotas regularly.
1. Personalize every experience. This can be a powerful way to nudge the prospect through the buying process. Miller recommends looking at it from the prospect’s perspective. They want to work with someone who understands their challenges and arrives with a thoughtful, personalized solution.
2. Establish and track achievable goals. Sales quotas are a vital part of measuring rep performance, Miller says. Once you get a baseline of your current reps’ performance, decide which company-wide goals you’d like to prioritize. Then, outline secondary goals that support them and establish which actions each seller should perform to reach your larger business goals.
3. Reassess your prospecting process. You need a strong process to build a healthy sales pipeline. According to Miller, your process should include deep research, standardized qualification, personalized outreach, thorough discovery and confident negotiation tactics.
4. Don’t get bogged down with the wrong tasks. It’s all too easy to get caught up in administrative or manual tasks instead of using your time for prospecting or selling. Take time to prioritize tasks, leaving room to nurture prospects and customers.
5. Practice active listening. Miller says salespeople sometimes get attached to established ways of doing things. Once they discover an effective tactic, they might try to use the same tactic with every customer. This isn’t a good idea because every client is different and has their own set of obstacles, constraints and goals. When you practice active listening, you can begin to identify and solve customer needs on both an individual and broad basis.
Predictably hitting your quota every month doesn’t have to feel like a pipe dream. Focus on providing personalized experiences, set and track goals, and make sure you’re using all your resources wisely. When you do, you can be more efficient in your sales efforts and more effective in conveying your value.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Serena Miller is the editor, sales best practices at Outreach.