If you’re new to your sales organization, you’re probably eager to get up to speed quickly. Fortunately, by implementing a few tried-and-true strategies, you can rise to the top of your company in a relatively short amount of time.
Marc Wayshak, an advisor and best-selling author, has compiled nine tips for sales beginners to start off strong. In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we discuss these pro tips for new salespeople.
1. Model what works. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Wayshak encourages new salespeople to identify those in the organization who are absolute top performers and then model exactly what those top performers are doing. Identify the strategies that work and use them.
2. Make mistakes. While you shouldn’t be haphazard about your selling and implement random ideas that you know probably aren’t going to work, you need to be willing to take risks and make mistakes. Wayshak says that the more you can relax and let go of the fear of failure, the better you’ll perform.
3. Think big. New salespeople often think they must start really small—and then, once they’ve been at it for a long time and they have things figured out, they can begin to think bigger. This is entirely untrue. Once you have a certain level of competency, there’s nothing stopping you from going after the highest-level prospects you can. Wayshak encourages new sales reps to be willing to think big and try things out at a high level right out of the gate.
4. Ask, ask, ask. When new salespeople ask questions, it immediately makes them more attractive to everyone around them. Remember that you don’t have to have all the answers. You’re new to this, after all. Just be curious, inquisitive and interested in what people have to say. The more questions you ask, the more you’re going to learn, and the more you’re going to make people interested in you in return.
5. Hold yourself accountable to activities. Wayshak often asks new reps, “What do you think you need to do on a daily basis in order to hit your sales goal?” And they say, “I don’t know.” Get very clear on the exact sales activities you need to do daily in order to hit your sales numbers—and focus only on those activities.
6. Know your weekly meeting goal. Wayshak says that all new salespeople should know exactly how many meetings to conduct per week in order to hit their sales goals. Once you know your number, that is the only number that matters. Let’s say your goal is to set five meetings every single week. All that matters is that you set those five meetings. And it’s not a goal, it’s an objective.
7. Don’t play by the rules. Many new salespeople think they must follow certain rules in sales, such as “I’m only supposed to call on low-level prospects” or “I’m not ready to be in front of a prospect yet.” Get out there, get in front of prospects, try to make a cold call to the CEO of a big company. Always be willing to push the envelope, be willing to break rules, and again, be willing to make mistakes.
8. Learn, study, read, refine. In order to succeed rapidly, new salespeople must be willing to learn a process. That means observing people. That means reading books. That means following sales training programs. That means being a student who learns, studies, reads and refines on a constant basis.
9. SW³N. Yes, you read that right. SW³N. Wayshak says SW³N stands for: Some will, some won’t, so what? Next. SW³N. As a new salesperson, you’ve got to be willing to mess things up. You’re probably catching onto a theme here. Making mistakes is key to being successful in your new role.
New salespeople don’t have to struggle. Follow the tips above to sell successfully and move up the ranks.
Source: Marc Wayshak is the CEO of Marc Wayshak Sales Research & Insights and author of multiple best-selling books on sales and leadership.