You’ve probably heard that old piece of advice, the one they often dispense on the very first day of work: find the most successful person in the room and then try to emulate them. It is solid advice. Every company is different in its expectations, and often the best way to benchmark success is to look at that company’s heavy-hitters.
But it’s easier on paper than it is in practice. During a workday, you don’t always have time to stop what you’re doing and take copious notes about the successful salespeople in the room – it’s enough just to try and hit your minimum goals. To that end, this article has compiled a few such habits that you see pop up frequently in successful people. These are “The Four P’s” of highly successful people.
Persistence
Rejection can wear on just about anyone, but the mark of a successful salesperson is not letting that deflate you. Qualifying leads and engaging prospects take persistence. It isn’t often achieved with a single phone call – or even four. Making cold calls, sending emails, following up and then getting right back in tomorrow doing it all over again is a recipe for success.
Great reps will also often get an assist from sales engagement software in this regard. If you’re unfamiliar with this type of software, it’s pretty straightforward: it uses “queue-based lead routing” to perpetually bump the most important lead to the top of a rep’s queue, meaning the rep never spends time working less-than-ideal leads. It can also auto-dial the next lead once you hang up, so you are always staying productive. If your team doesn’t have one, seriously consider it – you can visit VanillaSoft.com today for more info.
Patience
Patience is part and parcel of persistence, but it requires its own training. Patience is the act of putting aside all the pressure of your quotas, putting aside your personal desire to succeed and approaching each touch with the same attentiveness, optimism and thoroughness. You might be on a bit of a dry streak, but being impatient is only going to prolong that streak.
Product Familiarity
You have to intimately know the product you’re selling if you hope to sell it passionately and authoritatively. It’s much easier to communicate the value of a product you know well than to speak in generalizations about a product you only know from a strict set of talking points. Take the initiative and learn the ins and outs of your company’s product(s). Listen when others around the office talk about the product and try to understand and absorb some of their phrasing.
Paying Attention
The best salespeople remain present and curious throughout their interactions with leads. Rather than think transactionally, they listen and try to uncover a lead’s needs, asking questions and seriously considering how their product can solve the lead’s unique problems. By paying serious attention, these successful salespeople are able to reframe their interactions with leads to be less about selling a product and more about pitching a solution.
