Sales Experts Answer the Toughest Questions about Sales Success

salesforce SALES EXPERTS ANSWER THE TOUGHEST QUESTIONS There's a lot of advice out there for salespeople, to say the least. Tips on how to find leads, build relationships, close deals, meet your quota, and so on and so forth, are everywhere. This infographic cuts through the noise to simply give you: The best sales experts, answering the most relevant sales questions. ABOUT SALES SUCCESS COMMON SALES CHALLENGES Salespeople are faced with many challenges Miss their quota Lose most deals 67 54 The TAS Group also found that only 46% of salespeople reported successfully closing only about half of their qualified opportunities. Based on data from the TAS Group, a full 2/3 of salespeople miss their quota. The advice offered below can help reduce that number. MEET THE PANEL We polled some of the most notable names in sales Mike Weinberg Anthony lannarino Author, Speaker, & Entrepreneur @lannarino Kyle Porter Dianna Smith Jim Keenan Founder of Irreverent Sales Girl @lSalesGirl Founder & Partner of A Sales Guy Consulting @keenan Founder of SalesLoft Author, Founder of The New Sales Coach @KylePorter @Mike_Weinberg Andy Paul Sales Process Expert, Speaker, & Author @ZeroTimeSelling Babette Ten Haken Dan Waldschmidt Managing Partner at Waldschmidt Partners Mark Hunter Joanne Black Founder of Sales Aerobics for Engineers @BabetteTenHaken Speaker & Author @TheSalesHunter Founder, No More Cold Calling @ReferralSales @DanWaldo If I want to be a top sales performer, 1) which habits should i develop? "If you really want to be a top performer, there isn't a single habit you need to develop. There are 'habits' that you need to develop. Chief among all those habits is self-discipline. Self-discipline is the cornerstone attribute of all successful people, especially salespeople." Anthony lannarino Author, Speaker, & Entrepreneur "Learning - read, read, read, and read some more. Then when you are done reading, ask questions, dig for answers, and expand your knowledge of EVERYTHING. Assessment – It's not enough to have data, but you have to know what to do with it. The best salespeople become good at assessing situations. They make it a habit to take in all the information available to them and turn it around, and evaluate it before acting." Jim Keenan Founder & Partner, A Sales Guy Consulting "Empathy and servant leadership. It means truly listening to customers and uncovering pain so you can provide a fitting solution, making commitments and following through so you can earn your buyer's trust. It means asking the hard and uncomfortable questions so you can provide the best service to your customers, researching and understanding your buyer at the highest level so you can make their lives better, and you're never wasting their time" Kyle Porter Founder of SalesLoft "Personal integrity. Even top sales performers have peaks and dips in their account development strategies. Your self-confidence can have 'one of those days.' You are human, after all. However, if personal integrity is your professional compass, you won't give in or settle. You will maintain your own high standards and, in turn, honor your customers." Babette Ten Haken Founder, Sales Aerobics for Engineers Key Takeaways For Sales Success Be selfishly productive. Almost all top-performing salespeople are. Time is the most precious resource, and they are incredibly selfish with it, in a good way. Truly listen to customers and uncover their pain so you can provide the right solution. Follow through on commitments to earn your buyer's trust. What are some tips from a sales 2. veteran to a young salesperson? "Questioning and listening skills are vital. Close behind that would be pricing integrity. A young salesperson can learn a lot from veteran salespeople who not only genuinely listen to understand, but also are disciplined enough to not rely upon discounting. Nothing is more vital to a salesperson's career than their ability to question, listen, and become keenly focused on the desired outcomes of the customer." Mark Hunter Speaker & Author "NOTHING. Except the hard-fought notion that success demands hard damn work. Even if what you see is good for someone else, that doesn't mean it is going to work for you. Times change. Tactics change. People change. So spend less time copying (or even learning) and more time pushing your limits. Stop looking for a path forward and get good at leaving a trail." Dan Waldschmidt Managing Partner at Waldschmidt Partners "In spite of what many of the loud voices, false teachers, and Kool-Aid peddlers of today's 'Inbound Marketing Only' crowd are preaching, the old-fashioned proactive telephone call still works quite well when executed properly. Pick up the phone. You'd be amazed what you can do with it - and what it can do for you!" Mike Weinberg Author, Founder of The New Sales Coach Key Takeaways For Sales Success Focus on the customer. Nothing is more vital to a salesperson's career than their ability to question, listen, and become keenly focused on what the customer wants. Push yourself. Tactics change. People change. Spend less time copying and more time pushing your limits. Stop looking for a path forward and get good at leaving the trail. How do winning salespeople spend 3 15 minutes before & after a call? "It is important for salespeople to take a few moments after a call and dispassionately and objectively analyze what really transpired and honestly assess whether they accomplished the objectives and outcomes that they had planned for the call." Andy Paul Sales Process Expert, Speaker, & Author "Prepare specific questions that are relevant to the prospect's business, industry, and needs. Be ready to listen and comment on what the customer says. Do not throw a battery of questions at the customer. If he wants to go a different direction, follow his lead. He may have a different agenda than you. Top salespeople listen, ask good questions, and leave with action steps for both the customer and themselves." Joanne Black Founder, No More Cold Calling "When I am really on my game, I send a promised follow-up item, or send a message with a promise for when I will get follow-up items to them within that 15 minutes. (NOTE: IALWAYS send follow-up information in a timely manner.)" Dianna Smith Founder of Irreverent Sales Girl Key Takeaways For Sales Success Do the research. Quickly re-check the prospects company Take a few moments after a call and objectively analyze what really happened. Honestly assess whether yoU accomplished the objectives and outcomes you planned. website, Linkedin updates, and Twitter feed. The latest post might contain relevant info for your call. Sales experts answer your toughest sales success Download the full e-book for all the answers. salesforce questions