This is a guest post from one of our current members Mary Grothe at Sales BQ®.
If you’re taking the time to read this guide, then I know you are ready to crush quotas. I’m Mary Grothe, CEO of Sales BQ®. I’m a former number one B2B / SaaS sales rep for a Fortune 1000 company. I worked on the number one sales team in the country. In my first year as a rep, my quota was $150,000 and I sold over $750,000 in revenue, which was more than the number two and three sales reps combined. Now, as CEO of Sales BQ®, I’m providing fresh content every week for sales reps, like you, who are ready to be quota crushers.
Dive into this guide and get ready to rev up your sales career.
START CRUSHING QUOTAS WITH THESE RESOURCES:
3 ATTRIBUTES OF TOP SALES PERFORMERS
As a former #1 and Top 10 rep, I’m often asked to share what I believe are the top attributes of high-performing sales people. In addition to my own experience at the top of the rankings, I had the opportunity to work on the #1 sales team in the country and now oversee dozens of top sales performers across the country.
Whereas there are many skills and attributes that top sales performers have, I believe these are the top 3:
- Relentless pursuit of winning, fueled by hating to lose and the inner desire to be number 1, and competing in everything.
- Full of passion, enthusiasm, and conviction.
- Industry and product/service expert.
Master these skills and watch your numbers soar. To learn more about each of these skills and how to develop them, read this article.
MASTER TIME MANAGEMENT
If I were to add one more top attribute to the list above, I’d argue that time management is easily the 4th… or at least part of the work ethic component, also known as BQ (the behavioral quotient).
Time management is a necessity for top sales performers. Staying organized reduces feelings of overwhelm and confusion on what tasks to complete and when to complete them. As a former top sales performer, I started each day with a list of:
- All my meetings for the day.
- All the tasks & to-do’s that needed to be done.
- Anticipated “fires” or urgent situations that may arise based on what I had going on in my pipeline.
- Backup meetings, or fill-ins, that I could easily insert in case a scheduled meeting canceled.
- Nearby prospects I could visit if I had extra time in between meetings.
I took those items and mapped out my day. I prioritized everything and blocked my calendar so even the smallest tasks would fit into my schedule. I even blocked time for updating my CRM and ensuring my email inbox was at zero before the end of the day.
The ONLY way I was able to succeed in this daily list prep was by first scheduling my rocks on my calendar and ensuring I had time allocated for everything that needed to be done on a daily and weekly basis.
We have a video blog that demonstrates an easy-to-follow time management exercise. We encourage all of you to watch this video then download our free time management template and start setting yourself up for success!
TIPS FOR EMAIL PROSPECTING
Email prospecting can be frustrating. Most reps “hide” behind email prospecting because their call reluctance creates a strong fear of cold calling. Email is easier, right? You have time to write out your thoughts, you can edit them before sending, and you can even automate email prospecting! Unfortunately, a million other sales people and marketers agree with you, which is causing an obscene amount of spam in prospect inboxes.
However, if you follow these 5 Top Email Hacks for Prospecting, you can cut above the noise. We also have this great email template to get you started:
NURTURE YOUR ACCOUNT RELATIONSHIPS (OR YOUR COMPETITOR WILL)
Most companies and sales representatives completely forget about up-selling their existing clients, cross-selling other products and services, leveraging and strengthening referral partnerships. Listen to the Quota Crusher™ Podcast as I talk about account management, client retention and soliciting referrals.
TAKE THIS BLOG WITH YOU BY DOWNLOADING THE FREE EBOOK.
ACCESS OUR FREE TRAINING ROOM
Ready to seriously level up your sales game? Access the free Sales BQ® Training Room. We offer a wealth of practical and actionable resources for sales reps, teams, and managers for all parts of the sales cycle, from prospecting through close.
SUMMING IT ALL UP
To become a top sales performer, you have to keep up with your skills and know how to stay organized. If you truly want to crush your quotas, you can do it, but you’ve got to be willing to keep working on your own development. We hope this guide has given you a few things to think about and, most importantly, some practical advice to put into play immediately!