Seek no further, my sons and daughters, for you have found the wisdom of the elders. Sales gods at some of the most baller companies in the Boston area shared pro tips for new and seasoned sales guys at Top Rep Boston on August 12th and we’re here to share them with you.
We handpicked the best nuggets from the three panelists – Chris Fuller (Senior Account Exec at Amazon), Craig Kapilow (Brand Partnerships Director at Rue La La), and Matthew Chase (Key Partner Manager, Public Sector, at Experian).
Here’s their advice for how to be a legendary sales guy:
Don’t Do What the Other Guys Are Doing
You have to have mondo balls to succeed in sales. Always call the CEO of the company you’re trying to reach, no matter how big – go right to the source to get the company’s attention. Why? Because odds are that your competitor doesn’t deal with the CEO. By going right to him or her, you’ll automatically have an advantage.
One panelist said he contacted the CEO at his target company every week for 16 weeks – called, emailed, sent a hand written note. The CEO finally relented and the guy had an in that no one else did as a result of his persistence.
Preparing to call the CEO is going to help you better articulate your value proposition which will also help you refine your strategy. Even if you don’t reach the CEO, you’ll be referred to the right person if you proposition is on point. Remember: A top-down relationship is more valuable than bottom-up. If you want to be king of the jungle, you have to go after the big game.
Always Be Asking for Help
Salespeople have to have a thick skin because we face so much rejection. We’re used to getting our asses handed to us, so we naturally have trouble asking for help. The best sales reps are the ones that are always asking for help, so reach out to your sales manager using these tips or even your prospect (gasp!).
One panelist said he was having trouble with an account early in his career and didn’t want to ask his sales manager for help because he didn’t want to seem dumb (we’ve all been there, right?). Turns out his manager actually knew someone that could help him and then he felt even dumber! That was a big lesson for him early on in his sales career: It’s not about looking good, it’s about getting stuff done.
Advice for New Sales Reps
Focus on “hitting a bunch of singles.” Maybe you just need to get your feet wet and you’re not ready to dive in because, well, you can’t swim. There’s nothing wrong with taking baby steps – in fact, it can actually help you if you focus on doing things the right way and don’t cut corners. Work on your form and do your research so you can call upon that memory later.
Avoid This Common Sales Mistake
Call people enough times and eventually they’ll pick up the phone: It’s simply not true.
You should know when to cut your losses in sales. If you’re getting nowhere with calls then maybe you’re not doing a good enough job at qualifying your prospect – get to know your prospect better so you can zero in and stop wasting your time.
A panelist shared his favorite tactic for getting a prospect on the phone: Tell the more junior person that you’re going to call the more senior person. This triggers the junior person’s to need to feel important (negative close) and gives you something to say to that person. Even though I don’t think you should leave voicemails for strangers, this panelist said it was effective in getting return calls.
What do you think of the advice from the panelists at Top Rep? Tell us in the comments or share your own tips.
Photo taken by my DJI Phantom Vision 2+
