Sales Productivity: Tips From the Top Salespeople

Sales Productivity Tips From the Top Salespeople

Do you ever feel like it’s a dog eats dog world in sales? Well, it is. Every member of a sales team is looking after his best interests and monthly quota. With a mentality of autonomy, it’s ironic that we still have so much time to look into other people’s sales, compare, and criticize.

If you are determined to make it to the top, you have to stop harboring selfish motives against other salespeople.

Instead, put all your time, energy, and efforts into creating your success. Today you learn how you can become a top salesman.

Tip #1 You Have to Think Like a Top Salesman

In “The Greatest Salesman in the World,” Og Mandino prompts us to change the way we think about sales. You can’t expect different results from doing the same things. Albert Einstein calls that insanity. Here are some takeaways from his book you can apply to transform your mind and sales strategy:

Act Now- Don’t wait for another salesperson to reach your customer. You are the right man/woman for the job. An opportunity to sell can strike at any moment, and you have to be ready.

Don’t Be Afraid to Set Your Goals High- As Og Mandino said, “The height of my goals will not hold me in awe, though I may often stumble before they are reached.”

Related: Have you been Bitten by a Snake Oil Salesman?

Tip #2 You Have to Be in the Right Place

When W. Clement Stone was a newsboy, he sold newspapers in restaurants where people did more reading than on the street. He rose to become one of the world’s best insurance salesman selling insurance to employees in downtown offices.

When planning appointments, a practical approach is systematic. Map out your prospects and go through your appointments by area.

Tip #3 You Have to Be the Expert

In sales, you have to know a little bit of everything, and everything about what you are selling. Top salespeople invest time digging into more than just the facts. They are genuinely interested in the product.

You have to believe your product will solve problems. In a sense, you have to be an expert at problem-solving.

Your product may not always be the solution to their impending problems, but if you can help them resolve their problems with a bit of research or connect them with someone who can help, they may have more time to listen to you talk about how your product can solve another one of their problems.

Related: How to Reach C-Level Decision Makers and Boost B2B Sales

Tip #4 Get Out There and Sell

Joe Girard learned at a young age that more doorbells rang equals more money made. He later rose to fame as the greatest car salesman in the postwar era. At one point, he sold 18 cars in one day.

Ask yourself, “what is stopping you from putting yourself front and center in the market?” Do you spend more time in the office than face-to-face with your customers? The reason can be one of three things:

  • You have not learned to delegate.
  • You are not prepared.
  • Your system and processes are not automated.

Tip #5 Get Some Help

If you don’t delegate, you will get into the time-sucking habit of multi-tasking. Research proves it’s better to focus on one thing than waste 20-40% of your time doing everything at once.

Joe Girard sold thousands of cars because he hired an assistant to research and pre-qualify customers before he talked to them. His assistant also had his appointments lined up for him.

His time was spent on customers who were ready to say YES, reducing the time and effort he could have spent decoding a lead who may not be ready to buy.

Related: Capture More B2B Sales Leads with Multi-Channel Marketing

Tip #6 Get Organized

Docurated published data that reveals salespeople are wasting more time on unproductive and repetitive tasks than actual selling. If you are still manually updating your client profiles, it’s time to switch to systems that allow you to automate CRM. This way you can access information about your clients at a touch of a button.

Related: Not Just an Address Book: 4 Hacks to Turn a CRM into a True Sales Tool

Tip #7 Master the Sales Process

John H. Patterson, the founder of the National Cash Register Company and father of modern sales training, has mastered the art of selling. He designed sales scripts along with a 4-stage sales process—initial approach, proposition, product demo, closing the deal.

Top salespeople do so well because they have a systematic sales process. Low-performing salespeople, on the other hand, are yet to find a sales process that works. While it is important to offer a personalized approach to every customer, each sale should be streamlined to follow an organized sales process to keep the momentum going.

Related: Stages of a B2B Sales Pipeline (and Ways to Increase Your Sales Success Rate)

Tip #8 Preparation is Key

The Father of Advertising, David Ogilvy rose to fame as a top salesman of AGA cookers. His company believed in him so much they asked him to write a manual on his sales approach.

If you read the “Theory and Practice of the AGA Cooker,” you will notice that the man with every kind of attack and defense towards his product. Even to the point that he studies the sales arguments of his competitors, but doesn’t waste time criticizing them in front of his customers.

Related: 4 Fathers Who Shaped the Evolution of B2B Marketing

Tip #9 Plan and Prioritize

Tom Hopkins, author of “Selling for Dummies” notes the importance of planning in productivity. 5 minutes is all it takes at the end of every day to identify 5-6 priorities for the next day. This way, you can start your days with more clarity.

At the end of every week, evaluate your performance and plan for the coming week. Calculate the numbers. How many YES, how many NO, how much time did it take to complete the sales process every time, how many calls did you make vs. your target, and so on. You may opt to use a productivity software to better monitor your game.

Tip #10 Sleep and Wake Up More Enthusiastic

The number one reason why Ron Popeil can sell absolutely any product on infomercials is his child-like enthusiasm for each product. Now you can’t be Ron Popeil if you’re tired and grumpy.

Even the richest businessmen in the world know this. Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk sleep 6-7 hours a night to stay productive. They wake up early too. No wonder the saying goes, “the early bird catches the worm”—and chirping happily too.

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