3 Tips for the Budding Rockstar

It is a fallacy that only certain people possess the innate ability to sell.  There are definitely those who are born with the “sales DNA” and the natural making of a successful salesperson. But the art of sales stretches far beyond simply being personable, energetic, and charismatic.

Below is a list of 3 key tips to help any budding rockstar on their way. It is important to note that all of the ideas below revolve around a key component all great salespeople share: the ability to honestly assess themselves, and a hunger to improve their sales prowess.  This does not come naturally to most of us, but building up the courage to challenge oneself is essential to growth.

1.      Find and absorb sales resources like a sponge: Be honest, how much do you REALLY know about sales?  Have you read books such as Little Red Book of Selling or The Challenger Sale? Have you taken part in online sales courses?  Additional resources and constantly learning are crucial in helping pave your way toward Rockstarism. As many startups have little or no sales training processes in place, being a self-starter and improving on your own with put you and your company ahead of the game.

2.      Understand your company, and their offerings: Have you created a list of value propositions and use cases for the product or service you are selling?  Can you identify why it is better than the competition? Why the customer would be crazy not to take you up on your offer?  Have you developed a talk track for how you are going to discuss these points?  It is key to create solid materials, and continue to iterate and improve upon them during your sales process. They will be the tools that allow you to handle objections, sell your offering, and battle the competition.

3.      Record your sales meetings, and create a self-feedback worksheet: There are several companies, such as Gong.io, for instance, that offer ways to record your sales calls.  Having an audio file allows you to refer back to better understand why a deal did or did not close. Being able to self assess will also make your understanding of the sales process stronger, giving you more confidence in your craft. Having a standard feedback worksheet is a great way to organize your analysis, making it easy to remember and understand.  Skaled recommends that this worksheet track your sales process, from setting the agenda for the meeting, through discovery, all the way to the close!