Sales Prospecting Perspectives Weekly Recap - Week of December 6, 2023
Good morning, Sales Prospecting Perspectives readers, and Happy December! The holidays are upon us, as is the ending of the fourth quarter for sales. This week, we've curated articles focused on best ways to hit your sales and marketing goals. We hope they're helpful in these final weeks. May the odds be ever in your favor!
- Did you know an average salesperson only spends 2 hours per day, or 23% of their time, on sales-related activities, according to Pace Productivity? Salesforce blogger Marc Wayshak says that we can increase that time to 5 hours per day by keeping the team accountable, assigning time-values to activities, and ultimately understanding what an effective sales day is. Check it out and increase your time selling.
- Everyone has bad habits, even salespeople. Craig Wortmann wrote a list of things salespeople should stop doing immediately. By not cutting and pasting from other proposals, behaving as if prospects are ready for you, and focusing only on the benefits of your solution, you might increase your chance of passing leads. Adapt your sales strategies according to what works and what doesn't, and read Sales Engine's blog post for more bad habits!
- With the end of the fourth quarter approaching, it's important to learn how to create a sense of urgency in your prospects. HubSpot's SVP of Sales and Services wrote a blog that included roleplays of situations in which sales reps can help prospects understand the positive implications of moving forward with a product or solution. This blog even included a bonus section for coaching sales reps on creating this sense of urgency. A must read for sales reps and sales managers alike!
- Heinz Marketing wrote about 5 keys to get sales to actively use content. He discusses how to integrate marketing into the sales process, so sales often use marketing content. Get sales leadership to buy in, and teach, train, launch, reinforce, measure and celebrate are a few of his tips. Check it out to get the most out of your sales and marketing content!
And here are this week's blogs from Sales Prospecting Perspectives.
Monday: On Monday, Laney Pilpel wrote The Top 10 Signs that Inside Sales Is Right For You. Often, people accept jobs they aren't ready for. While we at AG Salesworks try to prepare all potential hires through training for what to expect as inside sales reps, some people might still not work out. In order to test whether inside sales is right for you, check out Laney's list. For example: If you are competitive with yourself and others, inside sales is right for you. Take some time to question whether you're ready for the job.
Tuesday: Craig asked the question, Is Optimism the Reason Sales Reps Are Successful?, in his blog on Tuesday. Optimism is a trait that is hard to teach, but can help inside sales reps get through the daily grind. However, although Craig is a very optimistic leader, some of his colleagues are not. What ultimately gets them through the day is motivation. Ultimately, Craig comes to the conclusion that motivation is the reason inside sales reps are successful. What do you think, are you more optimistic or motivated, or both?
Wednesday: On Wednesday, Craig Rosenberg, or the Funnelholic, wrote a guest post, 30 Seconds or Less: 10 Best Practices for Delivering an Efficient Buying Experience. His post offers a list of time constraints on daily sales activities so prospects or clients don't get bored and so inside sales reps can learn how to deliver an efficient buying experience, resulting in higher conversions and ultimately more revenue. From emailing, voicemailing, calling, and even researching on LinkedIn, Craig provides framework for a typical sales interaction.
Thursday: Maureen Wall published The Impact of Technology on the Evolution of Sales, a video blog that features Laney Pilpel, the Director of Customer Success at AG Salesworks. Maureen worked with a colleague who was half way across the country to set up a program, and realized that as new technology becomes more advanced, sales practices become easier. She asked Laney Pilpel what her experience with this has been. Watch the video to see what she says!
Have a great weekend, readers! What was your favorite article this week?
