7 Secrets of Highly Effective Salespeople

Everyone knows one of these salespeople. The sort who seems to have some kind of hidden superpowers. They might be selling products that are similar to yours.

They’re selling to the same people as you – you know because you keep losing sales to them. And it’s not like they’re even better looking or more charming than you. As if that was possible.

Yet somehow, they always seem one step ahead of you. And when they turn up to the industry awards they’re driving a better car than you, and frankly smiling more than you. How are they doing it?

The time has come to stop getting annoyed by them, and to start beating them. It’s not superpowers they have – it’s tools. And here we reveal those tools. We reveal the seven secrets of the highly effective salesperson.

Secret 1:  They can access their prospect databases in real-time

They don’t waste their time duplicating a colleague’s work, or contacting clients that are experiencing technical issues. They have the very latest up-to-the-minute information in front of them, so when they pick up the phone to a potential client they do so confident that they know everything they need to.

Secret 2: They have a clear allocation of tasks and activities

These salespeople aren’t wasting time meeting with colleagues to discuss who will send a proposal to a particular client, or who will follow up all the prospects who downloaded the latest white paper on the website. They have this information on screen in real-time. They work with colleagues like a well-oiled machine.

   Secret 3: They contact the right leads at the right time

Highly effective salespeople manage their pipeline so that they never alienate prospects by recontacting them too soon and never forget to contact them when they are ready to buy. This sort of opportunity management can transform a salesperson’s performance, and when it is all automated for them, presenting them with details of the leads to approach that day together with all the documents and processes they need at that stage of a sale, it takes their sales to a new level.

Secret 4: They can access their data from anywhere

The most effective salespeople in 2017 don’t wait until they get back to the office before seeing the latest updates in their database; they view it on the road, on the train, wherever they are, and so steal a march on competitors who are still operating as if it was 1997.

Secret 5: They have learning integrated into their workflow

They have a system set up to record calls automatically, so they can listen back to them, share the recordings with experienced colleagues and find ways to learn from those calls so that they are continuously improving. This is how you boost performance and better yourself.

Secret 6: They get machines to do the simple, time-consuming tasks

In any role there are tasks that are simple, mundane and time-consuming. The most efficient salespeople don’t do them; they have them automated. So while their rivals are spending time manually producing quotes and invoices, they are out talking to clients and securing more orders.

Secret 7: They can access their data on mobile devices

The ordinary salesperson spends a day out of the office, seeing two clients and updating the database on his laptop while grabbing lunch at a service station. The highly effective salesperson has it all on their mobile or tablet, so can not only update it all more easily but can also use the mapping capabilities so fit in a third client visit each day.

The two salespeople

There is of course more to being a successful salesperson than having all this information automatically presented in the most useful way, but as the above demonstrates it is certainly a major factor.

In simple terms two salespeople with similar products, markets and skills will produce markedly different results if one has invested in the sort of CRM software that helps them manage information more effectively.

They will use their time more efficiently, make fewer errors, make better decisions, and approach their work more positively and confidently – in summary, they will make more sales.