I was recently asked by a colleague to share my top three insights to help younger, less experienced sellers be successful in their careers. I love working with young new sales pros because they are eager to “get producing” as quickly as possible, they usually have few or no bad habits to “unlearn.” And while they may initially lack experience and business acumen, they make up for this in their willingness to put new ideas into action. And action ultimately drives results … I’ve seen newbie reps outsell their more seasoned counterparts who let their egos prevent them from trying something different.
As for the ones who are “hitting the ball out of the park” early in their career, here’s what they have in common…
1. Their quest for knowledge. They understand that “how you sell” has far more impact on sales success that “what you sell.” They continuously invest in their own professional development and view training as an opportunity, not an annoyance keeping them from their customers. They proactively seek mentorship, and reflect on what works and what doesn’t in terms of their own sales approach.
2. Their intent. They are not just focused on closing the sale. Their intent is to contribute to their customer’s success. As a result of this mindset they proactively look for the customers who will benefit from their services. And they do their homework so they can speak intelligently about why this specific customer would benefit from having a sales conversation. The sale – and usually a bigger one – is the output.
3. Their curiosity. They are genuinely curious about the customer and his / her business which means they “know” who they are talking to, and they prepare questions that are valuable to both the customer and the sales pro. They take time to understand what’s important from the customer’s perspective and they listen – to the customer’s words and to the implication of these words. So when they respond, their recommendations are ruthlessly relevant.
If you are relatively new to sales, or are a sales leader with a young team, I’d love to get your thoughts – write a comment below …
Jill I would add a fourth thought. Willingness to learn and to try new things. Everyone is looking for the seasoned veteran who has “the book”. The challenge with them is that if “the book” does not move, they often have no fall back position. The new business development skills are not there and there is not a willingness to learn and try. The result is often separation and lost time in the market place. Churn helps no one. Be willing to invest in young talent and it will pay dividends.