For those of you who are starting a new gig with a new company, here are a few tips I wish I had earlier in my career.
1) First Customer Calls
Do them in week 1 or 2! Your first 15 Disco/Demos will kind of suck. So will every other new sales rep’s Disco/Demos. That’s OK! Just get those out of the way early, and you’ll hit success quicker. Take your medicine early and thrive!
2) Role-play, role-play & role-play some more
Ask the top reps if they can put you through role-play drills every day for 30 min for the first three weeks. Look at the library of recorded calls. (Our customers give reps access to the former Replayz Coaching Reviews).
3) Learn about your prospect(s)
Know as much as you can about your prospect(s) and their company before your first calls.
4) Be prepared with discovery questions
Have your Discovery questions written out in front of you.
5) Always prepare a backup!
Have a backup plan if your demo glitches. (maybe a deck?)
6) Ask a Top Seller
Ask a top seller or your Sales Manager to join you in your first 5-10 calls.
7) Make a List
Make sure you have a list of all of the top 15 most common objections/questions and memorize the answers.
8) Take a Breath
Take 3 min to slow breathe and meditate just before your calls. I do this sometimes before BIG calls. We have Replayz customers who do this, and they say it works.
9) Jump from the nest
If you’re not nervous at first, you aren’t growing. Make sure you jump out of the nest and throw yourself out there. You will earn respect for this.
10) Ask for a meeting
Ask for a subsequent meeting on the books if the context warrants it at the end of the call. All top reps I know do this. It builds momentum as time does kill deals.
11) Cut the ones who aren’t interested
Graciously cut bait on the ones who aren’t interested- ask if you can send email updates (from marketing).
12) Follow up right after your call
Follow up right after your call with a ‘Thank You’ email, outline the next steps you agreed on, and then deliver on everything you promised. (simple, but most reps fail at this. I’ve dropped the ball here before too).
13) Be OK with “This isn’t for me”
Be OK with “this isn’t for me” at the end of the call. That is an acceptable outcome. Lean in on the ones who are interested. Please don’t waste your time or theirs.
14) Write a list
Write down a list of your learnings post-call and apply them. Find out the answers to the questions you couldn’t answer. Ask for feedback from the team member who was on the call with you.
15) Prepare, Prepare, Prepare!
Nerves – You will feel calmer if you are well prepared and understand your solution and the mindset of the buyer persona. Learn what you can.
16) Don’t let your nerves show
Don’t let your nerves show. Two easy tells of a nervous seller: speeding through the discussion, not asking thoughtful questions. People want to buy from confident sellers who are passionate.
17) Learn about your buyers persona
Get your hands on anything you can from Marketing or Customer Success that allows you to learn what’s important to your buyer personas. Ask for stories to share.
18) Give sales leaders updates
Send your Sales Leader a weekly bullet form breakdown of critical activities and learnings each week for four weeks.