Blog

Top performing sales reps are not typically dramatically better at any single skill than the average salesperson. What makes the difference in performance is that they are a few points better than their peers in the areas that matter most. 

Moving from an average to great salesperson is attainable if you focus your energy on the right things. Here are a few of the main points that separate good from great salespeople. 

Listening vs. Talking

According to Gong.io, top performing reps’ talk to listen ratio is about 46%. Average salespeople are in the high 60’s. 

This indicates the importance of creating a conversation, not just a pitch. Listening to your prospect during sales conversations is crucial, especially for the first one.

To get prospects to give you longer and more detailed answers, ask questions starting with:

• Can you help me understand …
• Can you walk me through …
• Can you talk to me about …
• Can you tell me about …

The more you get prospects to talk about their pain points, the easier it will be to identify unique solutions and communicate that to them. 

Respond to Objections

When considering how you typically respond to objections, what comes to mind?

The statistics from Gong.io show that great salespeople respond to objections with questions more often (54%) than average salespeople (31%).

Try responding to an objection by asking permission to address it and offer a solution. “Can I make a suggestion?” and “Can I bounce a few thoughts off you?” are a few examples of ways you can create a space where the prospect is open to hear what you have to say.

Discussing Next Steps

Great salespeople spend about 1.53x more time discussing next steps than average reps. This includes making recommendations, asking questions, and spending more time with the buyer mapping out a set of actions to move the deal forward.

A great way to transition into this step at the end of your call is say, “What most of our clients do at this point is schedule a follow up meeting where we can go into greater detail as to how [your company] could help your business.”

The prospect needs to have a clear picture of what the next steps will be after they hang up the phone with you. Ideally, you’ll have another meeting already scheduled. 

Communicate Value

According to Forrester, executives surveyed reported that only 15 percent of sales calls add enough value. This is a crucial area in which you can stand out among other reps. 

Value is perceived in a contrasting worldview. It’s in the distance between what your prospect’s world looks like today (WITHOUT your product/service) and what their world could look like tomorrow (WITH your product/service) that they perceive value.

Asking questions starting with “What if you could” or “Imagine if” helps set up a conversation where you can show your prospects what they can do different as a result of using your product or service. 

We understand it can be difficult to know where to start when trying to communicate value in every sales conversation. That’s why we’ve created an E-book on communicating value that you can download here.

Equation of Success

If you are great in one or more of these areas and maybe struggle with objection handling, you may not see the results you are wanting or expecting. It takes a combined approach- being good at the things that matter create more sales. 

Let’s look at the math:

1+1+1+1+1=5

0+1+2+0+1=4       

The sum of consistent good performance in each area is greater than inconsistent ok/good/great performance in each area.

What if you could consistently check all the right boxes and communicate value in every sales conversation?

You can, by partnering with MasterMessaging. 

*******

If you need help getting your team on the same page with sales messaging and techniques, reach out and let’s find a few minutes to chat on the phone. You can email me at dkurkjian@mastermessaging.com.