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The Secret Sauce for Sales Success: 7 Tips for New Reps

Navigating the world of sales can be tricky, especially for new reps on the job. Not only must they become experts in their industry, but they also have to master the art of relationship building and negotiating, all while balancing a persistent quota. It’s enough to make any new rep’s head spin.

To offer some firsthand advice, we sat down with seven members of the Inkling sales team and asked what they’ve learned. From late nights to personalized emails, each sales member had their own take on how reps can put their best foot forward. Below, we’ve shared their top seven tips for new reps:

1. Show how your product helps, not how it works.

“An effective demonstration bridges the gap between how the prospect does things today and how your product will help them do it faster, better, or cheaper in the future. An effective demonstration means they discover how your software will help them, not how it works!”
Alex Martell, Sales Engineer

2. Empathize with your clients.

“Emotional intelligence is the key to success. If you can empathize and understand where your client is coming from, it’s easier to build rapport and challenge them.”
Christian Kabrich, Sales Development Manager

3. Personalize every interaction.

“Do your research and make every call and email personalized, using information from LinkedIn, their company website, etc. Mass emails may work at a small scale, but the more personalized you can be, the better results you’ll see.”
Jared Hocking, Business Development Representative

4. Be persistent.

“For the love of everything holy, don’t give up.  Show up early, stay late, take copious notes, and follow through on action items.  Also grow thick skins—this quarter’s sales hero can easily be next quarter’s leper.”  
Greg Ryan, Sales Engineer

5. Prioritize.

“There’s a lot of fish in the sea—it’s nice to talk to all of them, but at the end of the day, you can’t waste (too much) time on the ones without budget.”  
Shannon Nagel, Business Development Representative

6. Study, study, study.

“Study your craft; treat it like one. Self-study is key, with a mix of learning for good reps. Study the language of your prospects and business acumen.”
Cody Hartert, Sr. Account Executive

7. Have integrity.

“Having integrity goes a long way. Selling for the sake of selling is empty, but representing a great product and becoming an authority on how it works for your clients’ needs is really fulfilling.”
Julianne Kuhn, Business Development Representative

Want to learn about how reps can leverage their mobile devices to sell more efficiently? Watch our webinar TOMORROW, sponsored by ATD:
“4 Must-Know Strategies for Mobile Sales Content.”