11 Rules of Great Sales Professionals: Rules 3 and 4
Rules. What are rules? The dictionary gives the word ‘rules’ several meanings:
• A prescribed guide for conduct or action
• An authoritative statement of what to do or not to do
• An official regulation, code of regulations or set practice
As students of the sales profession for 25+ years, we are always being asked what good salespeople look like, and in fact have written three books highlighting our research on what top sales professionals do. Study these rules and embrace them fully if you want to excel. This is Blog #2, where we highlight rules 3 and 4. As you review them, we encourage you to identify one idea you can put into practice right away. (Click here for Rules 1 and 2)
RULE # 3
FOCUS
Top salespeople are laser-focused on opportunities that drive goal achievement and that best fit their capabilities. Lack of focus can be catastrophic.
Research and pick your targets and goals carefully. Be fanatical about where you spend your time.
Focus is also about how you interact with your customers. Focus on their world, not yours. Seek to be an advisor and problem solver, not a representative.
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RULE # 4
BE A RELENTLESS PROSPECTOR
Top salespeople are relentless and enthusiastic prospectors. They prospect all the time with existing and new customers. They see prospecting as their number one tool to tell their story and introduce themselves to new professionals.
They make no excuses. They use every tool to get the word out and get attention. While they email, apply social selling and face-to-face meetings to begin the dialog, they use the phone as their #1 tool. Relentless prospectors build their pipeline each and every day by blocking 2-3 hours of uninterrupted time to prospect.
Have you set up YOUR prospecting time- blocks today?