Top producers know the importance of developing a strategic and purposeful approach to growing their business. They know it involves more than just meeting sales quotas; they have a plan to identify new opportunities, develop trust with decision-makers and craft solutions that will result in long-term relationships with clients and customers. If you haven't yet devised your plan to emulate those top producers, here's where to start:
1) Set Clear and Measurable Sales Targets
The most basic element to success in sales is having definable and trackable goals. Whether it's a specific revenue figure, the number of new clients/customers closed, or market share in a particular product/service segment, having well-defined and measurable goals is absolutely critical. Your goals should be measured and tracked according to month, quarter or billing period to allow for course correction or alteration to your strategy and approach.
2) Client Development and Retention
Top producing sellers, in addition to setting goals for new clients and revenue production, also focus on nurturing and expanding client relationships. This might involve increasing customer satisfaction scores, obtaining client testimonials, or identifying opportunities for upselling and cross-selling. They also set goals for referrals and introductions received from their best clients and customers – and certainly make it a priority to ask!
3) Continuous Learning and Skill Development
Top producers rarely rest on their laurels; they are keenly aware of the need to continuously sharpen their skills and stay ahead of industry trends – and the competition. (That's why professional athletes constantly work at their craft! Over the course of his career, who do you think has spent more time on the driving range: Tiger Woods or the weekend hacker?) Do you need to master new sales techniques? Attend industry-specific training programs? Learn more about emerging technologies (AI, CRM, database mining, automating everyday tasks, etc.)?
4) Prospecting and Lead Generation
Do you have a "cookbook" to track your prospecting and lead-generation activities? What behaviors do you need to perform on a daily/weekly basis to get in front of more prospects and close more deals? What is your "prospecting mix?" Whether it's social media, targeted marketing campaigns, networking, trade associations or generating referrals, take a close look at your pipeline and determine if/how to get more opportunities into the top of your sales funnel.
5) Time Management and Efficiency
Top producers know that time is a precious and finite commodity. They understand and know the difference between "pay-time" activities (those that are designed and intended get in front of prospects and close more deals) and "no-pay-time" activities (tasks that can be "time-shifted" to off-hours, such as market research, completing reports, doing proposals and – yes – checking email and entering data into your CRM!).
Goal setting can help guide you through challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Clear and measurable sales targets, client relationship development goals, continuous learning, advanced technology adoption, prospecting benchmarks and time management objectives form the foundation of your success strategy. By adapting and embracing these goals, you can position yourself not just as a high achiever and top performer, but as an architect of your own success. As our founder, David Sandler, once said: "You can be part of someone else's plan, or you can be part of your own!"
Jim brings over 35 years of sales, management and marketing experience to the "training table." He has coached hundreds of business owners, sales executives, managers, and corporations to help them achieve greater levels of success and productivity. His areas of expertise range from sales and management training in the advertising and sports marketing fields to professional and business-to-business services, continuing education, new business development, staff hiring and assessments.
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