How to Be a Better SaleS
ProfeSSionalProfessional
Development Guides
from
We know you want to
BE AWESOMEat your job!
So, we picked the brains of a team of sales experts to find out how they've gotten so good.
ekaterina SteubeSales Associate at The Muse
Catherine Van HershHead of Sales for Chartio
fernando CamposDirector of Sales &
Business Development for Anyperk
ellen HuertaFormer Senior Account Manager at Google, Founder of Mend
And compiled it all into the
UlTiMaTe GUiDe To ProfeSSional DeVeloPMenT FOR SALESPEOPLE.
Are you ready for it?
it'll be a HUGe help to your career.(And only take a little time to flip through.)
Whether you’re just getting started or you’re ready to move to the top,
First, we’ll talk about the skills you need.
And then we’ll give you the resources to make it happen.
leT'S GeT STarTeD.
So what skills does one need to develop to be a superstar salesperson?
Well, there are
THe oBVioUS oneS.
You definitely need to know e v e r y t h i n g you can about
S a l e SSTraTeGieS.
There are no silver bullets in sales, and becoming as educated as
possible in methodology is important in forming the style
that works best for you and your product or service.
You should also know everything you can about
wHaT yoU're SellinG.
If you've just begun a career in sales, learn the ins and outs of what you're
selling. One of the best ways is to use it yourself if possible. Even if you're comfortable working with
clients, you won't get very far if you don't have a strong foundation as a
product expert. When you understand both your product and your client,
"sales" becomes "consulting" and you become a "partner," not a "vendor."
But there are other skills that people tend to
oVerlook.
Salespeople have to understand how to effectively analyze
DaTa.
You must:
Use numbers to prove your
product
Analyze the effectiveness of sales strategies
Understand personal performance data
"What gets measured gets done"—I've always loved this quote
because it really talks about the power of data. Measure everything you can, and test new approaches
to optimize your strategy.
You also must have pretty solid reSearCH Sk illS .
You’ll often need to learn about new clients
and industries at the
DroP of a HaT.
The most important reading I do pertains to my customer. What are the business
challenges my customer is facing, and how can my service solve those problems?
Ultimately this feeds into a larger goal of better understanding how to grow into
new markets and create new opportunities for Chartio.
Having excellent PreSenTaTion SkillS is a must for pitching.
Being comfortable with speaking to
groups of 1 to 100
Knowing how to tell a compelling
story
Designing decks that help—and don’t
hurt—your pitch
At Google, my team had the fortune of @avinash reviewing one of our client presentations, and he ripped them to
shreds for being too cluttered. It was a little jarring at the time, but what he told us was true and I'll never forget it: If you really know your stuff, you don't need slides (except in some cases, like when data must be displayed). Slides often end up being a crutch to the presenter
and a distraction to the listener.
And while you have to know
how to talk well, perhaps more
important is the ability to
liSTen.
It's so important to ask questions and really listen to your client: what their goals are, what keeps them up at night, how they make money, what
they're really happy about. If you don't understand these things, you can't offer the right solution.
When I first started at Google, I would often dive right into my presentation when I met with clients.
I quickly learned to let them kick off meetings. I would ask my clients several open-ended
questions, and their answers always helped inform the rest of our conversation.
No matter what, you always have to keep
learninG & innoVaTinG.
Don't get complacent. I have seen some very talented salespeople fail because they thought they already knew it all. Keep developing your
skills, keep practicing, and keep asking for advice. Most importantly, don't be afraid to try out something new that no one in your company is doing yet.
You need to make your ownniche to get ahead.
Now that we're on the same page about what skills you need, let's talk about
How To GeT THere.
We asked our experts what resources have been helpful along the way,
and pulled together an
offiCial reSoUrCe GUiDe for your sales development.
BookS To reaD
Predictable Revenue teaches you how to
build a system to scale a sales team quickly
and has tons of creative strategies that are easy to test and implement.
BloGS & MaGaZineS To reaD
Instead of sales focused literature, I read a lot around current affairs.
You never know who the next person you will meet is, or what their interests might be, so I like to be prepared. Whether you like it or not, keeping up to date with
sporting events is also key.
ConferenCeS To aTTenD
It's important to be inspired and surround yourself with creative
thinkers. SXSW is a great way to network and learn more about
how others are taking their business to market.
ClaSSeS To TakeSales & Leadership
SPIN SellingCEO Summit Videos
HBR IdeaCast
I took a SPIN selling class earlier this year, which illustrates the difference between implicit and
explicit client needs.
ClaSSeS To TakePersuasion & Presentation
Sales and Persuasion Skills for Start-ups
Storytelling for Business
Pitch Perfect —Powerful Presentation Skills
Sometimes just sitting down once a month with the other salespeople in
your company and swapping tips and ideas is the best kind of workshop.
eXPerTS To follow
Kevin is an expert in inside sales, and frankly, a guy I look
up to. He knows his craft better than anyone I know.
Now—it's time to go out into the world and get better at roCkinG yoUr Career!
(We know you can do it.)
And, if you want a little more help along the way?
Keep up with for the advice you need to build the career you've
always dreamed of.
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