What do the top 1% of sales people (software/SaaS) do that the other 99% don't?
There are three things that separate the top performers from the ones with "uneven results".Quick background: SaaS has changed the world from huge deals to mid-sized and sales reps can't own a handful of accounts anymore. A lot of SaaS companies process >10000 leads per months and each SDR (handling leads) touch 100-200 per week. The account executives, working with opportunities (=qualified and ready to buy) handle 10-20 per week and the sales processes are often 6-12 weeks. So stop thinking "elephant hunting" and more working smart on the "conveyor belt". What does that mean for being a great sales person?1. Spend your time right If you handle leads, be quick in putting people in marketing nurturing till they are showing buying signals. And if the buyer is too small, put them in self-service. If you handle opportunities, don't think "sales". Think find right need, educate, and guide through the purchasing process. I wrote more about this here: Why It's Time to Change Your Selling Tactics and The Challenger Sales is a great study. 2. Be persistentUnderstand that the customer needs to be buying, you not selling. Which means things might take time and then suddenly take off. Learn (and share) what triggers a customer to buy. If you are selling a project management software maybe you can only be used when a new project is set up, make sure to be service minded and be there when a customer has questions in that direction. Ask the customer for their timeline.That people don't reply to your first email, doesn't mean they don't want to talk to you. Gently remind them. Then ask them again if you should stop pester them. Some of these bounce back and tell you their timeline. Some say "please don't email me", and then you can unqualify them and spend your time with other customers. 3. Use software to help you performUpdate the CRM so you can remember the companies when you talk to them. Seriously. Don't think it is cool to "keep it all in your head". See it instead as the computer doing work for you and you can be focused on the person on the other side of the line. We have seen a significant difference between companies that set up their CRM and encourage their sales reps to use tools, than to companies who's CRM is for management and IT. As in any crafts the ones that focus, don't give up, and use tools to get them to perform are a league better than the lifestylers.
If I'm starting a career in sales can I later switch into digital marketing or core marketing jobs?
Hi Amit, If you are starting a career in Sales and want to switch into digital marketing then you can easily do that as your, sales skills will be helpful in handling clients via mail or through chat software. But If you have not initially started your career in sales then, I would prefer you to join training or a course of Digital Marketing, as Sales( cold calling, meeting clients) is different from sitting on a computer handling SEO Campaigns, Creating Ads, Analysis of Website.I hope you are getting what i am trying to say. So career path should be like this I would prefer.Training of Digital Marketing 2–3 months maximumJoin a Company where you will practically handle clientsGain Experience and do freelance work if you want.Boom life will be awesome.Thanks
What is the career path of a sales person?
Sales people often rise to a sales manager position. In larger organizations, let us say a very large automobile dealership, they would then rise to be a General Sales Manager, over the New Car Sales Manager, the Used Car Sales Manager, the Fleet or Taxi Sales Manager, and the Truck Sales Manager. Maybe also over the Finance and Insurance Sales Manager, and the Aftermarket and Accessories Sales Manager.In other kinds of companies, one rises upward as an Area Manager or a Business Manager, then a Regional Sales Manager, and eventually National Sales Manager.Some sales managers also branch out and become Marketing Managers or New Business Managers. In larger companies, they can become VP-Sales or VP-Marketing or VP-Sales and Marketing. The most successful of those then become Division President or Group Vice President or Senior Vice President. Obviously the culmination of such a successful career would be rising to become President, then Chairman and CEO.But first things first. The most important early career step is to become Salesman of the Month, frequently, and then to be inducted into a National Sales Award position as one of the top 5% or top 1% of salespersons in the US.You can do that. My son has been a salesman of luxury cars — BMW, Porsche, Audi mainly — for years. He has long been in the top 1% of BMW salespeople, either in his region or nationwide. He has been GSM in a couple of large dealerships, and was GM of a Porsche dealership for a while. Now he is to be the GM of a very large, brand-new BMW dealership, which will open its doors later this year. All of this provides him with quite a decent income, so my granddaughters are being well cared for.You can do it too. There is room at the top, for the very best sales people.
What does a "fronter" do..working in a sales office?
Fronters find qualified prospects (aka potential buyers), and hand them over to Closers. Fronters take inbound calls, and make outbound calls. Fronters are sales reps who make initial contact with people to... 1) promote products and services. 2) determine whether or not specific people qualify as potential buyers. Fronters connect potential buyers to Closers.
Is there a future for inside sales representatives?
That will be a growth field. It is a smaller part of a sales model that is presented as Inside rep/ outside rep. The Outside is expensive for starters. in most industries they have higher salaries and than cost tens of thousands of dollars in terms of travel, hotels, food gas –business lunches ect. In addition they can’t respond to customer issues in real time or run transaction type (small routine) orders with the agility of an inside rep. An inside rep can cover more territory by phone, is much less expensive and can handle the small sales and customer service issues with key clients. The downside of an inside rep is they cannot move larger or more complex deals along and closing on a phone is much harder than closing face-to-face. Fortunately for companies with sales forces the two are not mutually exclusive but mutually inclusive. An inside rep may report to a handful of outside reps with the duties of Maintain customer relations with key clients via phone calls and direct marketing efforts Head off customer service issues fast before they build momentum Prospect white space in Outside rep’s territory to be co-worked by both reps if a relationship is established. Set up conference calls and face-to-face meeting by city for outside reps who are on the road and low on appointments. Because inside reps are cheap to buy when compared to outside reps there is a future for them however companies that skimp on outside reps to save money are really working at a disadvantage if their sales cycle is long or their sales process is complex—aka non commodity based.
What should I expect as the first sales hire?
You should expect a base salary and commission, with commission paid on contracted revenue, rather than when cash comes in. Everything else is up in the air. Structure varies tremendously. As do benefits.Instead of trying to compare those things, think more about how much you believe in the company, and how much opportunity you'll have to develop there. Will this job increase your marketable skills, while ticking the boxes for what you need to live comfortably in the mean time? Are there opportunities to progress? Is the company growing, or stagnant?
Is it worth the risk to work as a Customer Service Representative?
I have the opportunity to take a new job as a Customer Service Representative w/c pays a handsome salary that doubles the minimum wage.But the distance from home will be quite far about 15 kms in the next city.But my friend said not to worry since they provide transportation only in going to the workplace.Currently i work as an internet cafe cashier pays lower than minimum wage but the job is a relaxed one since i get to listen 2 music,surf the internet during my graveyard shift.I took the job bec.my aunt offered it to me while i was still looking for a job for a big company.So i am considered underemployed right now in this job since i graduated w/ a 4-year Business degree in College.I know i had to take a serious career that pays well w/ what i studied for in college.But will the high pay & hardwork be worth it when i know i won't be as relaxed & in control compared w/ my present job.
What is the role of a sales officer at ICICI Bank?
Depending on the department they put you in (current account, savings/current account, salary account etc.) your main objective is to open /sell the account/product you are assigned to sell.You're not given much help with your job. It is your job to generate the leads and find prospects, and convert these leads/prospects into customers. If you are lucky, you'd get contact details of their “dead” customers, or those customers who own some other product of the bank, to whom you have to cross-sell your assigned product. (Mind it if you get such a list, it'd be illegal I assume. Because such companies have a confidentiality agreement)To survive in such jobs you have to be okay with rejections (no one easily agrees to buy something if you approach them out of the blue). It's not easy to survive the pressure. Your lead will ask you almost everyday about the status of your targets achieved, and pressurize you to perform better.There is only one way to survive in such jobs, as far as I understand…you need to have a solid contact base beforehand, of which you'd find some prospects or will be able to find some leads/references. And after doing the job for few months or a couple of years, depending on your skills, you can build up a good customer base. Your existing customers will bring you more business and help you achieve your targets.If you are a “people's person", good at communication and maintaining relations, like to interact with people, be it a stranger, then this is the job for you. That's the basic attitude required for this position. Even if you don't have the skill at the beginning, you can develop it with time.Assuming that this information is targeted at freshers of the field, hope it helps the readers. Whatever I've mentioned here is a generic scenario. The place where you'll be working may have different work environment and culture. But more or less it is just as I've stated above. After all it's a sales job and it demands results.