Depending on your point of view, sales can either be a fun profession that allows you to talk to people all day and make great money, or it can be a grueling job that sucks the energy out of you and leaves you an empty husk of a human.
If you’re an SDR, or do anything related to sales, here are our top 3 tips on how to be a better sales development representative and make sure you feel like your job is fun and you aren’t burnt out at the end of the day.
We’ll list the three tips, then explain each one:
- Emotionally Disconnect
- Be flexible and dynamic
- ABL – Always Be Learning
Emotionally Disconnect. This is so important, we put it as #1. You can’t take the rejection personally – and you WILL be rejected. Even the hottest leads are going to say no, and you need to be able to accept that and move on. You don’t have to do it with a smile, but you do need to be able to accept rejection without it weighing you down, because if it does the next prospect is going to hear it in your voice and it will impact their ability to see you as someone they want to do business with. You don’t need to be cold, just keep in mind the prospect is rejecting the product or service, not you, and that’s ok.
Be flexible in your conversation with the prospect. Don’t read from the sales script like a robot. As always, you should practice, practice, practice before you start calling. Once you feel like you can have the conversation without needing to stop and read, then start anticipating where the conversation could go so you’re not left flat-footed when someone says something that you don’t have a preset response to.
In addition, keep track of all of the questions you are being asked and write them down. Throughout your day take breaks from your calls to consider what the prospects are asking, talk to your director or other team members about how to respond to these kinds of questions, and incorporate them into a new script.
At the end of the day, it’s always ok to say, “I don’t know the answer to that question, but can I get back to you?” This is actually a great move because it allows you to follow up, and the more touch points you have with a prospect, the closer you get to closing the sale.
Always Be Learning. To paraphrase on Glengarry Glen Ross’ ABC – we say ABL – Always Be Learning. There are so many great podcasts, blogs, and books on how to do sales that you have no excuse not to be improving. We also recommend getting yourself a mentor. This can be someone in your office, someone you follow and respect on LinkedIn (that will actually talk to you), someone you meet at a sales conference,etc. The important thing is you are excited about their style and they are willing to give you feedback to help you grow and improve.
