Sales Prospecting Perspectives

If there is one thing I've learned over the years making cold calls is a little term called humility. It's something I've gotten very familiar with. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, you can be quickly reminded that you've got a hell of a lot more you can still learn.

I was talking with one of my senior business development reps today regarding some issues he's having with getting it done for one of our clients. We were talking about different ways to overcome some of the initial objections he was running into and he wanted to get a sense from my perspective on what he could be doing differently to increase his lead volume.

As we talked about the different options it struck me that he could benefit from listening to another inside sales rep that was experiencing better success calling on the same project. As I was about to mention it as an option to the stressed out BDR, I quickly stopped myself short. The problem was I became a bit concerned over how he would react to me suggesting he listen in on calls with a rep with less experience than he had. Fortunately the problem solved itself because by the end of the day because the rep took the initiative to ask his colleague if he could listen in on a few of his calls without me having to say word.

In retrospect I wasn't surprised he had taken the initiative. He is a historically successful inside sales rep at AG who has proven to me over the years that he is resourceful enough to find a way of always getting himself out of the rut we inevitably all fall into (with a little help from me on occasion).

Here are five things my veteran inside sales reps say are key to their long term success when cold calling:

1) They're willing to put their ego aside - The example above illustrates perfectly what my best reps are doing. They are open to the suggestions/advice and listening to others techniques...even if they may have less experience. It always helps listening to a fresh perspective.

2) They are staying engaged even when performing poorly - The best reps understand there will always be ebbs and flows each and every month. Focus and resilience are the traits senior reps rely on to inevitably hit their goals. 

3) Always consistent with their activity - Inconsistency with your output will yield inconsistent results. Your call volume needs to remain consistent day-after-day in order to see a reliable result...and if you're struggling then don't be afraid to hit the phones a bit harder.

4) Proactively expressing a concern before it becomes an issue - Any good senior inside sales rep can see trouble a mile away. The key is to jump on it as soon as you see the potential issue coming.

5) Always willing to take on more responsibility - The veteran folks understand the more they take on allows them to further sharpen their perspective on what it takes to be a successful inside rep. For example, they think of the time spent training junior reps as a training session for them because you're working with someone with a completely fresh perspective.

What have you found as key contributors to the long term success of your inside sales reps?