The results from the most recent State of Sales Survey conducted by Salesforce reveals some interesting insight into what the best salespeople do to close more deals and make lots of money. 280 salespeople as well as clients were surveyed.
Clients spoke out loud and clear about the qualities that are crucial to having a successful relationship with their sales reps. The salesperson needs to be actively engaged with their business needs before a deal can be reached:
- 82% want to work with a person focused on their needs and not wanting to just make a quick sale.
- 82% want their salesperson to be available when they need them.
- 80% don’t want to be pitched products they don’t need.
- 79% want their salesperson to be a trusted advisor who adds value to their business.
Research tells us that salespeople spend 64% of their time on non-selling activities and conversely only 36% of their time on selling activities. So what do the best of the best of the best of salespeople do?
- 76% start their day early and are awake before 7:00 a.m. and 35% are awake before 6:00 a.m.
- 50% say that relationship building is the foundation to closing a business deal.
- 25% use social media as prospecting tools and 25% prospect at networking events and through referrals.
- 73% collaborate with all departments and 62% engage in collaborative selling, meaning they engage other departments in the sales process.
- 61% often work on weekends.
- 62% manage stress through exercise and sports.
- 33% collaborate with colleagues to find solutions to problems.
- 85% say that their budget is fair; 52% say they always meet or exceed their goals.
- They know that the best day to connect with a prospect is a Tuesday.
- The leading motivator for top performers is money; however 35% say job satisfaction matters even more.
- Successful salespeople have a number of traits in common, including perseverance and curiosity, which can be measured by a quality talent assessment.
Top performers are not complainers. They are action oriented solution providers for their clients and themselves. So rise and shine top performers and be dialed in to customer-focused collaborative selling!
