So, you’re back from your annual sales kickoff event. What’s different now? Probably not much. You probably had a great time, in a beautiful location, seeing friends you have not seen in quite some time. At sales kickoff, financials were shared showing budget to goals, management outlined expectations for the upcoming year, any organizational changes may have been announced, accolades were given to sales top performers including those who made their quotas, and new quotas were assigned.
Now that you are back from sales kickoff, what now? Well, hopefully, you are the one of those sales top performers who:
- has been building your pipeline with qualified deals
- has deals closing this quarter
- has a steady stream of qualified deals closing throughout the year
- is maximizing your time ensuring you continue to fill your pipeline with qualified deals
- is maximizing your internal resources time since their time is limited and they are spread very thin
- thinks about how you can make your quota earlier in the year
- is provoking your prospects and clients to think differently
- is viewed as a valued resource to your prospects and clients
- thinks about how things can get done versus why they cannot
- is in lock step with your clients and always trying to be one step ahead if at all possible
- is proactive
- minimizes your self orientation and focuses on your prospects’ and clients’ needs
If you have made your quota, then it’s likely you are a sales top performer. You’re one of the sales people that gets the kudos at your sales kickoff, the one everyone wants to hang out with at the events, the one that everyone wants to understand how you continually make or exceed your number, the one who is going to President’s club – again.
It’s not hard to be “the one.” Be diligent. Be deliberate. Be smart with your time and your key resources time. Be all about the client. Be “the one.”
Janice Mars, principal and founder of SalesLatitude, is a senior business and sales executive with more than 30 years of experience helping companies build successful sales teams. She has parlayed that experience to help her clients to improve their sales processes, accurately forecast revenues, ensure focus on winnable opportunities, and attain consistent results. View my LinkedIn profile | Twitter
