How do you go from good salesperson to great salesperson?

Whether you’re a salesperson or a sales leader, it’s important to identify triage areas so you can focus on the gap and make the necessary tweaks to boost performance and potential.

You’ve likely heard us talk about BDU’s triage philosophy of identifying the top three areas that, if improved upon, will have the biggest impact on performance. If you’re a sales leader, your job is to help your direct reports be as successful as possible and to assist them in assessing their triage areas.  As an individual contributor, self-reflection is key.

Once you’ve performed an analysis and determined triage areas, what’s next? How do you address these areas, focus on the gap and make the adjustments necessary for improvement?

Ask yourself two questions:

(1) Which one area should be addressed first?
Don’t get overwhelmed by trying to improve upon all three triage areas at once. Figure out where the biggest gap lies and focus on addressing that first.

(2) What one small tweak will make the biggest impact?
Often it’s one tiny change that can make the largest difference.

We recently worked with a company whose salespeople were prospecting but nothing was coming from it. They were putting in the effort but not seeing results. Upon further analysis, we determined that they didn’t have a process in place and were just winging it with their outreach. Together, we created a ten-touch program that was methodical, with a set cadence and defined messaging. Suddenly, they were generating more net new appointments than ever before.

We also worked with a salesperson at another company who was having trouble closing business. After observing how she interacted with prospects and how she created and presented her proposals, it was easy to see that she was neglecting to spend time on discovery. She was presenting her prospects with solutions before she uncovered what was truly important to them, hoping that what she had to say mattered. Once we worked with her on reversing the order and asking questions up front, she started addressing their hot button areas and selling like crazy.

There’s not a huge difference between a good salesperson and a great salesperson, or between a great salesperson and a sales superstar. Once triage areas are defined, figure out that one small adjustment that will make a world of difference.

Need guidance on identifying triage areas for yourself or your sales team? This visual can help.