7 Productivity Hacks That Make A Great Salesperson

Ever wonder how those great salespeople outperform everyone else year in and year out? I mean, seriously, they don’t seem that great do they?

They aren’t any smarter than you, any more talented than you, any harder working than you, and they sure as heck aren’t any better looking than you – so what gives?

Here’s what gives. They are hacking their way to more sales while you’re still stuck in the same old rut you’ve always been in. If you want to sell more, like those top-performing salespeople – there’s a hack for that!

Here are the 7 hacks that make a great salesperson:

Hack #1: They live and die by a schedule. Not on the schedule? Not happening! (hint: pair this hack with hack #4 for maximum impact).

Great salespeople are hyper-organized with their time. I mean, after all, time is money in sales, right?

Consider compartmentalizing your calendar each day, week, month, quarter and even year and blocking out sections of time for the following: lead generation, prospective and buyer follow-up, meetings, personal training and development, email, client presentations, ‘you’ time, family time, vacation time, etc. etc. etc.

When you schedule time for specific activities on your calendar, everyone knows what and when things are happening, and it just gets done.

Hack #2: They set why’s, not goals. We are often told that having goals will make us more productive. But you know the problem with goals? They often lack intrinsic motivation.

If you set a goal, you must have a strong inner why behind it. Want more sales? Why? Want to make more money? Why? Want recognition as the top salesperson for your organization? Why?

If you don’t know your why, then when things get tough, bailing is easy. But knowing why keeps you steadily moving forward.

Hack #3: They control their environment. This includes: staying away from negative people who zap their energy, avoiding the news (when have you ever felt better after watching the news?), and maintaining a stress-free work environment (as much as it depends on you). 

Hack #4: They begin their week at the end of their week. Huh? I’ll explain. This one is simple yet crazy powerful. Great salespeople plan out their upcoming week on the last day of their current work week.

So if I’m a salesperson who is off on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, then on Mondays, right before I leave, I take 30 minutes to organize my activities and calendar for the following week. This helps me leave the office relaxed and in control and also allows me to hit the ground running when I return on Thursday. Powerful!

Hack #5: They say no… a lot! Say it with me… nnnnnnnooooooooooo! Good. Now practice. Say it again. Say it again. AGAIN! ONE. MORE. TIME. Whew, feels good, right?

Here’s the thing. Great salespeople know that any time they say, “yes” to something, they are saying “no” to something else.

Where are you wasting time because you said “yes” to a non-sales generating activity, when “no” would have freed you up for more focused time with your prospects and scored you more sales?!

Hack #6: They are resourceful. Puh-leez stop telling me “I’m overwhelmed” and don’t have time for this or that sales activity. Or that you don’t have the right resources to make those additional sales.

As Tony Robbins says, “the best resource is resourcefulness”.  There are a million and one apps for today’s savvy salesperson. Go invest $1.99 on some of the latest apps and get control of your life and sales!

Hack #7: They know what they’re good at – and stick with it. Great salespeople stay in their lane. They know what they’re good at and they maximize every opportunity to hone and improve their craft. Being great at something requires time, effort and attention.

Do you know what this means? They don’t have time for much else.

Question: did you nod your head even once while reading this? I’m going to assume you said ‘yes’ because I’m pretty positive we all did!

Then go back to the hack where you nodded your head, or smiled or even shouted “YES!” out loud for everyone to hear and start there.

Pick that hack… or pick another hack. But the idea is to pick something! Then begin hacking your way towards achieving the kind of productivity that will make YOU a great salesperson!