Every tech sales professional goes through peaks and valleys during their career. If you meet someone who says that they haven’t, they’re lying.
One of the major differentiators between an average salesperson and a rockstar is their ability to navigate out of a ‘valley’ and get themselves back on top. The next time you feel a sales drought coming on, remember these ideas on how to get out of a rut in sales and return to top performance.
1. Talk to your peers and sales management:
Without fail, the best reps immediately take action. They talk to their colleagues and management to help diagnose the issue, and they evaluate whether they can make small incremental improvements to their sales process. This could be something as simple as competitive differentiation, value presentation or negotiation. A simple change to the basic sales process can have a significant impact in getting back on track and helping you figure out how to get out of a rut. Conversely, those who have a ‘I can figure it out myself’ attitude do nothing but extend their frustration.
2. Look at your competitors:
Smart reps will look into the sales process of their competitors — more specifically, the competitors they are losing deals to. Great reps seek to understand why they lost, and go right to the source – the prospective client who just signed with the competitor. Ask your prospect why you didn’t win the deal and what you could have done differently to put yourself on the winning side. You may not get an answer every time, but more often than not, your prospect will give you a few data points that will help you improve.
3. Get back into the product/solution:
The products, solutions and services tech sales reps sell are constantly evolving, and even the best reps can find themselves in a situation where they need additional training. New features, functionality and//or services may have been added that can significantly improve your odds of winning.
4. Double down on effort:
It sounds cliche, but sometimes old-fashioned hard work is the answer to breaking a sales slump. The sales odds are in your favor. More calls or emails will result in more opportunities. More opportunities will give you a greater chance of hitting your number and, at the end of the day, that’s really the only thing that matters. Focus on the basic metrics your team has identified as the baseline for success – AND BEAT THEM. Start small – 10% – and go from there. If you know how to apply yourself here then you know how to get out of a rut.
The key to beating a sales slump is being able to constantly adapt to change. The best reps evolve over time. What worked last year may not work this year. If you can adapt to an ever-changing sales environment, then you’ll make it out of that sales rut when it happens.
How do you avoid sales burnout before it happens? For more, read How to Avoid Sales Burnout: 6 Tips
