4 Ways To Outsell The Top Sales Rep

4 Ways to Outsell the Top Sales Rep: Every sales organization has at least one person who seems to be at the top of their game. They kill their quota and crush commissions left and right.
And you’re always wondering, “What are they doing that I’m not?”
It’s time to claim your rightful place at the top of the sales leaderboard. Here’s how:

Build Your Content Arsenal

First, you need to get comfortable with the content. Content is one of the salesperson’s best weapons. Each type offers different advantages for different stages of the sales process, different personas, and different use cases.
That’s why you want to build your library of content so that you can use the right piece of content at exactly the right time.
Start by creating a mental index (or better yet, a spreadsheet) of all of the content that is available to you. Be clear on what each piece is “saying,” when to use it, and which buyer personas will find it helpful.
Then actually use the content. Did you know that 60-70 percent of content goes unused? No wonder marketing gets a little testy when you ask for new content. The goal for your content library is to be fluent in all of the relevant assets and information available so that it’s all at your disposal when you need it.
But don’t limit yourself to the content produced by your company’s marketing team. Think critically about the content. What do you need that you don’t already have? One way to supplement your arsenal is to always be on the lookout for third-party (read: from reputable, non-competitive sources!) content that you can leverage. Industry research reports, links to blog articles, and shareable assets or videos can be great pieces to add to your arsenal and can lend further credibility to your pitch.

Use Technology To Maximize Your Time

One thing that sets apart a top producer from someone who’s in the middle of the pack is that they’re ruthless with their time. They do what they can to maximize their time so they can spend it on what matters—closing more deals. And luckily, there’s a lot of really, really killer sales technology out there that can help you do this. Everything from automating and streamlining your prospecting activities to getting a deal inked is becoming exponentially more efficient when using the right sales technology.
If you’re lucky and you have a kickass sales operations manager who can help get you up to speed with the latest tools, you’re all set — leverage that person’s knowledge.
If your team doesn’t have a role for this function, then take matters into your own hands and do some research on Product Hunt. Here’s a well-curated collection of sales tools to get your research started. Want to talk about digitizing and automating the documents you use during the sales process?

Get Up Close And Personal With Your Customer Personas

Top sales performers know that it’s important to get close to their customers. close enough to feel their pain.
Cultivating customer empathy will allow you to anticipate your prospects’ objections and handle them accordingly. Having a deep understanding of your customers allows you to pitch directly to their pain points and position your product or service as an antidote to the things that make their daily lives harder.
And most importantly, when you get your customers, you come across as sincere, and you’ll pass the “sniff” test of whether you get their needs or if you’re just an order taker trying to get the sale.

Be A Subject Matter Expert In Your Products or Services

Last, you’ll need to build profound expertise around your sales offerings, whether you sell products or services.
This seems like a very clear “no duh,” but far too many sales reps fail to glean more than a superficial understanding of what they’re selling.
Here’s the thing: today’s buyers are savvy. They may be savvier than you are as a result of all the research they’ve done.
So, you need to understand your product or service as if you were the customer buying it for your business. That includes knowing (off the top of your head!) how your offerings stack up against competing companies’ offerings (that’s where Battle Cards can help). Developing a deep, deep knowledge of what you’re selling within the context of who you’re selling it to is critical to becoming a top producer.
Overall, to outsell the bullpen champs, you need to dig deeper than the top producers already have:
1. Uncover the content that will help you educate, inform, and convince your prospects to buy from you.
2. Dive into your customer personas and learn so much about who they are and what they need that you can empathize with them.
3. And most importantly, develop an expert-level understanding of how what you’re selling can impact the pains and needs of your customers.
In doing these things, you’ll be able to boost your own sales performance, and in the process, you’ll send the current champ to the back of the pack.