How Sales Reps can Succeed
Dr. Sudberg is the CEO and Medical Director of Spine and Sports Rehabilitation Center. There are many roles that sales reps can play in an organization. Some reps provide vital consulting services to buyers, while others concentrate on the operational side by offering support to management or the sales team. Jordan Sudberg shares his insights on the different roles and discusses the skills required to succeed.
1. Consulting Sales Rep – Helping Buyers Make the Right Decision
Consulting reps serve as experts to the buyer. Their main job is to provide research and insight to their clients and educate them on how to buy. They are expected to be an expert in their company’s products or services, so they need the skills of a researcher, presenter, and manager. It takes more than just knowledge of a product or service; sellers must be passionate about their development and show confidence in what they recommend.
2. Management Sales Rep – Leading and Leading Others
Management sales reps are expected to be leaders. They are the go-to resource for management and must take charge of the sales team. Managers must ensure their key leads are working on the right opportunities, manage client expectations, continuously improve performance, and be active participants in improving business results. Sales reps in these roles must also be effective communicators, possess strong interpersonal skills, and be good managers of others.
3. Operations Sales Rep – Doing the Hard Work
Operations sales reps are expected to put in the hard work. They must be efficient and effective at closing deals. They must be self-motivated, follow up with clients, use a system to track client contact information and call in on new leads, be very active with clients, and understand how to manage relationships. These sales reps need the drive, innate nurturing skills (which sets them apart from most), and the ability to understand their areas of expertise.
4. Sales Development Rep – Getting the Deal Over the Line
Sales development reps are responsible for helping build relationships with new clients. They need to know how to use networking techniques, interact effectively with clients, select the correct type of professional, and connect with known contacts that have money to pay for services. Reps must be detail-oriented, trustworthy, and efficient at closing deals.
5. Sales Training Manager – Helping Build the Sales Team
A sales training manager is responsible for growing the sales team by providing reps training, coaching, and development. Exercise will help them be better at what they do and develop a growth mindset. Reps must think about their career as a journey, identify their personal growth goals, and work to achieve them. In addition to giving reps tools to improve performance, managers must be results-oriented and provide positive feedback when asked for it.
Jordan Sudberg says that being a successful sales rep takes knowledge, skills, and passion. It may sound cliché, but reps need to believe in what they sell. In addition, they must be good at communicating and building relationships. If a sales rep does all these things, they will undoubtedly be successful.
