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5 Daily Sales Tips for Account Development Reps

Jun 26th, 2018

Every type of account development role is challenging, and there are thousands of blog posts and articles suggesting which activities, traits and attributes will make account development reps (ADRs) successful. After a while, those sales tips become repetitive, and I find it hard to believe most of the activities, traits and attributes we read about really help reps exceed their quotas.

I’ve developed accounts in the staffing industry and now the software industry, which are two very different markets with their own sales processes and sales cycles. And in both situations, having a daily process led to success – to the point where I have almost hit my 2018 quota in 6 months. Hopefully a few of these tips are also useful to you, or someone you know.

Here are 5 everyday activities that have helped me be an effective ADR.

1. Eggs, Bacon and Coffee​

I’ve never been very consistent in many areas of life, including my golf game. Over the last year, however, I’ve learned that consistency breeds consistency.

You don’t have to eat eggs and bacon or drink coffee every day. But providing your body and mind with a consistent source of energy for work is key. By picking a breakfast to start your work days, you will be in the right state of mind to “play the game.” Keep it to work days, though. My weekends consist of pancakes – lots of them.

2. The Pre-Game Jams

People say I’m “naturally motivated,” but don’t necessarily believe that. It’s important to have that something that gets you fired up.

Music is one way I get excited on my way to the office. Listening to inspirational speakers can also set your mood, but don’t forget about comedians. It’s just as important to have a go-to source of laughter. Nothing kicks off the day better than a laugh so loud and hard your cheeks hurt.

3. My Time is Not Your Time

This advice comes from my father, and I’m beyond thankful for it. He always stressed the importance of time, because you can’t get it back. And when any day can pull you in more directions than you have fingers, only you will be respectful of your own time.

Everyone has his or her own agenda, and that’s okay. I organize my day, internal and external meetings, and to-do list so that they benefit my agenda. I’m not afraid to let anyone know I’ll get back to them later, because I will. If you don’t respect and value your time, you’ll spend your days out of rhythm, working sporadically and not hitting your goals.

4. Trust Falls

It would be weird if I stood on a desk every day, turned my back to my team and asked them to catch me. More likely than not, my new best friends would be the ground and an ice pack. I trust my team, but it would be too funny an opportunity to not catch me.

If you’re going to do anything, trust the process. The process of learning and improving means you’re going to fall. It will hurt and you may doubt yourself at times. By trusting in your own resiliency and believing in the process, you will foster a “make it happen” mentality that leads to success.

5. Rinse and Repeat

This isn’t the part of the day before you go home and wash that dirty plastic container from lunch. This is the part of the day where you take a step back, look at what you completed that day, evaluate your successes and challenges, plan a little for tomorrow and leave the stressful pieces of work at work.

Leave for the day and go do something you love. Don’t get me wrong, I like to work and even bring work home sometimes – but only the fun pieces I want to complete. To be successful, you need to be able to unplug and put things in perspective.

What do you think?

Thanks for taking time to read this post. If you liked what you read, please comment, like or share it. If you don’t, please do the same. I’m curious to hear what you think makes someone successful in the account development function.  

Want more tips from Brainshark? Check out our exclusive eBook, “14 Hacks to Upgrade Your Sales Enablement Strategy,” to learn how sales organizations can better prepare reps for any buyer conversation.