If you've spent more than a few minutes with me, then you already know I'm a huge fan of rock music, more specifically punk and pop punk.
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In fact, long before launching my tech sales career, I had dreams of working in the music industry and was even the frontman for a local punk band in the early aughts (the band broke up and everyone pursued other careers 😢).

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Given the info above, it should come as no surprise that I'm a long-time fan of Blink-182.
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So much so, I even have a replica of the guitar Tom Delonge used in the music video for their song All The Small Things.

This got me thinking about all the small things a seller needs to do in their career, to be successful over the long-term.
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​How's that for a segue? 🤣​
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Below are 10 seemingly small things I've implemented that have had a compounding effect over the course of my career and have paid major dividends with time and consistency.

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​1. Get Connected on LinkedIn​
​I send connection requests to new prospects, customer stakeholders, colleagues, channel partners, procurement people, really anyone I come in contact with. I'm always surprised to hear reps aren't in the habit of shooting a connect over to people they are working with, have worked with or will work with. I do try to limit blind connects, but in general, building out your LinkedIn network is a net positive in a career field where getting access to people is 80% of the battle.

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​2. Grab Cell Phone Numbers
​Get in the habit of moving conversations to mobile: SMS/texting or WhatsApp. Start by asking for a cell number from: prospects, customers, partners, execs (internal & external). See above point about having access to people. If you haven't been doing this, start now, build out your cell phone contact list with what you have, you'll thank yourself later.

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3. Send a Weekly Recap Email to Your Manager Every Friday
​Sending an end of week summary to your direct manager (and maybe even higher) is a game-changer for your career. It will first help you get organized and show initiative and self awareness. Mine are usually a few highlights from the week and a section around what I need from the business. Simple, but incredibly effective.

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4. Manage Your Calendar

There comes a time in every seller's life when they need to learn how to manage their calendar (and not let their calendar manage them). This means being intentional about time blocking, setting reminders, and setting aside time for revenue generating activities as well as research and prep. I like to color-code my calendar so I have a visual look at my week ahead.

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5. Top 3 Priorities Daily​
​Every day, I write down the 3 most important things I need to do to move my business forward. I write them on a yellow Post-it note and put the hardest thing first. This may seem like a small thing, but I'm telling you, it can really boost your productivity, trust me...

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6. Do 15-Minute Internal Intro Meetings​
​Yet another small thing, taking time, 15 minutes is plenty, to connect with key internal colleagues: Fellow sellers, RevOps, SDRs & SDR leaders, Demand Gen. folks, Solutions Consultants etc. So much of enterprise dealmaking will come down to how well you've developed internal relationships.

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7. Know Your Numbers
​Spend a few minutes every week making sure you know your numbers. Where are you at on ARR, pipeline coverage, rolling pipeline, prospecting activities, deal stages etc. Use your tools to monitor analytics, I can assure you your sales leadership already is. Don't end up looking like a deer in headlights on a forecast call.

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8. Stay In Touch
​This is such an unlock. Make an effort to keep in touch with people you've worked with (customers, prospects, execs, teammates). It helps if you are connected on LinkedIn or have cell numbers (see #1 and #2 above). A simple text or InMail a few times a year can mean finding your next role or closing your next deal. I've repeatedly experienced both over the course of my career just from checking in with people a few times a year.

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​9. Skip-Level Relations
​Make an effort to connect with your "skip-level" leaders a.k.a your manager’s manager, your manager’s manager’s manager, or your founders. Building a connection with your leadership will alter your trajectory, so why not be intentional about it? Be sure to run it by your direct manager first so they're in the loop.

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10. Manage Your Tempo

Now, Sales Players, I will attempt to come full circle on the Blink-182/All The Small Things metaphor I started with... Just like Blink-182's drummer, Travis Barker, is responsible for keeping time and managing the pace and tempo of the song (150 beats per minute, to be exact), you are responsible for keeping time and managing the pace of your sales efforts. Acting with urgency can be the difference between winning and losing a deal. Get in the habit of responding promptly, following up quickly and moving at a tempo similar to a punk drummer.
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Well, that's all for this week, folks. If you enjoyed this one, be sure to hit reply and share. Turns out, you can learn a lot about sales from artists like Blink-182.

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If you’d like help implementing any of the above, you know where to find me.

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Rock on 🤘

-Jesse

Featured Episode: Understanding: Comp Plans, PIPs, Severance, Equity Grants & Commission Issues with Dan Goodman

Dan Goodman is the founder of Dan Goodman Employment Advisory. Based in Boston, MA, Dan has been a fierce and passionate advocate for employees for over three decades. Dan shares his mission is to provide truth and transparency around the employer/employee relations.

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