Sales Ramp UP Plan for New Sales Executive

Sales ramp up in a new role is difficult. There’s no momentum and, unfortunately, often no direction. I’ve recently started in a new role with an awesome company. One of my colleagues asked about my 90 day sales ramp up plan. Since I drafted it for him I’m sharing it here. The caveat that you must understand is that every role different and will require you to take slightly different steps. However, the approach outlined below is at least a starting point and at best a framework to provide direction.
Learning
The first week or so is straight forward learning about the company, product and services. A critical point here is that you only get to be new once so take advantage of your naiveté and ask lots of questions, even if they’re stupid questions. You’ll be forgiven for them now; You might not later. I think of this as being in a few different segments:
  • Your Co. 101 – This is the stuff that everyone should know. It’s on the website. It’s part of public knowledge. It’s company policy, etc. You should have started learning this during the interview process. Keep learning.
  • The sales process. Optimally, how does it happen here? How does it really work on a day to day basis? Who’s killing it? Who’s the ‘process guy’? Are they the same person? What can you learn from each? This includes the forms, systems etc. you’ll need to use everyday.
  • Services and product knowledge. Depending on your role there may be a lot to learn or a little.
  • Articulating the company story. For me, sales stories are extraordinarily useful to get the conversation started and to clarify the reasons a prospect should work with your firm. It allows you to give detailed examples without requiring you to speculate about how the work will go in this specific circumstance. Mike Weinberg’s New Sales. Simplified does a great job articulating this concept.

Planning

Once you have some very basic knowledge it’s time to start cobbling together your plan of attack. Depending on your situation, this may require very little work because the company has done it for you. In other circumstances, this step is more difficult and even more important. The key idea to remember is that you’re not making the 5 year strategic plan for the entire company. You should focus on the short term, validate your plan as you go and iterate.

  • Identify the right target companies.  You must have a finite list of targets. It could be that you’re given named accounts – choose a few to start with. For me, 10 is about the maximum. Research these companies and the industries to understand the issues they’re likely dealing with.
  • Build a profile for each persona you want to speak with at each company. What position are they in? What problems are they facing? What business language do they speak? You’ll have to generalize but go for it.
Action
 
Networking to your targets. Meet with as many people as possible. Start with safe people who already know and trust you. Then expand to those at the periphery of your network.
  • Come to these conversations with a great story about why you’re loving the new gig and EXACTLY who you’re trying to get in touch with.
  • The minimum is a company name. “Hey, i’m really targeting xyz co this week. Do you know anyone who works there?”
  • It’s much better if you can go through LinkedIn prior to the meeting and identify the people they’re connected to on LinkedIn who work at your target accounts. At some point in the meeting your targets will come up, that’s a great point to pull out a document with your target prospects list at the top and the people you know they’re connected to. Then you can tell them, “Hey, I’m really focused on these companies. I took the liberty of poking around LinkedIn and noticed that you’re connected to these folks. Do you actually know them? Will you introduce me? Do you know anyone else at these companies?”
  • When someone tells you they’ll make an introduction for you it’s your job to make it easy. Tell them, “I’ll send you a quick email with a few bullets about why they may want to meet with me / why I’d love to visit with them.”
  • Send it in a way they can copy and paste the email without typing anything. Ask them to CC you and that you’ll follow up to make it easy for everyone.
Follow up, follow up, follow up. I reach out again about once a week for the next 3-4 weeks. I only cc the introducer on the first one.
Don’t forget to pick up the phone and call them too. It’s a better connection and one that many people, in the tech world especially, forget about.
Meet with everyone you know, have known, think you know, etc. Don’t screen people, just invite them to visit, share your story, learn about their situation. It’s a little rough but the ideas are outlined by Grant Cardone in If Your Not First, You’re Last. This isn’t what I’d call the “consultants” sales process but it’s the mindset about getting in front of people.

Proactive activities into your targets

  • I use Hoovers and LinkedIn to identify the people in specific areas I want to speak with e.g. Finance, Marketing and Sales at my targets.
  • Draft some simple messaging around other other companies in their industry we’ve worked with. It’s part of the story you put together in your leaning phase.
  • Call them – leave a voice mail and send an email at the same time.
  • We’re working with some of the (largest retailers, biggest competitors, best known companies in town) like ABC Co. and XYZ Inc. We’re not working with you guys at MyTargetCo and we’ve got a great story to tell around (your industry). Please let me know the best way to get a little time on your calendar.
  • Plan on calling and emailing them once a week for 6 weeks or so. Each week, have a slightly different theme to the message but tie them together somehow.
  • It’s a campaign – not a sprint. I tell people in the first few voice mails, ‘If we don’t get connected in the next few days / a week, I’ll reach out again.’
  • Keep an eye on your companies blogs for interesting things articles, topics that will interest your prospects.
  • The next message in your campaign should add something about the kinds of problems we’ve solved for people in their position at the competitors / industry leaders you’re mentioning. I build messaging around each target separately and save them so I can go back to look at what ideas I’ve had, what I’ve shared etc.
  • Your phone call is about setting an appointment. Read New Sales. Simplified. for a much better description of the calling process. 
  • Don’t get discouraged. This is the hard work
Use your resources
I don’t know about your new company but where I’m at they really want to see the new guy succeed. Use the people around you.
  • Ask them about the best work they’ve done with clients.
  • Go on ‘ride alongs’ with peers to hear how their conversations with clients sound.
  • Ask more questions. It’s not just your supervisor who can and will help you, it’s likely most people will.

Good Luck

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