What It Takes to Excel as an Outbound Sales Rep

Imagine waking up to five emails from people rejecting you. Having three meetings where attendees promise to show up but end up ghosting you. Coming agonizingly close to closing a million-dollar deal, only to hear that someone else snagged it.

Sales, in general, demands an unparalleled level of resilience compared to other professions. You need tough skin but a soft heart.

Among all sales roles, outbound sales may be the most challenging. Before delving into the reasons, let’s first discuss what constitutes a healthy B2B business.

A healthy B2B business has found a problem that other businesses face and has dedicated itself to solving that problem. A healthy business has customers who love its product and has sound reasons to ask other businesses whether they experience a problem its product solves. Salespeople should only work for healthy businesses.

As a salesperson, you are not a spammer or a scammer. Your purpose is to genuinely help people solve their problems which will ultimately enhance their lives tenfold. While this may be true. It doesn’t make it any difficult to become an outbound sales rep. A rep who possesses the endurance to make over 100 calls every single day, engaging with people from all walks of life.

Here are the five essential traits required to become a successful outbound sales representative:

1. Perseverance

Sales is ultimately a numbers game. The more calls you make and emails you send, the more deals you will bring in. To excel in outbound sales, you must persevere. Keep taking one step after another, even when circumstances are challenging or favorable. There will be dry spells, as well as highly rewarding weeks. However, remember that most of your success in those lucrative weeks is a result of the work you put in 30 days prior. I once read a book that stated, “I can predict your future pipeline in 30 days based on how hard you’re working now.” To achieve greatness in outbound sales, you must maintain a continuous, unyielding effort. Stopping is not in the nature of an outbound sales rep until you achieve your quarterly or yearly goals.

2. Resilence

An outbound sales rep is repeatedly knocked down. You must have the resilience to absorb these blows and keep getting back up. Your product may not be suitable for everyone, and that’s perfectly fine. As long as you explore every potential customer and leave no stone unturned, you are in a good position.

3. Confidence

Confidence is key. It’s an age-old saying, but its truth remains unaltered. Confidence builds trust, and trust is the foundation for closing deals. Prospects will not buy from you if they don’t trust you. They need to believe that you won’t waste their time, that you know what you’re talking about, and that your intentions extend beyond mere financial gain. Confidence effectively conveys all these qualities.

4. Adaptability

In cold calling, you have a mere four seconds to establish trust and persuade the person on the other end to grant you more of their time. After that, you will encounter a range of objections and brush-offs that you must swiftly navigate. The ability to quickly adapt to different situations and steer conversations accordingly is pivotal for securing more deals.

5. Authenticity

Be yourself! If a sales rep sounds scripted, prospects will be turned off faster than I can hit the snooze button on my alarm clock. Discovering your unique approach and cultivating a genuine love for conversations will help you present yourself as friendly and confident over the phone.

Outbound sales is not suited for everyone. While a select few (including myself) may love it, most people detest it. It’s difficult to know that you’re interrupting someone’s day to “sell” them something. However, you have the power to make someone’s day brighter not only with your infectious laughter and charming personality but also with the solution your business offers. The future customers of your business that you brought in will thank you for reaching out because, without you, they would never find the answer to their problems.

Happy Selling!