11 smart ways to stand out in a large sales team

Keen to make your mark in sales? Here are eleven ways to stand out and impress your managers when you are worried about being swallowed up by a large team.

Here’s to ambition. It’s the inextinguishable force that gets you up in the morning. You are hungry for career progression, professional responsibility and the financial rewards that come with it. But “sales” is competitive. And when you are part of a large team, getting yourself noticed can sometimes feel like a daunting challenge.

Master these eleven steps and ignite your sales career with skills that are too good to ignore.

1.  Know your product

It’s hard to be a great seller if you don’t understand what you’re selling. And by understand, we mean really understand. Take the time to thoroughly research your product. What’s great about it? What’s not great about it? What makes it better than the alternatives? What does it do that nothing else can?

2.  Know your audience

You should also research your prospects before reaching out. People don’t respond to pithy sales lines. They are looking for the answer to a problem. Think about your prospects’ goals, desires and ambitions. Consider their fears, concerns and pain points. Put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself what would turn you from a prospect into a customer.

3.  Know your market

You also need to understand your product and your audience in the context of what else is happening in the market. Are lots of other companies selling your product? Is yours cheaper or more expensive? How does it differ from anything else on the market and what makes it unique?

4.  Know yourself

Standing out is also about developing your sense of identity. Get to know your strengths as a professional and give the best parts of yourself - day in, day out. Be confident in yourself and your value to the company. Nobody in the world is better at being you than you. Use that to your advantage.

5.  Take ownership

To make real headway in your sales career, you need to accept that you alone are responsible for your success or failure. Stop making excuses and blaming other people. You have the power to change negative influences if you decide to make yourself accountable and take responsibility for your career.

6.  Become a problem-solver

Most people moan about problems. Others identify them and find ways to solve them. Which type of person would you rather employ? Exactly. If a problem is holding you back from making progress, don’t just sit there and wait for someone else to fix it. Raise it with your manager and suggest a potential resolution. (And don’t pretend you’re too busy, that’s a terrible excuse.) Even if your idea isn’t viable, the fact that you are taking the initiative and showing strategic-thinking in the interests of the business will be huge for your manager.

7.  Get creative

If you keep trying the same old sales tactics, your results are unlikely to change. Don’t be afraid to go against the grain. If everyone else is sending emails, do something different – old school style of sending a letter might make you stand out! If you are expected to make 20 calls per day, aim for 40. If you have autonomy you should embrace it and try to work new angles.

8.  Stay positive

Sales can be stressful. Don’t let it beat you. After all, a little bit of stress is a good thing. It ignites motivation and inspires performance. When times are hard and it feels like nothing is going right, the ability to stay positive is invaluable. Don’t badmouth the company, the customer or your colleagues. Negativity is corrosive, positivity is infectious and energising.

9.  Support your colleagues

When there are targets to hit and big rewards at stake, sales can be incredibly cut-throat. But helping your colleagues will give you a stronger network and mark you out as a team player. Share your knowledge and show your employers that, unlike those who are purely out for themselves, you are sensitive to the wider organisational goals of the company.

10.  Acknowledge criticism

There’s always going to be someone better at sales than you - and that’s okay - so drop the ego. Instead of getting defensive or upset when they are criticised, the best professionals take it on the chin. If the criticism is warranted, accept it and learn from it. If it’s not, don’t let your ego tell you that it matters. Move on.

11.  Never stop learning

Books, blogs, free online courses. There are oodles of resources out there that can help you become a better salesperson. Learn about buying psychology. Take a course in communication. Gobble up some books on marketing. As best-selling author Donald Miller wrote: “in the age of information, ignorance is a choice.”

Over to you...

Sales is a tough nut to crack. But if you are ambitious and keen to work hard, the rewards can be huge - both professionally and financially. It’s not about being the boldest, brashest or the most abrasive. It’s about recognising your place in the bigger picture of your organisation, taking opportunities and supporting your colleagues in working collaboratively towards common strategic goals. Follow the steps above and you will be well on your way