How to Train Top Salespeople

 I've managed 300+ salespeople and worked with the best in the world. The difference between average and exceptional? It's not talent. It's not luck. It's these 5 habits that EVERY top performer shares 👇 1 - They shut up and LISTEN The old "gift of gab" salesperson is dead. Today's best salespeople? They're like therapists. ↳ They ask one question and let you talk for 5 minutes ↳ They lean in when you speak ↳ They take notes on what matters to YOU Your mouth should be closed 70% of the time. Your ears? Wide open. 2 - They're problem-solving MACHINES Average salespeople sell products. Top salespeople sell solutions. Big difference. They don't pitch features. They diagnose problems like doctors. Then prescribe the cure. Every call is: "What's broken? How can I fix it?" 3 - They eat rejection for BREAKFAST I've seen salespeople cry after one "no." I've seen others get 50 "no's" before lunch and still smile. Guess who hits quota? The best salespeople know: Every "no" gets you closer to "yes" Rejection isn't personal Your attitude is your superpower Bounce back faster = Bank account grows faster. 4 - They work SMART (then hard) Working 80-hour weeks? That's not impressive. Working 40 hours and crushing quota? That's impressive. Top performers: ↳ Use AI to write follow-ups in seconds ↳ Qualify HARD so they don't waste time ↳ Focus on activities that actually close deals Work smarter first. Then harder. 5 - They're learning ADDICTS The sales playbook from 2020? It's dead. The one from 2023? Dying. The best salespeople I know: Read 1 sales book per month Test new approaches weekly Study their wins AND losses If you're not learning, you're losing. Here's the truth: These aren't talents you're born with. These are choices you make every day. I've watched average salespeople become superstars. All because they committed to these 5 habits. Which one will you start with today? P.S. What habit has made the biggest difference in YOUR sales career? Drop it below - I read every comment 👇

I used to think great salespeople were born. Now I know they're built. Early in my career, charisma impressed me. I hired the person who could effortlessly "own the room," convinced their charm would guarantee quota. Then we analyzed the data from over 1 million sales interactions at Quantified. It changed everything: ✅ Top performers are 2.5x more prepared—they don’t rely on charisma alone; they rigorously study their customers. ✅ Successful reps practice 3x more frequently—refining their approach with deliberate, structured role play weekly. ✅ Consistent winners measure everything—85% of high performers regularly review call data and seek feedback after every conversation. Greatness isn’t luck or personality—it’s a disciplined, repeatable process. The data highlights a simple truth: - Preparation beats charm: Understanding your customer deeply always wins. - Practice isn’t optional: Regular, structured rehearsal separates good reps from great ones. - Measurement matters: Tracking and refining performance consistently leads to better outcomes. Talent might get you noticed, but discipline and practice close the deal.

early in my career, I ran the classic 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨™. the reps were nodding, the energy was electric… and a week later? crickets. nothing had stuck🤦♂️ so, I decided to take a big swing. I scrapped the "BST" model and built a new 4‑step system I still use today: 𝟭. 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 we started with the end in mind. I asked sales reps what would actually help them win. they wanted to know: - what top reps **actually** do (not what PMM says works) - the product details reps have to know - real buyer objections 𝟮. 𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁 + 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 I pulled in two influential sales reps (the ones everyone copies) for a pilot. for 3 months, they gave raw, weekly feedback and together we co‑built the no-fluff sales playbook in real time. it included: 👉 positioning & messaging distilled into 2-3 lines each 👉 30‑second pitch 👉 full pitch 👉 top 5 prospect objections 👉 recorded sample pitches (from reps in the pilot) zero 40‑page decks. 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 what’s usable in the middle of a call. 𝟯. 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 we trained reps in three focused sessions: - product + market context - roleplaying - objection handling 𝟰. 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 and lastly, every rep had to pitch their manager and score 80%+ on a simple rubric. this ensures we're baking coaching in from the get-go 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀? ✅ reps actually used the playbook ✅ top reps + managers amplified it ✅ new hires ramped way faster p.s. what’s your go-to sales training process? p.p.s. of course we refined the playbook over the next few months as we got more feedback too! 𝘱𝘳𝘰 𝘵𝘪𝘱: record every training session & save them your LMS/Google Drive to make new sales rep onboarding much faster

Everyone loves to blame territory, timing, or talent for why they’re not hitting quota. But here’s the truth: those things aren’t why tech sellers fail. I know because I lived it. I missed quota three years in a row before becoming the #1 Enterprise AE at Salesforce and making Club four straight years. That kind of turnaround doesn’t happen because you suddenly get a better territory or develop new selling skills. It happens because you change who you are. If you want to become an elite seller, you must first operate like an elite seller. After coaching thousands of tech sellers, I’ve learned that the ones who win year after year master five fundamentals that most reps ignore. 1. Discipline Most sellers aren’t disciplined around the right things. There are only two sales activities that generate revenue: creating pipeline and advancing pipeline. Everything else is noise. Most reps spend 2–3 hours a day on Revenue Generating Activities (RGA’s). The top 1% spend 4–6 hours every single day. That’s how you build consistency year after year. 2. Focus We live in a world designed to distract you. Sales reps are constantly pulled into meetings, campaigns, admin work, and Slack threads that don’t move the needle. Top sellers protect their time like their life depends on it. They time-block, say no to low-value work, and focus on the 20% of accounts that drive 80% of their revenue. 3. Service Average sellers are self-centered. They’re focused on hitting quota, not helping customers win. Top performers flip that. They show up curious, detach from the outcome, and focus on creating value. When you stop trying to impress clients and start trying to serve them, everything changes. Be interested, not interesting. 4. Planning This is a HUGE one. If you don’t have a plan, you’re reacting instead of executing. Top sellers plan their income and revenue goals first, then work backwards to identify the right inputs needed to hit their goals, including pipeline, meetings, and prospecting activity. They focus on the process, not the prize. 5. Support Most sellers work on an island. Their managers coach their pipeline, not their skills. Sales enablement is generic, and they have no proven playbook to follow. Top performers surround themselves with coaches, peers, and mentors who help them grow. If you could do it alone, you already would have. I’ve seen people completely change their sales and lives once they commit to mastering these five areas. Steve Milton was making 250K–300K for years. Once he got focused, learned to build compelling POV's and share them with conviction to executives, he became the #1 performer, averaging 720K/year. Katie Pierce at Adobe hovered around 100% of quota for 7 years. When she mastered discipline and consistency, she more than doubled her income in 1 year! They didn’t change companies or territories. They changed who they were. If you’re ready to do the same, watch this video: https://lnkd.in/gKM_-uDG

3PLs still think that more dials will save their business, just as some married folks think a threesome will save a troubled marriage. Let me tell you what will save your business. Training. Training is the elixir that saves and grows your business. Lock me in a room with your worst sales reps; they will be reformed into sales killers when the door opens. We won’t be watching boring pre-recorded videos. We won’t be doing sales simulations on a PC. We won't sit a green pea beside a veteran and call that training. We will be role-playing. We will be making calls in real-time. We will be sending video emails and texts. We will dissect calls and discuss what went wrong and what went right. In the trenches together, all of us rowing in the same direction. If the boat sinks, we all drown, or we all swim. On-the-job training is the best way to learn new skills. On-the-job training is where I got 90% of my sales skills. Multiple studies show that OJT is the most effective way to train. Sales is a trade, just like the electrical or plumbing trades. Some might argue that sales are not a trade. I disagree. Talk to anyone in the trades and ask where they learned most of their skills. What happens if you are trying to close a new business and you say the wrong words or don’t say the right words? You could lose all hope of closing the sale. Knowing what to say and when is critical in the sales process. That takes training and skills development. Learning how to read the room, lead the conversation, quickly craft an open-ended question, and avoid yes and no questions. You won’t learn all that in a book or a pre-recorded video, but you will learn by doing OJT alongside a sales trainer. Not someone who claims they can train (aka, who failed at sales), but someone who has a track record and doesn’t mind rolling up their sleeves and jumping in the trenches with the troops. Who sees a sales rep struggling and grabs the phone to save the conversation. Not “let’s review this call and see what went wrong” weeks later when your boss has 5 minutes. A 5-minute pep talk is not training. Anyone can say they can teach, but the real teachers can join the troops in the trenches, which is on-the-job training. Leaders: The next time you plan to put a sales rep on a PIP, ask yourself, “Did I give them all the tools to be successful? Did we train every day that begins in “Y”?” If you can’t answer yes, you failed them, and it’s time to look in the mirror and realize you are the problem.

Your reps nodded during training. Some even said it was great. But a few weeks later? 💨 The insights are gone. 🧠 The habits haven’t changed. 📉 And results? Still flat. Why? Because most sales training is built to teach – not to stick. That’s what I wanted to help fix. I’ve written plenty about sales training design principles, but this time, I wanted to make it all about practicality. So, in partnership with Hyperbound, I put together 22 powerful sales training activities (exercises, ideas, games) that make learning last and actually build skills. In the guide, you’ll find 3 categories: 🧩 Skill-building exercises like: → Negotiation stopwatch → Case study diagnosis → Value prop do-overs ⚙️ Programme design ideas like: → Spaced learning calendars → Peer coaching carousels → Blended learning labs 🔥 Competitive games like: → Deal closing tournaments → Demo treasure hunts → Objection handling bingo Each activity includes: ✅ Objectives ✅ Clear steps ✅ Practical materials ✅ Tips to reinforce behaviour change ✅ And debrief prompts to turn insights into action --- If you’re done with “Great session!” feedback and want to create training your reps actually remember… Comment “sales training activities” and I’ll send you the high-res one-pager + the full in-detail breakdown. ✌️ #sales #salesenablement #salestraining  

Over the past six months, I’ve worked with Sales Managers across IT, Pharma, and FMCG. They’re hiring more reps, running more meetings, and pushing harder than ever—yet their teams still struggle to hit revenue targets. They genuinely want their teams to perform, but something is missing. Here’s why top sales teams succeed while others struggle:  ➡️𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬 Most reps talk about features. Top performers sell impact. A SaaS company isn’t selling “AI-powered automation”—they’re selling 100+ hours saved per employee every month. A pharma company isn’t selling “faster recovery drugs”—they’re selling 10 extra years of quality life. 🔹 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐱: Train your team to frame every pitch in terms of results, not just specs. ➡️ 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 Weak teams go in cold. Elite teams build trust before the pitch even starts. Their prospects have already seen testimonials, case studies, and data proving their value. By the time they get on a call, the sale is half-made. 🔹 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐱: Equip your team with high-impact content—social proof, insights, and tailored case studies—to warm up leads before outreach. ➡️𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 Bad reps let the buyer dictate the next steps: “I’ll get back to you after discussing with my team.” Elite reps lead the process. They set clear next steps, create urgency, and eliminate friction at every stage. 🔹 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐱: Train reps to own the deal flow. Never leave a call without a scheduled next step. Your team’s closing rate isn’t just about their pitch. It’s about 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬. Never think - "I’ll work on this next quarter." Next quarter, you’ll be chasing the same targets—with the same struggles. #sales #selling #process #goals

Sales success doesn’t start with charm or luck. (It starts with mastering the right skills.) Because the truth is most salespeople don’t lose deals because of rejection. They lose them because they never built the skills that top closers rely on daily. Here’s the foundation every great salesperson masters 👇 1. Communicate Effectively → Great sales start with great conversations. → Speak clearly, listen deeply, and simplify your message. → Connection beats persuasion every time. 2. Build Real Relationships → Sales isn’t about transactions  it’s about trust. → Long-term relationships lead to repeat business. → Be human first, seller second. 3. Solve Problems, Don’t Sell Products → Your prospects don’t want a pitch they want relief. → Understand their pain points before offering solutions. → Be the problem solver they can’t replace. 4. Listen Actively → The best salespeople talk less and hear more. → Listen for what’s not being said. → That’s where real buying signals live. 5. Prospect Consistently → You can’t close what you haven’t found. → Prospecting daily builds momentum. → Keep your pipeline full always. 6. Leverage Social Selling → If you’re not visible, you’re invisible. → Use LinkedIn to connect, share value, and stay top-of-mind. → Sell by showing expertise, not pressure. 7. Master the Discovery Process → Ask smarter questions. → The more you understand your client’s world, the better your solution fits. → Clarity closes deals. 8. Stay Adaptable → Markets shift. Buyers evolve. → Flexibility is your biggest competitive edge. → Adapt fast or get left behind. Sales isn’t about scripts or pressure tactics. It’s about mastering human skills that earn trust, not force decisions. Because in the end, the best salespeople don’t “sell.” They solve, serve, and stand out. Which of these 8 skills do you want to level up next? If this resonates, repost for your network. Follow Andrew Wright for proven sales strategies that actually close.

Reps will forget 70%+ of what they learn within a week of training (Gartner). A week! And it's 87% within a month. Your sales org is likely making huge investments in PipeGen right now. You're leveling up SDRs. Enabling AEs to self-source more pipeline through outbound. All of that work is a complete waste of time if you don't build in a "make it stick" rhythm. Here’s a 4-part framework we use to help our clients increase qualified opp creation by 20%+ on average: ✅ 1) Train The two most overlooked parts of training: simplicity and tailoring. Whatever you teach must be simple. We call this "eating complexity." Workflows and tools should be easy to use and follow. Second, the training must be tailored by segment and role. You can't give generic outbound/sales training to AEs, BDRs, and AMs. You can't give the same advice to an SMB and an enterprise rep. Reps should leave a session wondering, "How does this apply to me?" Do that work for them. ✅ 2) Practice Every training session should be interactive, workshop style. Retention is much higher when practice happens immediately after learning. Leverage breakout rooms during enablement sessions. Shoot for 10-15 min. of learning and then 10-15 minutes of doing. Managers should facilitate practice in part of their 1:1s and weekly team meetings. Bonus points if managers schedule a regular stand-up to practice new techniques. Stop practicing on prospects. ✅ 3) Observe The biggest mistake here: coaching reps based on their memory of what happened vs. what ACTUALLY happened. An unskilled rep is unconsciously incompetent. In other words, they don't know what they're not good at. You can't rely on a rep to tell you how things went, then coaching them to that. You need to watch it live. Outbound calls need to be recorded. Look at their emails. Every manager should spend deliberate time watching their reps out in the wild. ✅ 4) Coach This is where the magic happens. You need deliberate coaching during 1:1s. We recommend having at least a bi-weekly 1:1 that's dedicated to coaching vs. deal/pipeline reviews. Your managers need enablement on HOW to deliver great coaching. Spend time coaching the coach. ~~~ This 4-part framework has helped our clients like Shopify, Gong, Rippling, and more get great results from training programs. What'd I miss? Drop a comment below.

Most sales managers give feedback like "be more confident" or "show more energy." But elite sales performance isn't about personality traits you can't control. It's about technical precision you can train. The real difference between top closers and everyone else: mastery of script and tone. Here's the 4-part system that transforms average reps into consistent performers. PART 1: SCRIPT SUPREMACY World-class teams use standardised scripts as documented records of the exact words that close deals. The goal is automaticity: breathe the script so your conscious mind focuses entirely on the prospect. The Blackout Method: 1️⃣ Read the script aloud from a master copy 2️⃣ Black out one word on your practice copy 3️⃣ Recite from memory, recalling the hidden word 4️⃣ Add one more blacked-out word after each success When you stop reading the script, you stop sounding scripted. PART 2: VOCAL TONALITY MECHANICS The Three Constants: • Loudness: If they can't hear you, they can't buy • Speed: 135-185 words per minute for confidence and clarity • Articulation: Clear enunciation builds trust The Two Variables: • Pauses: Short for emphasis, long to signal their turn • Pitch: Upward asks questions, downward makes statements PART 3: HIGH-LEVERAGE EXECUTION Discovery uses Pulling Teeth: alternate between "Can you give me an example?" and "Can you be more specific?" until you extract real information. The Close is an upward inflection question followed by 8 seconds of silence. Research shows salespeople who wait up to 8 seconds after asking for the sale close 30% more deals. Objection Handling uses a universal reframe: "I think the fact that you don't have time is the very reason you should do it." PART 4: THE SYSTEM ADVANTAGE Superior performance equals Right Words plus Right Delivery. This system replaces "have more confidence" with "speak 15% louder." It transforms performance coaching from art into science. This framework works exceptionally well for transactional, high-volume sales where consistency MATTERS. If you're scaling a sales organisation and need rapid onboarding with consistent results, this methodology delivers. TL;DR: Elite sales performance comes from technical precision, not personality. The Blackout Method turns scripts into automaticity so reps stop sounding robotic. Vocal tonality mechanics and high-leverage execution frameworks make coaching scientific, not subjective. P.S. I didn't expect the Leadhunt.ai waitlist to grow this fast... 🫣 Thank you to everyone who's joined, it really means a lot! P.P.S. If you're still waiting to hear from me, I promise we'll get back to you within the next couple of days. Thank you for your patience and trust 💖