At NextRoll, our theme for 2024 is to be unstoppable. Here are five ways that you, too, can be unstoppable in hitting your sales goals this year.

1. Know Your Product and Target Audience Inside and Out

It’s important to be an expert in the product or service you're selling. Take the time to thoroughly familiarize yourself with every feature, benefit, and unique selling point of your product. This knowledge boosts your confidence and allows you to communicate value effectively to potential clients.

While it’s important to have a deep familiarity with your product and its features, there’s also an important distinction between selling a product and a solution. The latter of the two, otherwise known as “solution selling”, involves deeply understanding and solving a customer's problem or pain point and tailoring a holistic approach to help them reach their business goals. While it's important to know the capabilities of your product inside and out, if your pitch focuses too much on the product and its features, but doesn’t show how it can help accomplish a customer’s ultimate business goals, customers will struggle to see the value.

Successful salespeople tailor their approach to match the needs and preferences of their target audience. Conduct thorough research to understand the pain points and challenges your prospects face. This knowledge will enable you to position your product as a solution, making your sales pitch all the more compelling.

2. Utilize Technology and Tools

Embrace technology to streamline your sales process so you can be efficient. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, data analytics tools, and communication platforms can significantly enhance your efficiency - some of which are even available for free. If you automate routine tasks, like email follow-ups and status updates for your management, you can spend time and effort on the things that need more of your attention, like prospect research and customer calls.

Time management is also very important to help you hit your goals. Everything you do should be helping you achieve your quota.  Prioritize your tasks and focus on high-impact activities each day. Create a daily schedule that allocates time for prospecting, follow-ups, and customer meetings.

It’s well-documented that multi-tasking does not make you more productive! Staying focused leads to results and there are a variety of techniques you can use to focus on your most important tasks. As The Todoist describes, the Pomodoro technique involves focused work sessions with frequent short breaks to promote sustained concentration and stave off mental fatigue. To use this technique, you’ll set a timer for 25 minutes, remove all distractions (yes that means silencing your email, Slack, and text messages!), and focus solely on the task at hand during those 25 minutes. At the end of 25 minutes, take a 5-minute break before you get back to your next focused time slot. You’ll be amazed at how deeply you can focus on a task by spending small and manageable chunks of time throughout the day.

3. Build Strong Relationships

Success in sales is not just about closing deals; it's about building lasting relationships. A satisfied customer is likely to become a repeat customer and can serve as a valuable reference for future business. Invest time in understanding your clients' needs and concerns. Regularly follow up and provide valuable insights to nurture these relationships.

Never got the chance to make them a customer? Keep in touch with prospects (and make sure you’re top of mind when they’re ready to buy!) by sharing industry news, helpful tips that relate to a problem you know they're having, and checking in when personal life events come up.

4. Set and Track Goals

Establish clear, measurable goals for yourself and track your progress regularly. Data is king when measuring and demonstrating your contribution to the success of your company.

Stay updated on industry trends, market changes, and evolving sales techniques. Attend workshops, webinars, and conferences to enhance your skills. LinkedIn Learning is a great resource for this! They offer courses on thousands of topics, many of which include a certificate for completion that you can add to your LinkedIn profile. A salesperson who constantly seeks improvement demonstrates commitment and adaptability, earning the trust and recognition of leadership.

5. Proactive Communication for Visibility and Accountability

Provide regular updates on your progress, share success stories, and seek feedback from your peers and managers. Use company message boards, and team meetings to highlight your successes and ask your manager for opportunities to share your achievements with senior leadership.

Being proactive in your communication shows initiative and a genuine interest in contributing to the overall success of the organization. The more you do this, the more apparent it will become to your management and leadership teams that you’re integral to the business and its success.

By taking each of these 5 steps, you can position yourself as a valuable asset to your organization. If you too commit to being unstoppable this year, you can push through any roadblock that might come your way!