Life as a successful sales rep does not come easy, but there are things you can do to stay focused, productive, motivated, and profitable.
The irony is you probably already know all the tips and habits the world's top sales reps use to hit their targets.
Maybe it's time to learn from the best and apply what's proven to work to your schedule.
New habits take a while to bed in — about 30 consecutive days should do it — but won't that paycheck be worth it?
Inside a day in the life of successful sales reps
Key takeaways
- Routine fosters intentionality, builds good habits, and enhances productivity — the recipe for long-term success.
- Key components include early rising, exercise, personal development, time-blocking, prospecting and follow-up, and staying on top of admin.
- Traits of successful sales reps extend beyond routine tasks to punctuality, active listening, effective communication, and continuous learning.
The importance of a daily routine for sales reps
Having a routine allows you to be intentional with your time, prioritize your tasks, and stay on top of deadlines.
It creates a sense of stability and consistency, which boosts your productivity and focus. And let's be honest, sales is not known as a stable or consistent career.
Lastly, having a routine helps create good habits, ultimately leading to long-term success.
Setting up for success with a daily schedule
If you don't have a routine already, it's time to get one. It could be what's holding you back.
Based on an analysis of how they operate at the top — think Grant Cardone, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Seth Godin — these are the basics to incorporate into your own effective daily routine.
A morning routine that sets up the rest of the day
How you start your day sets the tone for the rest of the day.
When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive, to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love. ~Marcus Aurelius
Having a morning routine that energizes you, clears your mind, and gets you ready to tackle the day ahead is important.
You'll hear nearly every sales guru talk about how effective it is when these activities are part of their morning routine, so maybe you should take their lead and follow suit.
Waking up early
Many successful people in sales and business wake up early to have extra time to plan their day, workout, or do any other productive activity before they start work.
Exercise
Exercise is a great way to wake up your body and mind, boost energy levels, and reduce stress. Whether it's a quick jog or a yoga session, including exercise in your morning routine can help you start your day on the right foot.
Personal development
Many successful sales reps use the morning to read, pray, write down what they're grateful for, or listen to a podcast to help them grow personally and professionally.
Use time-blocking to your advantage
Time-blocking is a time management technique where each task on your to-do list is assigned a specific time slot. This helps maintain focus on the task at hand, eliminate distractions, and ensure you get everything done on your list.
Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow. ~Robert Kiyosaki
Prioritize your tasks
Rank your tasks in order of importance and urgency, and assign time slots accordingly.
Schedule breaks
Include breaks in your schedule to avoid burnout and maintain your energy levels.
Be flexible
While it's important to stick to your schedule as much as possible, be willing to adjust it if necessary to accommodate unexpected events or changes.
Build your pipeline
Sales reps should spend a significant portion of their day prospecting for new business and following up with existing leads.
Prospecting and follow-up activities can help you build relationships with potential clients, convert leads into customers, and close more deals. Some activities to include in your daily routine are:
Cold emailing and calling
Think about like this way.
Say you get a commission of $1,000 per sale. And say 20% of meetings scheduled result in a sale. How many emails and messages will it take to set up 5 meetings?
Work it back and do what Jocko would do: get after it!
Social media outreach
Use social media platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram to connect with potential clients and build relationships with them.
YouTube business guru Iman Gadzhi has been preaching this in nearly every video he puts out on sales... from his beachfront villa in Dubai.
Follow-up calls and emails
Consistently reach out to existing leads to nurture the relationship and keep them engaged.
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time ~Thomas Edison
Stay organized
It's not all power lunches and dinners with clients, even for those in the top echelon of the profession.
Sales reports, timesheets, and filing expense claims eat into your time for making calls and bringing in sales. But you should still be diligent about admin.
Keep your CRM updated
Keep your customer relationship management (CRM) tool updated with notes, tasks, and calls to keep track of your leads and prospects.
Not only will you thank yourself later, but the rest of your team will appreciate it too.
Remember: garbage in, garbage out.
Respond quickly
Respond to emails and voicemails promptly to maintain good communication with your clients.
Strike while the iron is hot!
Report consistently
Report your daily activities, progress, and results to your manager or team to stay accountable and improve your performance.
Even if you email your manager at the day's end with a list of what you did, it won't go unnoticed. (And it might help pull you out of a hole down the track.)
Habits of successful sales reps
Apart from implementing a daily routine, there are also various habits that successful sales reps practice. You could too.
Punctuality and reliability
Ever found yourself waiting for someone to arrive or join a meeting? If you don't like it, then why would anyone else?
Successful sales reps value punctuality and reliability in themselves (and their clients) because it builds trust. Arrive on time — or be early — for appointments, deliver on promises, and follow through with commitments.
Listening and communicating clearly
Successful sales reps know how to listen actively and communicate effectively to build strong client relationships.
That may sound like some New Age jargon, but it is important to lean into. 😉
Understand what your client needs. Give them relevant answers and helpful solutions.
Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters. ~Albert Einstein
Top sales reps have excellent communication skills, both verbal and written. If you can't articulate ideas clearly and persuasively, maybe it's time to start learning how to write — or subscribe to Grammarly Pro!
Continuous learning and improvement
Successful sales reps are always looking for ways to improve their skills, knowledge — and performance — by reading books, listening to podcasts, and participating in industry events.
Conclusion
To be a successful sales rep, you need to have an intentional, consistent, and effective daily routine.
By following these tried-and-tested tips and habits, you can create a schedule that works for you and helps you hit your sales goals.
