Do sales reps actually work weekends?

Published: Wed, 06/07/23

June 7, 2023

TOGETHER WITH

Welcome back. We hope you closed May out strong, or at least sandbagged enough deals to make June’s commission check a doozy (don’t worry, we won’t tell). In this week’s issue of The Quota, we interview a rep from South Africa (it’s a country, we checked), share a Sales Fail about business cards, and give some advice to a rep who was passed over for a promotion. Sit back (but not too far back, be careful) and enjoy.

NUMBER OF THE WEEK

10,000

This year, less than $10,000 is the expected training budget for the sales team in 64% of companies.

Source: MarketSplash

SALES ROUNDUP

Here’s what’s happening in the sales world this week:

A new survey by sales execution platform Outreach revealed that while sales executives are optimistic about current economic conditions, respondents are slowing hiring and focusing more on selling to new industries and geographies. The survey of 500 B2B sales leaders also found that only 65% of respondents are planning to increase headcount in the next six months. You can read all the findings here.
How many reps are hitting quota in this market? SaaStr CEO, Jason Lemkin posted an article that claims only 18% of sales teams are hitting full plan right now. Additionally, he said that only 43% of sales teams were even hitting 50% of quota attainment. Those are rough numbers, but his process wasn’t exactly scientific (a LinkedIn poll). You can read the full article here.

FEATURE

An interview with Matthew Bach, a Partnership & Growth Manager who lives and works in South Africa

Matthew Bach is currently a Partnership & Growth Manager at Catalyst Solutions. He’s also our first interviewee from South Africa! We talked to Matthew about his background, his goals, and how selling in SA is different from everywhere else. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

You’ve been selling for over a decade. How did you get your start in sales?

I could never afford to pay for my own tertiary studies, so I decided to start working in the hopes of getting myself into the position. I’ve always had natural social ability and have always been able to talk to individuals and large groups with a high level of comfort. This has led to a desire to be in front of people as much as possible.

My first sales opportunity came whilst I was working in an administrative role for a local business. We set up a networking event and I thrived. One of the independent franchise owners heard about my confidence when dealing with clients and offered me a sales role.

When did you know it would be your career?

Being able to meet and assist different kinds of people from different backgrounds across South Africa ticked all the boxes for me when I started. But I knew that sales would be my game when the first client referred me to another. Being recommended as a trusted partner from one client to another was the most rewarding activity, and it quickly became an addiction.

You’re located in South Africa. What is it like to work in sales there? Is it a common career? What is different for a rep in SA than it is in, say, North America?

The South African sales market, in my opinion, is one of the single most exciting markets to sell in. With 11 official languages and a diverse culture, every call and every meeting is a different experience.

Sales is a common career in South Africa and can be easily entered with or without a tertiary education. Those who make a career in sales though are those who truly go out and learn to understand their client's needs.

The biggest difference I find is that the South African market is extremely casual, and clients aren’t generally skeptical. Booking meetings and signing contracts can be relatively easy if you know what your clients' pain points are.

You sell tax services across 3 continents (Africa, Australia, Europe) what is something in your sales approach that remains consistent across all these different geographies?

The focus on ethical sales. People, in general, are switched on and can quickly pick up if a product or service is being forced on them. Matching a product or service to a client's needs promotes ethical sales and ensures not only your own confidence, but that the client's confidence is present.

Often, reps sell something without pitching it against a problem the client is experiencing. These reps don’t last long.

What does a typical work day look like for you? Walk us through it.

It always starts with a team checkpoint meeting. The first coffee in the office needs to be spent with the team, which allows me to set the tone for the day.

The early hours of the day are used to research clients, typically in an industry that we aren’t yet dominating. Admin tasks such as team, CRM, and client management take up most of the morning.

With the time difference between our markets, client meetings & presentations take up the later hours of the day.

We wrap up the day when our clients wrap up theirs, which can be rather late during our summer. The last activity is then reviewing the day's rejections to further adapt our approach.

What's the one thing you’ve found that helps you be successful in sales?

Spending the time to understand your market, your product, and your client; and then being methodical in your activity. Sales is a process with stages that build relationships and move a deal toward closing. Taking time to understand and then implement this, even if it means you miss your first month's targets, will help you stand out from the rest.

What are your long term career goals? Early retirement or future CRO?

Head of Sales before the age of 30. I've been told I am too young to become part of exco (executive level), but my dream is to implement the structures and processes that have allowed me to significantly increase a company's sales revenue from an exco level, instead of from an individual sales team level.

What is your favorite sales movie?

I don’t believe in or enjoy sales movies and self-help books. This is purely because they are money-driven, instead of client-driven. Chasing dollar signs promotes unethical sales and unethical sales leads to underperformance.

THE STATE OF REVENUE OPERATIONS AND INTELLIGENCE

"How is it that some teams are crushing it right now, while others are just struggling to get by?

Revenue Grid wanted to answer this question, so they surveyed 500 companies to find the value in Revenue Operations and Intelligence (RO&I) and provide a detailed roadmap on how to successfully adopt RO&I practices and strategies.

Here are some of the insights they found:

54% of companies have already embraced RO&I solutions
A staggering 98% of companies will adopt RO&I within a decade
The top two benefits of RO&I identified by users are improved alignment and identification of at-risk opportunities
A whopping 85% of companies saw more than a 10% increase in revenue with RO&I usage

And much more!

The State of Revenue Operations and Intelligence report outlines which companies are leveraging RO&I solutions, the benefits they’re reaping, and why it’s the game-changing sales “tool” of the future. Don’t get left behind. Grab it here.

Grab the free report here!

MEME OF THE WEEK

Source: Instagram -- Sales Humor

QUIZ

Which nonmetropolitan area has the highest employment in sales and related occupations?

A. Kansas nonmetropolitan area
B. Northwest Nebraska nonmetropolitan area
C. East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area
D. New York City nonmetropolitan area

SALES FAILS

Each week, we bring you the most cringe-worthy sales moments from across the web. To submit your sales fail story for consideration, click here. (Don't worry, you'll remain completely anonymous).

I had just started a new role as a sales rep responsible for building a reseller network for a new product, and was in an introductory meeting with a potentially significant new reseller.

Everything was going very well and they were definitely interested in exploring a partnership, both because of the product fit and also because they liked our approach of only selling through an exclusive, invite-only channel.

I had finished up my initial pitch and one of the attendees had to depart the meeting and requested I leave him with my business card, which I dutifully provided from the stash I had brought. Upon taking possession of said card, the gentleman's demeanor turned from warm and enthused to rather confused.

I realized (too late) that unfortunately the first card I retrieved happened to be a business card from one of his direct competitors, to whom I had pitched the day before. This took a bit of the gloss off my appeal to exclusivity and I've been very deliberate about not mixing business cards ever since...

Anonymous New Zealand

GRAPH OF THE WEEK

Source: LinkedIn Poll -- June 2023

WORTH A PEEK

Have you been affected by recent layoffs? Sales is full of demoralizing events, but there are few as demoralizing as losing your job. So what can you do? HubSpot put together a nice article about how salespeople can rebound their career after a layoff, with tips from other reps who’ve done it. Hopefully you don’t need it, but if you do, you can read it here.

ASK THE QUOTA

Want to submit a question and be featured in our advice column? Click here. (Don't worry, you'll remain completely anonymous).

Dear Quota Team,

This is my 19th year in medical device and specialty pharmaceutical sales. I have had a really good career launching multiple new products within different subspecialties over the years.

A few years ago, I decided to go back to college and completed my MBA after I felt that I had plateaued in my current role. The company I work for is in the middle of a brand new product launch and an opening for a new position within the market became available.

My interim manager saw my potential and told me that I should apply for the position, but told me to first clear it with the powers that be. I spoke to our CEO, our National Sales Director, and National Sales Trainer, and all of them gave me their blessing on the role. All parties seemed to be in agreement and made it seem like I was the right candidate.

After applying for the position, I emailed the internal recruiter who ghosted me for 2 weeks. Then, I received a letter stating that I was not to be considered for the role due to the previous quarter’s performance. Meanwhile, all three of the other candidates for the role are currently in grad school and one candidate was hired on with no experience, whereas I have 9 years experience in buy-and-bill products.

After being passed over for the position, what would you recommend I do next? How would you handle this? Should I move on or stay with my current employer? Any feedback would be most helpful. Thanks in advance!

Disappointed in South Carolina

Dear Disappointed,

You feel let down due to being passed over for the new role, and it doesn’t help that the people being considered have no experience. It definitely sounds like a punch to the gut.

The way we see it, you have three options.

Option 1: Don’t take no for an answer. Put together a compelling email or presentation for why you are the perfect candidate for the role and send it to the hiring manager, and everybody else you spoke with who encouraged you to apply for the role. Make sure you focus on your positive attributes, and stay away from criticizing the other candidates. Why are you the best person for the role, and, (more importantly), how do you intend to make sure you sell a lot of products?

Keep in mind that if this doesn’t go well, then you might find yourself in a worse situation than you are now. Maybe a no is a no, and they won’t appreciate you pushing the issue. If you go this route, make sure you’re ready to deal with the blowback, and make sure you’d rather shoot for the new role at the risk of losing your current one.

Option 2: Suck it up, lick your wounds, and keep doing what you were doing before this role became available (at least for now). Is it a good job? Do you make good money, have decent work/life balance, and are motivated to get up every morning and work? If so, then this might be a good option. We all lose every now and then. The question is what we do after it happens.

Option 3: Leave the company. This is pretty drastic, but so is option 1. There are undoubtedly other roles out there, but only you know whether they’ll be an improvement from your current one. And only you can decide whether you feel your relationship with your employer has been irreparably changed.

Different people will take different paths, and it’s up to you to decide what’s best. But make sure that whatever decision you make, you make it from a place of calm and logic, rather than emotion and anger. Because the worst outcome would be doing something you regret. Good luck!

Quiz Answer: A – Kansas nonmetropolitan area (you can read the source article here)

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Today's email was written by Ken Kupchik, Erica Furgiuele, Steve Rado, and Emily Hill.

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