What top sales reps do differently to keep learning and growing
(and How You Can Too)
Read time: 3 min
Here’s part 3, and the final piece of “How to start your newsales role.” If you missed the first two parts:
Part 1: How to prep like a top sales rep, 5 critical steps for crushing day 1
Part 2: 7 tips for succeeding in your new sales role (What to do in your first month at work)
Let’s get cookin’ 👇
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Ever wondered why some sales reps outperform others?
It’s not luck—it’s strategy.
Top reps have a few key habits that keep them growing and improving, no matter how experienced they are.
The good news?
You can apply these strategies to your own sales game starting today.
Here’s what they do —and how you can start doing it too:
Today's menu:
Learn from your boss
Study top performers
Coach yourself
#1: Turn your manager into a mentor
Top performers don’t wait for their manager to hand them a roadmap—they create their own. They engage with their managers. Then turn those relationships into a powerful development tool.
You can start doing the same by preparing for every 1:1 like a top rep.
How you can use this:
Prep your 1:1: Come to your meetings with a clear agenda. Create a simple document to track your goals, challenges, and progress. This helps you stay focused. It shows your manager that you’re serious about your development.
Be open about challenges: Don’t wait for your manager to discover where you’re stuck—tell them. Be specific about the challenges you’re facing and come up with potential solutions.
Follow up on feedback: When you get advice, apply it, then follow up to show progress. This builds trust and encourages your manager to invest more time in your growth.
Try this today:
Start a rolling document for your 1:1s. List out your key goals and current challenges. At the end of each meeting, write down the feedback you received and create an action plan.
Real-world example:
I took a proactive approach with my 1:1 by setting up a shared document with my managers. In it, I tracked my goals, challenges, and progress. This simple step transformed our meetings into focused, productive conversations with personalized feedback that made a difference.
#2: Study top performers to become the best
Top reps are always learning from their peers. They know that success leaves clues. They make it a habit to analyze and adopt the strategies of top performers. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel—you can fast-track your growth by learning from what’s already working.
How you can use this:
Analyze their successful deals: Use tools like Gong or Chorus to review recordings of top reps closing big deals. Pay attention to the patterns in their messaging and techniques. Ask yourself: How are they handling objections? What questions are they asking?
Listen to their calls: Block off time each week to listen to call recordings, focusing on top performers in your team. Write down phrases or strategies you can adopt in your own calls.
Adopt their methods: It’s not about copying someone else—it’s about finding what works and adapting it to your own style. Start incorporating those techniques into your process and see what sticks.
Try this today:
Pick one top rep on your team and listen to three of their call recordings. Identify one technique you can start using right away in your next call.
#3: Become your own coach
Top reps don’t wait for their manager or peers to push them—they hold themselves accountable. They know where they need to improve and take ownership of their growth. You can do the same by building a habit of self-coaching.
How you can use this:
Invest in learning: Dedicate at least 10% of your week for personal development. Whether it’s listening to sales podcasts. Reading industry blogs. Or attending webinars. The goal is to keep learning new ideas and techniques.
Track your progress: Keep an eye on your key metrics—conversion rates, call numbers, and deal sizes. Compare them to top performers and set small goals to improve week by week.
Focus on one skill at a time: Don’t try to improve everything at once. Each week, focus on mastering one new skill. Whether it’s objection handling, better qualifying leads, or closing deals faster.
Self-directed learning might boost job performance. Top reps who set weekly improvement goals and tweak their processes see real results over time.
Try this today: Pick one metric to track, like your call-to-meeting conversion rate. Set a realistic goal for improvement over the next two weeks, then break down the steps you need to take to get there.
Final Touch
Top performers aren’t born—they create habits that drive their growth, and you can do the same. Start by turning your manager into a mentor. Learn from the best on your team. Coach yourself to keep improving. The strategies are simple, but the results are massive.
Now, it’s up to you.
How will you start applying these strategies today?
Self-development is the secret ingredient to long-term success.
That’s a wrap!
I hope this spices up your outbound journey.
Keep cooking up those great recipes!
✌️👨🍳
Elric, The Outbound Chef
Say hi 👋 on LinkedIn, YouTube, Spotify, or X.
Podcast
We are back, I already shared 3 new solo episodes.
OK3: How to use Perplexity AI for outbound (with 11 prompts). Listen to it on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcast.
OK2: Don’t Send A Cold email ’til You Listen to This Episode. Listen to it on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcast.
OK1: How to craft relevant outbound messages that stand out (Cognism Cold Email Deconstruction). Listen to it on Spotify, and Apple Podcast.
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