Okay, all of you Star Warriors, the time has come. It’s the dawning of a new episode in the Star Wars saga, and the time of year couldn’t be more perfect for such an epic milestone. In a month where resolutions are coming to a close, new initiatives are being set, and selling days are narrowing in the final quarter — it’s time to pull out that lightsaber and fight for those last big goals of the year.
To get in the spirit of the Star Wars “holiday” (ask any Wookie-fan — Star Wars is a religion), we’ve decided to round up some of our favorite blog posts inspired by the Force. Here are our top three picks for how to use Star Wars to streamline your sales process and become a B2B Jedi Master:
1. The Funnelholic – “Call High and Wide” Said The Wise Man
In this post by Jedi Master Craig Rosenberg, calls on all “Young Jedis” (i.e. green inside sales reps and SDRs) and encourages them to go back to basics with old school selling techniques. Using the old sales adage, “Call high and call wide,” Rosenberg urges reps to go overhead to the decision maker when navigating a sale. By stopping at the champion in the sale, you risk a deal disappearing act. But if you go straight for Jabba, and don’t stop until he says no (so long as the lead is an ideal client fit), you’ll be the Jedi Knight of the sale.
2. Salesforce.com – How Star Wars Can Help with Your Data Problems
Jim Hopkins of Data.com is a self-admitted Skywalker follower, himself. He took the advent of the new episode as an opportunity to share with the SFDC community how apply the lessons learned in the first six installments to B2B data. He assimilates B2B “data” with the infamous “Force,” because when harnessed in the right way, data can be the driving force behind the growth of a business. Navigating the murky waters of data can be a difficult task, but by taking the Obi-Wan approach to data and it’s application (understanding the purpose of data, looking at who is using the data and how, and not being lured by incorrect data), any SDR can become a data Jedi.
3. The Harris Consulting Group – 10 Easy Tips To Becoming a Sales Jedi Master
Taking the simple but effective route to imparting the saga’s wisdom onto your sales process, The Harris Consulting Group pulled together 10 lessons from the films to help reps finish out the quarter and 2015 with power. Our top pick?
- “When you think you are done, you are really only 40% of the way there.” The sales process takes heart, patience, and persistance. Just when you think you’ve hit your call quota, emailed all the prospects you can, or your leads have gone mute — push harder. Chances are you’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg.
A few of these salty suggestions may be a little bit of tough love on some reps inching towards the finish line… but as the great Yoda says, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”
These are just a few examples of some Star Wars-inspired motivators meant to push each and every rep to close out the year strong. Not only do the lessons apply as we put the pedal to the metal in these last few active selling days of the season, but they apply to your year ahead as you set goals and initiatives in your sales process.
And, if anything, the premiere is causing quite a stir in the creativity of some of our SDR candidates in the interview process. When one candidate was prompted to “Be creative,” in his application process, this is the “cover letter” he chose to send our Inbound SDR Manager:
Whether or not it worked out for this candidate… his creativity sure caught our eyes! To all of the future Salesloft SDR Jedis out there… may the Force be with you.