From SDR to director: A rapid sales career path

Troy Barter outlines his strategy for rapid career advancement in sales.

Here's his approach:

1. Know your sales process inside out. Learn every step and how to move between them.

2. Track your personal sales metrics. Compare them to your team's performance.

3. Identify your weakest sales metric. Focus on improving it first.

4. Make your weakness personal. Treat it like a problem you need to solve.

5. Learn from top performers. Seek advice from colleagues who excel where you struggle.

6. Create a specific plan to improve. Write down actions and habits to change.

7. Keep a daily progress log. Set daily goals and record your successes and challenges.

8. Review your progress after 4 weeks. If not satisfied, adjust your plan and keep working.

9. Once improved, move to your next weakest area. Keep repeating this process.

10. Never stop this cycle of improvement.
    

How to stand out in sales

Jonathan Bregman shares how he became the youngest L7 sales leader in AWS EMEA by taking a different approach.

His secret: Bregman dove deep into AWS technology, earning 3 certifications: Solution Architect Associate, Developer Associate, and SysOps Associate.

This technical expertise gave him an unfair advantage over his peers.

The benefits:

1. Direct value to customers: He could handle technical inquiries himself, building trust and providing immediate value to customers.

2. Faster sales cycles: With technical expertise, discussions were more productive, and sales cycles were shorter.

3. Customized insights: He could offer tailored solutions, showing customers that he understood their needs deeply.

4. Building trust: Customers trusted Jonathan's expertise, transforming interactions from transactional to consultative.

9 questions to ask yourself

Umesh Khadela maps out how he went from SDR to Enterprise AE in 11 months and helped others do the same.

According to him, it's not just about hitting quota. To get promoted, you need to be intentional and strategic.

Here are 9 questions to help you prepare:

1. Understand the promotion path: Know the requirements and timelines to level up.

2. Learn from others: Talk to former SDRs who are now AEs at your company.

3. Build relationships: Connect with the AE manager, Director, or VP.

4. Communicate your goals: Tell your boss you're aiming for a promotion.

5. Show leadership: Get involved in projects beyond just hitting quota.

6. Master AE skills: Get demo/discovery certified before you need them.

7. Be a team player: Share your wins, losses, and ideas with the team.

8. Track your wins: Keep a "wins folder" to showcase your achievements.

9. Prepare your "WHY ME" slide: Be ready to make your case for promotion.

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