The Follow Up
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The Gene That Makes You a Better Salesperson

The Gene That Makes You a Better Salesperson

How your DNA can determine how good of a salesperson you'll be

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Good Morning! This weekend, CrowdStrike's president accepted the 'Most Epic Fail' award at the Def Con hacker conference for their massive IT outage a few weeks ago. It’s a great reminder that in business, a little humility can go a long way. Which gave us the idea to start our own awards. We’d like to propose the ‘most follow-ups sent in one day’ and the ‘most rejections in one sitting'. Feel free to reply with your application. 😁

In today’s Follow Up:

The sales gene 🧬
A question to kick off a sales call 🗣️
Startup compliance* 🖥️
Sales industries to make $200K+ 👀
Sales jobs, LinkedIn & a meme 😂

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The Gene That Makes You a Better Salesperson

Your genes determine a lot of things - your height, skin color, eye color, etc.

And according to a new study, your genes could also determine how good you’ll be at sales…

A recent HBR study went full scientific to figure out if people are born with a sales ability, or if they learn it over time.

Here’s how it went down.

MIT Professor Juanjuan ZhangIn, teamed up with 3 researchers to compare the relationship between DNA and sales performance.

The researchers studied 117 sales reps who sold payment-installment plans for credit card holders at an Asian telemarketing company.
Each sales rep took a saliva DNA test to find their genetic makeup and received 2 weeks of standardized training to ensure each rep started on a level playing field.
They followed the sales reps for 13 months and measured the revenue they produced and their ability to generate sales opportunities.

The findings.

It turns out, the ‘sales gene’ exists… kinda.

The study found that the top performing sales reps had a similar genetic makeup that made them better at ‘adaptive learning’. Which in turn, made them better at sales.

Most salespeople are trained to memorize a call script, use templates, and recite the language provided by their employer.

Adaptive learning works differently. And according to the professors, it can’t be learned. Adaptive learners process new information on the spot and use it to pitch or recommend the best solution for the customer.

Who’s an adaptive learner?

Of the 117 sales reps that were studied, most had at least some of the ‘adaptive learning genes’.

16% of the reps had a lot of the gene.
16% didn’t have much of the gene.
68% had a moderate amount of the gene.

Most sales reps have the gene, but outliers exist on both ends.

So, chances are - you have the gene, but you’re not as likely to have a lot of it.

What if you don’t have it?

The professors say the gene can make a big difference in someone’s natural ability to sell… but are you really going to let a natural learning style dictate your career potential?

Example:
If you won the genetic lottery and are over 7ft tall, your odds of making the NBA are 1 in 100. Meanwhile, if you’re under 5’ 10”, your chances are 1 in 3.8M. Meanwhile, Spud Webb measured in at 5’ 7” and managed to win an NBA dunk contest.

You can’t choose your genetics - but you can choose how hard you work with the hand you were dealt.

Does sales come naturally to you?

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Sales Tip of The Day 💡

During your sales calls, make sure to ask:

‘What will make this call a win for you today?’

It’s not only a great conversation starter, but will also tell you what your prospect cares about the most.

Sales Around The Web 🗞️

🧑‍⚖️ An AstraZeneca Sales Manager was fired for ‘seeking drug samples for personal use’, but filed a lawsuit against the company claiming she was fired for her age.

🍔 A 29 year old SaaS Account Executive is spending his summer weeknights as a server because the second job makes him happier.

🥇 Georgia Bell just won a Bronze medal at the Olympics while taking time away from her cyber security sales job.

👀 A new study found that nearly 95% of sales reps are missing quota and the majority of sales leaders say their coaching is effective.

🤑 Sales reps discuss the most realistic industries you can make $200K+ in sales.