Sales Engagement is a Key Driver of Productivity, with Darryl Praill, Ep #191

Better sales engagement is what drives sales, but many salespeople are fumbling with the concept. Sales engagement platforms give you the confidence to follow-up with leads and help guide your conversations with prospects. Many salespeople aren’t utilizing a sales engagement platform—but according to today’s guest, Darryl Praill, it’s absolutely necessary. 

Darryl Praill is the Chief Marketing Officer of VanillaSoft and is a marketing executive with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He excels with B2B marketing, is passionate about mentoring, and loves viewing obstacles as challenges. Listen to this episode for his rapid-fire advice. 

Outline of This Episode

• [0:53] What is productivity?
• [2:00] Why aren’t salespeople productive?
• [2:49] Steps to improve productivity
• [4:16] The 5 attributes of a productive salesperson
• [6:27] Use a sales engagement software
• [8:03] Top 3 productivity dos and don’ts
• [10:24] Darryl’s favorite productivity story
• [12:15] BONUS: Pitch-slapped

How to improve productivity

According to Darryl, productivity is doing what you say you’re going to do, in the timelines you’ve committed to, at the activity levels necessary to achieve your goals. While Darryl admits that it’s a cliche—sales IS a numbers game. You need to operate with the right frequency, cadence and activity levels. 

Most often, sales professionals struggle to be productive because they don’t plan. They struggle to manage their calendar. Darryl implores sales professionals to block time on their calendar and protect those time slots as if your life depends on it. 

He also recommends knowing your targets—to define your target and chase it relentlessly. You have to know your product inside and out, typical objections, and be able to explain why what you’re offering matters to your target. 

The 5 attributes of a productive salesperson

Darryl believes the top-performing sales professionals embody some of these traits—If they don’t, they’re working hard to develop them:

1. Competitiveness. A sales professional should strive to have the highest conversion rates and the highest quality calls. They enjoy overcoming obstacles.
2. Committed. They must be committed to knocking things out and hitting numbers.
3. Measurable results. Focus on what can you improve and measure. Try different scripts and see which works better. 
4. Brutal honesty. Acknowledge your shortcomings and weaknesses and get a plan in place to improve them. 
5. Willingness to learn. Always improve. Model after those who are more successful than you. 

You need to invest in sales engagement software

Darryl is the CMO of VanillaSoft, a leading sales engagement platform. He points out that you don’t necessarily have to use VanillaSoft, but emphasizes that a sales engagement platform is something you need to invest in. It helps feed you the right leads so you can call (or connect) at the right time using the right channels. 

He notes that 48% of leads never get called, and if they are called usually only 2-3 attempts are made. Many salespeople wait 36-63 hours before calling a lead. All of these errors kill the ability to develop leads.

Darryl recommends using a sales engagement platform, because it “bridges the gap between marketing automation and CRM software”. It can help you improve your interaction with your prospects and increase close rates. They serve you the best lead and help you qualify and triple your pipeline. 

Learn to eliminate what distracts you

Darryl admits that productivity doesn’t come easily to him. Just like many others, he’s apt to get easily distracted by social interaction and technology. The few times he’s consistently kicked butt, he’s bent on being hyper-focused. He locks his door and refuses to leave until he gets the task done. Each step he takes he sees himself progressing against his goal. As he gets closer to reaching said goal he becomes more confident. Having that one productive day amplifies his entire week. 

Darryl also recommends scheduling important activities during times when you’re at your best. He’s not a morning person and works best in the afternoons. You can’t work well when you’re tired, hungry, fuzzy-headed, etc. Above all, don’t avoid doing the work that you dislike. Instead, focus on improving it. Listen to the whole episode for his recommendations in detail!

Resources & People Mentioned

• VanillaSoft
• Sales Truth by Mike Weinberg
• ZoomInfo
• DiscoverOrg

Connect with Darryl Praill

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Connect With Paul Watts 

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

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