Success in sales isn’t a complicated formula—it takes discipline, ownership, and leadership. Whether you’re someone with decades of experience under your belt or you are early in your career, the ability to consistently close deals, exceed quotas, and drive revenue comes down to execution. If you’re asking, “How can I improve sales performance?”, the answer lies in adopting a mindset of Extreme Ownership, embracing discipline in your process, and refining your leadership skills.
Take Extreme Ownership
How can I improve sales performance? Sales professionals often face external obstacles. Whether it’s the effects of the market, unresponsive leads, or internal inefficiencies, these can all interfere with a smooth sales process. But, at the end of the day, they are also just excuses. The best performers and sales professionals know that. Instead of allowing external factors to hinder progress, good sales reps take ownership of every aspect of the sales process.
Extreme ownership means recognizing that your results are your responsibility. Each step in the process is an opportunity to put in your best effort, control what you can, and analyze what you could have done better if you miss a quota or a prospect walks away.
To implement extreme ownership:
- Identify gaps. Where in the process are you losing deals? Where do objections consistently arise? What steps can you take to improve in these areas?
- Control what you can. Instead of blaming marketing, pricing, or the economy, focus on things you can control – yourself. Your communication, approaches, and relationships are all within your control. Try refining your proposals, strengthening your follow-ups, and improving client relationships.
- Seek feedback. The best sales professionals recognize there is room for improvement and seek feedback from their boss, peers, subordinates, and even clients with whom they built a good relationship but who chose to go another direction. This is all in an effort to make adjustments and continuously improve.
Master the Fundamentals
At its core, sales is about mastering the basics and relentlessly executing them. If you want to improve sales performance, focus on discipline and consistency.
- Simplify your communication. Clear, concise, and effective communication is essential.
- Practice active listening: What is the prospect telling you?
- Engage with earnest questions: Be curious to learn more and truly understand their situation.
- Communicate your pitch to address the prospect’s pain points: What is the value that your product or service provides that will have the most significant impact for the client?
- Refine your follow-up process. Too many deals are lost because of poor follow-up, and this part of the sales process can easily get pushed to the side.
- To avoid that trap, set up a system to track your interactions with each prospect, personalize your outreach, set regular check-ins, and stay persistent without being pushy.
- Know your product or service inside and out. Confidence comes from knowledge and experience. If you can try or use what you sell, do it.
- What are the benefits? How does it work in different situations?
- Get feedback from other users and clients- what do they like about it? What do they not like about it?
Understanding different perspectives will help you better position your product or service as the right solution for a client in various situations.
Lead Your Clients
How can I improve sales performance? Sales isn’t about pushing a product or imposing your service on someone. It is about understanding your clients’ needs and goals and leading clients to a solution. When you shift your mindset from “selling” to “leading,” everything changes, and this will help you know how to improve your performance in sales
- Build a relationship. The best salespeople position themselves as trusted advisors. They recognize the importance of establishing a relationship and building trust in the sales process. Good sales professionals want what is best for the client. They listen to understand, provide valuable insights, challenge assumptions, and guide prospects to the best decision—even if it means walking away from a deal that isn’t a fit.
- Maximize time with a client. Prospective clients only have so much time and do not want to waste it providing you with information that is readily available. Do prep work ahead of sales calls. Spend time researching the company to understand what they do and begin thinking about potential solutions. Lead the call (which doesn’t mean do all the talking), gather information, provide a readback outline clear next steps, and ensure the process moves forward with a defined timeline.
- Stay detached under pressure. Clients will push back, negotiations will get tough, and rejection is inevitable. Stress, anxiety, frustration, and other emotions can all kick in, but the best sales leaders take time to detach. They take a breath, step back from the situation to gain composure, and adjust their approach to remain focused on the long-term outcome.
Take the Next Step
Knowing how to improve sales performance isn’t about shortcuts—it’s about taking ownership, mastering the fundamentals, and leading with confidence. If you’re ready to level up, invest in your growth on the Extreme Ownership Academy. Take control of your sales success today.
