Five Life Hacks to Help You Thrive in National Sales

National Sales is exciting work while much of my role mirrors my AE days everything now is on a much grander scaleamp160 A few years ago my farthest meeting might have been in Hoboken but today I39m calling on both national and regional brands across the countryThe stakes are magnified tooamp160 So if you39re ready to take your sales strengths to the national level here are the five fundamental truths you39ll want to get acquainted with amp160and quickly1 Be Prepared to Pitch Anywhere And to AnyoneKnowing how to pivot is almost as important as knowing what you39re sellingamp160 You might walk into a meeting expecting 10 people but there39s only one person sitting there likewise what you thought would be an intimate presentation could wind up being a pitch to a packed house with 30 people hanging on your every wordBottom Lineamp160 Be ready for anythingamp160 From issues with tech to not being able to rely on a deck You need to be able to deliver an effective pitch to any room or dog park Starbucks or airport with or without AV support2 Be quotOnquot All the Time Be quotclient readyquot anytime you39re on the clockamp160 The next big pitch may be just around the cornerJetting from coast to coast can be taxing particularly when faced with a deluge of meetings and activities across time zonesamp160 But you have to keep putting your best foot forward despite fatigueamp160amp160Remember you represent your company wherever you are from boardroom to baggage claim Likewise you39ll also be dealing with a multitude of varying personalities being able to adapt is keyamp160 No two people are alike and everyone is important so always make that first impression count3 Make Room In Your Head For A Lot More Information As a local AE I thought handling three to five major agencies was no easy taskamp160 Today with my national presence multiply that by 100 and you39ll have a sense of what my typical day looks likeamp160 Keeping track of a lot more moving parts clients agencies associates at all levels from assistants to Clevel means a lot of correspondence and small talk to manageThat39s why I make sure to read every email and use them to create my own personal checklistamp160 And I archive everythingamp160 Every client has their own folder so I can always look back on historical conversations that in turn will help me with future onesamp160 In this digital age I still prefer to use a pen to write out my notes in meetings it helps me remember people39s names and next steps betterBonus Tipamp160 Don39t feel pressured to have all the answers on the spot when speaking to clientsamp160 There39s nothing wrong with saying quotI39ll get back to youquot to ensure you39re providing the correct information4 Master the Art of TimingIt39s all about timing folksamp160 Often local or regional teams have the opportunity to make routine visits to their clients and plan in advance accordingly But on a national level outside of your home market the logistics alone can be a lot to handle especially when you39re trying to book multiple meetings in a dayamp160 Hey if you39re going to sit in a plane for six hours you might as well maximize your time once you get thereamp160amp160Throw in a client lunch or threeamp160and you39ll find that your time gets used up faster than it takes to zip up a carryonHaving all those meetings is great but you still need to find the time to get the work and followups or administrative tasks done when you get back homeamp160 Setting realistic expectations for a client will get you much farther than saying you can get something done in four hours when you really meant 48Bonus Tipamp160 Speaking of time make the most of unexpected layovers as was the case with my recent 23hour stay in Chicago O39Hare Airportamp160 Catch up on emails get your steps in for the day check in on your parents amp160amp160the possibilities are endless5 Give Yourself the WorkLife Balance You Need And DeserveNowadays it seems we39re always connected to something work friends family and social mediaamp160 It39s a whirlwind of distractions that can devour your timeamp160 While I love representing NYI wherever I go and working with amazing people every single day having my own personal quality time is just as important particularly when I39m always on the roadEven with a packed itinerary I try to do one thing for me whether it39s seeing a historical landmark grabbing a drink with a local friend or trying a spin class in a different stateamp160 I used to let life on the road dictate my personal schedule but in the process I found that I was missing out on the little things that brought me joyamp160 Finding the balance between my professional and personal lives my days became that much easier and much more funBottom Lineamp160 Don39t let the geographic demands of your job keep you from living your best lifeClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Five Life Hacks to Help You Thrive in National Sales

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Beth Miller

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Five Life Hacks to Help You Thrive in National Sales

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