Ralph Barsi is a VP of Field Operations and writer/speaker who shares advice on social media about sales development. He advocates for making outbound prospecting a priority through strategies like calendar blocking time for prospecting calls, asking open-ended questions to learn about prospects, and focusing conversations on prospects' needs rather than one's own product. Barsi also emphasizes the importance of self-improvement and motivating one's sales team.

1. in/ralphbarsi
@rbarsi

2. @rbarsiSources: SaaS Benchmark Report, Xactly (2014); Inside Sales Metrics & Comp Report, The Bridge Group (2015)

3. @rbarsi*They’re all self-imposed

4. @rbarsi
The state of being unknown, inconspicuous, or unimportant

5. Hint: It’s not just
about HAVING
a LinkedIn or Twitter
profile
@rbarsi
If you
Google yourself and there
are NO search results,
do you REALLY exist?!

6. The goal is not to achieve social
media greatness, but rather to
achieve your goals by being great
at social media.
@rbarsi

7. Publicly recognize (and tag) your successful team
The more people tagged, the more exposure
@rbarsi

8. @rbarsi
Publicly recognize (and tag) your successful team

9. @rbarsi
Want to find the best?
Strive to BECOME the best!

10. Help people learn about you
• Optimize your social media profiles
• Share on LinkedIn, SlideShare, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube
Use social media as another way to reach your goals
• Recognize your customers, prospects, and team
• Use hashtags and tags to expand your reach
• Stay in the stream
Hustle until you no longer have to introduce yourself
• Contribute more value than you consume
• Teach others what you’ve learned
• Earn a reputation of service for others, for your customers and industry
@rbarsi

11. @rbarsi
If you chase two rabbits, they will both escape

12. @rbarsiSource: David Rutherford, bit.ly/set_goals
*Unless, of course, you’ve not written them anywhere

13. @rbarsiSource: Brendon Burchard, bit.ly/bb-1pg

14. @rbarsiSource: Brendon Burchard, bit.ly/bb-1pg

15. @rbarsi
You can’t win if you don’t keep score
Measure daily, weekly, & quarterly progress – as an individual & as a team
Post weekly goals in your desk area Create individual dashboards

16. Actually write down your goals
• Consider the outcomes you want
• Make them measurable, keep them visible, be accountable
Own your day (or it will own you)
• Work on no more than 3 wildly important projects at a time
• Reach people you must speak to, as well as people you must hear from
• Do what must be done today, no matter what – work the priorities
Measure your progress – daily, weekly, quarterly (think “x to y by when”)
• Know where the #’s need to be by when, then work backwards
• Pin notes to your monitor, schedule alerts in your calendar
• Build an individual dashboard in your CRM – stay in your own lane
@rbarsi

17. @rbarsi
Don’t just do something, stand there!

18. @rbarsi
You can’t take a
fishing boat out
and just EXPECT
fish to jump in the
boat!
Know your fishing spot
Territory at-large
Major metro areas (“NFL Cities”)
Top 5 industries in the territory
Know when to fish
Most B2B’s buy in Q1 & Q2
Most execs talk on Tues & Thurs
Call between 10am & 4pm
Know why to fish
Find relevant trigger events
Similar companies = similar pain
There’s no bait like yours
Know who to invite
Ask senior leaders for intros
Leverage channel partners
Bring a customer on your call
Know what type of fish you want
Company size
Target Industries
Exact titles, roles
Know your bait
ROI analyses
Personal, brief messages
Customer references
Referrals
Get a fishing license
Get certified as an Inside Sales Professional (CISP)
Complete a Sales Development Workshop (Sales Hacker)
Sources: onforb.es/1wgyf5D, bit.ly/UnbreakableCh15, bit.ly/1t9xLJS, www.aa-isp.org/CISP.php
Set multiple fishing lines
Concentrated effort on Tier 1 accounts
Calculated effort on Tier 2 accounts
Schedule your social media outreach

19. @rbarsi
Consider a “bookends” approach to each week
Mondays & Fridays are admin days – Tuesdays-Wednesdays-Thursdays are blocked for sacred prospecting
Source: VorsightBP

20. @rbarsi
Along with SLA’s: Demand Gen  SDRs & SDRs  AEs
Source: Velocify

21. @rbarsiSource: Joanne Black, The Bridge Group
Read this book (bit.ly/pickup-phone) And start dialing!

22. Make outbound prospecting an activity, like fishing
• Don’t expect prospects to just appear – work hard to attract them to you
• Optimize all your tools & resources (CRM, sales intel, dialers, auto-emails, etc)
Calendar your prospecting & daily work
• Use the “bookends approach” to your weeks – every minute counts
• Mondays & Fridays = admin days, internal meetings; Tues-Thurs = phones!
Pick up the damn phone
• Conversations = relationships = pipeline = sales = referrals
• What you put into your work is exactly what you’ll get out of it
@rbarsi
Every disappointment in your life is a result of not taking enough action
• Business leader, Grant Cardone, said that…

23. @rbarsi
With one breath, with one flow, you will know synchronicity
The Police

24. Source: Art Sobzack, bit.ly/10-dumb-mistakes
#1 Making it about YOU and not THEM
#2 Not getting or using any INTELLIGENCE about the prospect
#3 Trying to go through, AROUND, or above the gatekeeper
#4 Using OPENING STATEMENTS that create resistance
#5 Using VOICEMAILS that create resistance
#6 & #7 Inadequate QUESTIONING, and inadequate ELABORATION
#8 Not RITUALIZING your calling
#9 Feeling REJECTED after calls
#10 SOUNDING like a cold caller
@rbarsi

25. Think in terms of tweets and texts
@rbarsiSource: http://three.sentenc.es

26. Stop asking yes – no questions
@rbarsiSource: Barry Rhein, Selling Through Curiosity
How does this / that compare to what you’re ideally looking for?
How does this / that compare to your ideal situation?
Tell me about...
What do you mean...
How so...
Why is that...
What does that mean to you...
How would you…
Elaborate…
Give me some examples...
I don’t understand...
What other things...
What else...
What additional items...
What are some other reasons...
In what other ways...

27. @rbarsi
By Title
By Industry
By Location
By Source
By Company
By Offering
By Connection
By Event

28. Make the conversation about them
• I challenge you to not mention your company’s product in that first call
• Leverage sales intelligence to know the when it’s time to engage
Consider every detail of your messaging
• From email subject lines to voicemails to emails to in-person, know your rap
• Keep your writings brief, concise, and actionable
Ask open-ended questions
• Is this a good time to talk? “No.” Now what?
• Are you currently using a product like ours? “Yes.” Now what? @rbarsi
Have the same conversation over and over, to build momentum
• Talk to the same titles, areas in the territory, & verticals at one time

29. @rbarsi
If we did things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves
Thomas Edison

30. @rbarsi

31. @rbarsiSource: Best Sales Books: 23 Great Reads that Give Salespeople All the Answers, bit.ly/bestsalesbooks

32. Anticipate plateaus
• Raise your standards. Change your beliefs. Create new strategies.
Sales leaders: Surround yourselves with winners and serve their teams
• Recognize your team, get to know them personally, help them develop
• Show your team the many great paths their careers can take
@rbarsi
Sales reps: Stay in the present and master the role you’re in right now
• Embrace the grind, learn as if you need to teach someone else
• Work to improve yourself 1% a day
• Skills you master today will get used deep into your career

33. How to Motivate the Hell Out of Your Team
Hiring for the Modern SDR
Best Sales Development Tools to Use in 2015
Sales Prospecting: Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan
Creating Pipeline Through Use of a Sales Playbook
How to Nail an SDR Interview
7 Tips for Sales Prospecting
5 Tips for Successful SDR-AE Relationships
How to Avoid SDR Burnout
How to Prepare a Sales Development QBR
Sales Development Job Descriptions: What They’re Saying
The Inspired Sales Development Team
23 Reads that Give Salespeople Answers
Apply These 5 Philosophies to Your Work
Sales topics I’ve written or spoken about
Missed the Number? Here’s What To Do @rbarsi
Places you might have seen me

34. VP, Field Operations
Writer, speaker
in/ralphbarsi
@rbarsi
ralphbarsi.com