There's a philosophical dilemma behind the common question - how do I become a Sales A-player? On one hand, salespeople want to improve their game but genuinely don’t know what they need to do. On the other hand, deep down, they really do know the answer but seemingly can't apply what they know. This presentation imparts a few rules to consider if you aim to level-up.

1. The Secret to Becoming an A-Player
Unveiling what’s unseen
ralphbarsi.com ∙ @rbarsi ∙ in/ralphbarsi
RALPH BARSI ∙ Senior Director, Global Sales Development ∙ ServiceNow

2. Ralph Barsi
Runs global sales development at ServiceNow
Featured speaker at Rainmaker 2015, 2016, 2017, & 2018
Mentor at Women in Sales Awards & GrowthX Academy
Co-founder of non-profit Gable Heart Beats Foundation
25 years in sales: individual contributor + leader

3. Winners focus on winning, and
losers focus on winners
Have two solutions to every problem
before escalating
Self-assess to move the needle from x to y
Leave behind a trail of breadcrumbs
Read more, write well, and
make an impact on people’s lives

4. Winners focus on winning, and
losers focus on winners

5. Have two solutions to every problem
before escalating
1) Start with a
question and focus
on what the decision
maker needs to
move forward
2) Break up the
problem into parts;
make sure they’re
MECE; seek input
from experts
3) Write your best
version of the
answer
4) Write a plan that
includes who’s
responsible,
milestones,
timelines, & issues
5) Keep analyses
simple; be flexible in
the face of new
data; “porpoise”
between hypothesis
and data
6) Follow a pyramid
storyline structure;
pass the three “So
What’s?”
7) Follow a
communication
plan; validate,
validate, validate

6. Self-assess to move the needle from x to y
1) What are your career aspirations
(short-term, medium term, long-term)?
2) Who do you aspire to emulate?
Who inspires you?
3) What do you need to learn and work
on to get where you want to be?
4) How can your company or
leader or mentor help you?

7. Leave behind a trail of breadcrumbs
Why bother having a resume?
If you’re remarkable, amazing, or just plain spectacular,
you probably shouldn’t have a resume at all. – Seth Godin
Chronicle everything you’re learning and doing (and publish most of it)
• Think Casey Neistat, Marie Forleo, Gary Vaynerchuk, or Morgan J. Ingram
• Track highlights, challenges, successes, failures, and thoughts in an online journal
• What would your MasterClass course cover?
Hustle until you no longer have to introduce yourself
• Add value and you’ll become more valuable in the process
• Your reputation must precede you
• What is said about you when you’re not there?

8. Read more, write well, and
make an impact on people’s lives
We lose ourselves in books. We find ourselves there too.

9. Links to everything cited today
Winners focus on winning, and
losers focus on winners
The forced ranking system of appraisal bell curve
bit.ly/bellcurve1
Have two solutions to every problem
before escalating
Problem Solving Grand Slam
bit.ly/problemgrandslam
Self-assess to move the needle from x to y
Matrix from Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
bit.ly/execution-done
Leave behind a trail of breadcrumbs
Seth Godin sethgodin.com/sg/
Casey Neistat casey.nyc
Marie Forleo marieforleo.com
Gary Vaynerchuk garyvaynerchuk.com
Morgan J. Ingram morganjingram.com
MasterClass masterclass.com
Why bother having a resume? bit.ly/why_resume
Read more, write well, and
make an impact on people’s lives
12 Rules for Life bit.ly/12rules-life
On Writing Well bit.ly/OnWritingWell1
How to Win Friends and Influence People bit.ly/influencepeople1
Quiet: bit.ly/2quiet