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Jill Konrath’s 3 Keys to Mastering Rapid Learning
Are you struggling to close sales while also absorbing new information and skills every day? Jill Konrath, author of Agile Selling explains how embracing rapid learning is the key to staying ahead of the sales curve.
As a sales professional, you’ve probably encountered this situation: You’re interacting with a prospective customer, and they seem genuinely interested in your product. Multiple missed calls and unanswered emails later, you hang up the towel and accept they’ve vanished into the sales black hole.
What did you say (or didn’t say) to drive them away? According to sales expert Jill Konrath, author of the new book Agile Selling and one of OpenView’s Top 25 Sales Influencers for 2014, it’s probably not something you did. In fact, it’s not about you, at all.
These days, businesses are changing faster than ever before. Customers are just as busy and stretched thin as the rest of us. Rather than take rejection personal, sales professionals need to embrace change and learn how they can be more relevant, insightful, and helpful than ever. That means employing some “meta skills” and mastering the art of “Rapid Learning.” In this week’s LabCast, Jill explains how you can apply three skills of Rapid Learning to improve your entire sales process — whether it’s closing more deals, adapting to change in market, or onboarding new sales hires more effectively.
This Week’s Guest
“These days, everyone has to learn more in a faster amount of time. The real challenge is to learn new skills every day, not getting better at one thing in particular.”
— Jill Konrath
Listen Here
Subscribe to Labcast
Key Takeaways
* When a company doesn’t get back to you, don’t take it personally. Regardless of whether or not they are interested in doing business with you, the truth is that companies are “just crazy busy.”
* Always be learning. Make sure you’re a good learner and focus on harnessing that skill in general. The sales world is changing rapidly, and you need to constantly be flexing that muscle. [2:30]
* Avoid getting overwhelmed. Constantly keeping up with change — whether it’s changing markets or products — can send your brain spinning. Organize your thoughts and adapt to change through “rapid learning.” [4:45]
* Master “Rapid Learning” by harnessing these skills: [2:45]
* Dumping: Stop cluttering your brain with information. When tasked a new challenge or skill, write the information down on a piece of paper or post-it. For example, trying to learn GoToMeeting? Stop and write your process down. [6:50]
* Chunking: Break things down into units. Our brain has a filing system, and it stores things in different mental files. Don’t try and tackle all the chunks at once. Focus on one and then move into the next chronologically sensible chunk. [8:55]
* Sequencing: This skill is especially handy when it comes to onboarding. Don’t overwhelm your new sales hires with unnecessary information. Divide training into what needs to be learned now versus what can be acquired over time. What information you need to know now and what information you need to know later. Not everything is crucial. Figure out what things you absolutely need to know to succeed and what things you can learn over time. [9:45]
Transcript
Announcer: This is Labcast, insights and ideas for the expansion stage senior manager,
View all episodes
Are you struggling to close sales while also absorbing new information and skills every day? Jill Konrath, author of Agile Selling explains how embracing rapid learning is the key to staying ahead of the sales curve.
As a sales professional, you’ve probably encountered this situation: You’re interacting with a prospective customer, and they seem genuinely interested in your product. Multiple missed calls and unanswered emails later, you hang up the towel and accept they’ve vanished into the sales black hole.
What did you say (or didn’t say) to drive them away? According to sales expert Jill Konrath, author of the new book Agile Selling and one of OpenView’s Top 25 Sales Influencers for 2014, it’s probably not something you did. In fact, it’s not about you, at all.
These days, businesses are changing faster than ever before. Customers are just as busy and stretched thin as the rest of us. Rather than take rejection personal, sales professionals need to embrace change and learn how they can be more relevant, insightful, and helpful than ever. That means employing some “meta skills” and mastering the art of “Rapid Learning.” In this week’s LabCast, Jill explains how you can apply three skills of Rapid Learning to improve your entire sales process — whether it’s closing more deals, adapting to change in market, or onboarding new sales hires more effectively.
This Week’s Guest
“These days, everyone has to learn more in a faster amount of time. The real challenge is to learn new skills every day, not getting better at one thing in particular.”
— Jill Konrath
Listen Here
Subscribe to Labcast
Key Takeaways
* When a company doesn’t get back to you, don’t take it personally. Regardless of whether or not they are interested in doing business with you, the truth is that companies are “just crazy busy.”
* Always be learning. Make sure you’re a good learner and focus on harnessing that skill in general. The sales world is changing rapidly, and you need to constantly be flexing that muscle. [2:30]
* Avoid getting overwhelmed. Constantly keeping up with change — whether it’s changing markets or products — can send your brain spinning. Organize your thoughts and adapt to change through “rapid learning.” [4:45]
* Master “Rapid Learning” by harnessing these skills: [2:45]
* Dumping: Stop cluttering your brain with information. When tasked a new challenge or skill, write the information down on a piece of paper or post-it. For example, trying to learn GoToMeeting? Stop and write your process down. [6:50]
* Chunking: Break things down into units. Our brain has a filing system, and it stores things in different mental files. Don’t try and tackle all the chunks at once. Focus on one and then move into the next chronologically sensible chunk. [8:55]
* Sequencing: This skill is especially handy when it comes to onboarding. Don’t overwhelm your new sales hires with unnecessary information. Divide training into what needs to be learned now versus what can be acquired over time. What information you need to know now and what information you need to know later. Not everything is crucial. Figure out what things you absolutely need to know to succeed and what things you can learn over time. [9:45]
Transcript
Announcer: This is Labcast, insights and ideas for the expansion stage senior manager,