10 Things That Sales Reps Need To Include In Their Sales Report Every Time

What do you, as a sales rep, need to put into your sales report every time you make a sales call? To help you be better at reporting that call, just ask and record the answer to these 10 questions. Make them your sales reporting checklist every time you think about calling on prospects or customers.

1. Who are you calling on today?

You put the prospect's name or business name.

2. What do you expect from your call today?

• what is your long term expectation?
• are your objectives specific, result oriented and realistic?
• did you record your objectives?

3. How are their current practice and working environment like right now?

• what are they using right now?
• what problem exists?
• any opportunity you can recognize?
• any unmet needs you can spot?

4. Do you see an opportunity to work together with them?

Record anything that indicates a better alternative or option for them.

5. What messages are you putting across?

• what are the key messages?
• any visual aids you want to use?
• any reprints or reports you need to reinforce your key messages?
• what else do you need to get the message across effectively?

6. How can you get prospects/customers time and attention?

What can you say at the opening of the sales call, to pull their attention in?

7. What could be your obstacle or possible obstacle?

• what has stopped them in the past?
• what's stopping them now?
• what could possibly stop them later?

8. What question can you ask to qualify them?

• what can you ask to manage their perception?
• what can you ask to bring their attention away from those obstacles to your key message?

9. What could you ask differently to move towards commitment?

• did you use trial close?
• what concerns do they have?
• was it technical or competitor's concern?
• how did you handle those concerns?

10. What did you learn from the call?

• what did you get from the environment and support staffs?
• was it helpful?
• did you see something palpable?
• did you have to make an assumption?
• what else do you need to know to make better sales call?

Use these 10 questions as a base for your sales report techniques from now on. You can see progress much faster once you have a reporting system in place and using these questions help you create, fine tune and move forward more quickly in your sales profession. They might not promote you to a sales manager right away, but we believe you'll be glad to see your sales commission add up pretty quickly as you move along.