Learning tips and tactics from real experts can give salespeople a significant advantage. Experienced, successful salespeople can provide practical insights and strategies that are proven to work.
In such a competitive industry, firsthand knowledge is invaluable for cutting through the noise, improving sales processes and getting results.
We built the following list of top sales hacks from real experts so you can enhance your decision-making, sell more and hit your quotas sooner.
Sales hack 1: personalize your bulk email introductions
It’s a well-known fact that email personalization boosts sales performance. In a 2023 Twilio study, over half of consumers said personalized experiences encourage them to become repeat customers.
Over half (56%) of customers say they will become repeat buyers after a personalized experience, a 7% increase year-over-year.
Likewise, salespeople know that sending bulk emails is more time- and cost-effective than writing numerous individual messages.
How do you reconcile personalizing emails with saving time and sending emails in bulk? A personalized introduction is often all it takes to get buyers to read your content.
GTMfund founder Max Altschuler described his email personalization approach in a Medium post:
Segmenting your audience using email marketing software makes this personalization even smoother.
Pipedrive’s Campaigns email builder lets you filter your email list based on customer relationship management (CRM) data. For instance, here’s how you’d group contacts who opened and clicked a link in your “Welcome newsletter” campaign:
Once you’ve created your email segment, send recipients a personalized message like:
“Hey [First Name]! I noticed you’ve read our welcome newsletter. I’d love to introduce you to our [product/service] and its features. Do you have time for a quick intro chat this week? Best regards, [Sales Rep]”
Sales hack 2: always read the room
The better you read your prospect’s body language, the easier it will be to tailor your sales pitches for better outcomes.
People communicate with more than just speech. Paying attention to physical responses is a form of active listening many salespeople overlook, so you can use it to get ahead.
Sales coach and FDTC University founder Mor Assouline suggests tracking people’s reactions during sales demos:
This tactic recently helped Mor further a sales conversation. He explains:
As Mor’s example proves, sometimes people need a prompt to give up information. Look for prompting opportunities to give you insights to further your sales conversations.
Sales hack 3: prepare to meet different customer types
Adapting your sales approach to different customer types helps you overcome objections and close more deals. Customer groups have unique priorities you must speak to even if they’re interested in the same products.
For example, impulse buyers typically value social proof of a product’s value over specifications and features. Needs-based customers tend to research products in depth before speaking to salespeople and prefer fast transactions.
Vladislav Podolyako, founder of email deliverability tool Folderly, wrote about anticipating customer types and their pain points on Quora:
“It’s really important to find out, before starting the sales process, what type of stereotypes you can encounter and be prepared on how to counter their negative replies.
That way, you can prepare for what the customer might say upfront and you can understand what they need so you can adjust your approach in order to solve their own individual problem.”
Our guide to common types of customers is a great starting point. However, you should also consider your buyers’ specific motivations at the point of contact.
Say you sell high-volume office supplies. One of your strategies could be cold-calling busy office managers who value fast pitches. Another could be approaching office managers at a trade show with some company merchandise and a friendly chat.
Different types of car buyers also have distinct priorities. A needs-based customer looking for a family car will likely want to hear about safety features, while a price-oriented tradesperson may value fuel economy and warranty details more.
Sales hack 4: mirror your prospects
Mirroring is the act of imitating the gestures, behavior and expressions of other people. It’s useful in sales because of a cognitive bias called the similar-to-me effect. Also known as the affinity bias, it describes the human tendency to prefer people who act like us.
Entrepreneur Peter Daisyme believes this cognitive bias can help salespeople communicate more effectively with prospects. He explained in a Business 2 Community post:
For mirroring to be effective, you need to be authentic. That’s why Peter advises sellers to:
Build basic connections first by giving prospects your complete attention, including strong eye contact
Start mirroring by following the other person’s pace and volume of speech
Expand by identifying and subtly imitating their “punctuator” (a subtle movement to make a point – like an eyebrow raise or hand gesture)
Mirroring in sales requires tact and restraint. Repeating everything a prospect says will make you appear insincere, so imitate smaller mannerisms and behaviors rather than actual phrases.
Sales hack 5: collect short, authentic testimonial videos
Heavily edited customer testimonial videos may send the wrong signals to increasingly savvy buyers. A polished video will likely have been through several rounds of editing to portray the company in the best light possible.
Sales professionals can leverage simpler, self-made customer clips to reassure hesitant prospects. This short, unpolished content works because buyers typically trust other customers more than brands.
In a Forrester survey of B2B buyers, over 90% of respondents said they completely or somewhat trust peers in their industry compared to 29% who said the same about salespeople.
Sales coach and author Amanda Abella described her experience of recording customer stories in a Due article:
“Another strategy that has significantly increased my sales is interviewing some of my clients in five-minute videos. This alone accounted for an almost immediate sale for my digital program which is almost $2000.
The secret to these videos is to make them seem real. There’s no need to make a production here. Just let your clients tell their story of how you improved their lives.”
Use real videos as social proof to show potential customers how similar people benefit from your product.
There are two easy ways to create authentic video testimonial content:
Add five minutes to your next call with a happy client and get permission to record them answering your questions
Ask a satisfied client to record themselves talking about their experience with your product
AI customer communication platform JustCall stores a library of customer stories on YouTube that includes short user-generated testimonials.
The highly believable reviews and ratings provide sales reps with a valuable and accessible resource for cementing prospects’ trust late in the customer journey.
You may need to ask multiple happy customers to get a single testimonial clip, but here are some ways you can increase your chances:
Send a dedicated email rather than burying your request in other unrelated information. Pipedrive can automate your marketing efforts by triggering templated messages at relevant stages of the buyer journey (e.g., after the onboarding process).
Include bullet points on what the clip should include (e.g., the client’s name, industry and initial challenge) to help you get the content you need. Your guidance will also encourage customers who aren’t naturally confident speaking on camera.
Offer an incentive like a small discount or a free trial for another product
Note: In a 2024 Wyzowl study, 91% of companies reported using video content to promote brands and products – up from 61% in 2016. The top use case was client testimonials.
Sales hack 6: position yourself as the hero and helper
A simple shift of perspective can make prospects respond more positively to your cold calls and sales pitches, according to GTMfund’s Max Altschuler.
In a Medium post on sales hacks, Max explained how experimenting with different phrasing in both written and verbal communication can yield better outcomes:
“Too often I see people asking for favors in a manner that presents them as, well… asking for favors.
Instead of saying: ‘I just left my company. Do you know anyone who is hiring?, you say: ‘I just left my company. If you know anyone looking for a killer BD [business development] rep, do them a favor and introduce them to me’. It completely flips the script. That’s my favorite example, but keep this in mind when trying to sell something.”
Once you’ve earned a potential customer’s interest, prioritize your relationship over pushing products. It’s an approach called consultative selling that involves three simple actions:
Ask questions
Listen to the prospect’s needs
Tailor your product recommendations to their pain points
These broad steps can keep you on track as you build and strengthen valuable customer relationships.
Sales hack 7: rein in your demos
Demonstrations are a key part of the sales process for many sales teams – especially at software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies. When it comes to demos, presentation quality should always come before depth or quantity.
The key to effective demos is to target prospects’ “jobs-to-be-done” (JTBD) – specific tasks or goals buyers seek to achieve.
For example, a small business owner looking to reduce late payments will value an accounting tool’s payment reminder function. An enterprise-level finance director who needs to keep multiple stakeholders up to date will be interested in how the software handles report sharing.
Mor Assouline, who also hosts the SaaS Talks podcast, recommends simplifying your demos even if it means less time pitching:
“Don’t demo every cool feature your product has – just those that solve your prospect’s most important problems. In most cases, that means you should be demoing less of your product, not more.
I train account executives to always talk about the pain first and then the feature that solves it. For example: ‘You mentioned that [pain]... so here’s how to solve it…’ [*show feature*]’.”
Mor adds that demos could last as little as five or 10 minutes as long as you’re remedying your buyers’ pain.
Sales hack 8: humanize your cold email campaigns
Your ideal customers likely receive hundreds of cold emails – many of which will be generic, untailored bulk messages. You can stand out by humanizing your pitch, including finding some common ground as an ice-breaker.
Pave the way for a more personal connection. You’ll encourage recipients to take you more seriously than your competitors.
Candice D’Angelo, founder of The Selling Lab, recommends referencing relevant content that resonated with you recently. She spoke on the Evolve Pipedrive Podcast:
This way of linking shows interest in the prospect’s business and industry, not just their money.
Let’s say an executive at your prospect’s company recently presented an insightful TED Talk or hosted a webinar you found valuable. You might link to the content and write something like this:
“I just watched [exec’s name’s] talk on [subject] and found it so useful that we’re going to implement some of their ideas in our business. I’d love to talk more about how those tactics are helping your team and whether there are any [product area]-related challenges you’re still facing…”
Heat up your cold emails with 25 customizable email templates
Sales hack 9: use social media polls as ice-breakers
Social selling is a great way to find, engage and nurture potential buyers without cold pitching.
Rather than you making the first move, Candice D’Angelo advises using polls to invite people to have conversations with you. You can then follow up with a personal message and hopefully get them into your sales pipeline.
Shifting the sales dynamic can make prospects more receptive to your pitch. It enables more natural conversations from the start, even if you don’t know the person you’re reaching out to.
In her podcast episode, Candice said:
Keep your polls simple and audience-relevant to draw responses from your ideal customers.
In the poll example below, Candice asks a short question that her followers likely have opinions on. She uses casual language in the responses to make the topic even more relatable.
Every poll vote you get is an ice-breaker for your first sales call or message to that prospect, helping you build connections quicker. Just make sure respondents fit your ideal customer profile (ICP) before getting in touch.
Final thoughts
Every sales career involves a learning curve. However, the process can be far smoother when you absorb sales tips and advice from top sales mentors.
Apply the above sales hacks and techniques to your process and see which ones best impact your productivity and performance.
Finally, share the results internally to motivate your sales team and ensure everyone benefits from the successes and insights gained.
