Jill Konrath

A massive clap of lightning awoke me from a dead sleep at 3 am. It was pouring outside. I responded as I always do in a storm—rushing downstairs to unplug my computers, hoping they weren’t already fried.

Have you ever been totally stuck, without a clue about how you’re going to handle a challenging situation? I’ve been there a thousand times. You’d think, after all these years in this business, I’d finally have it all figured out.

Want to win more sales? Then you need to do everything you can to give yourself an unfair advantage over your competitors.

Research shows that one of the best ways to do this is by being an early bird:

• Forrester Research discovered that the first vendor to reach a prospect and set the buying vision has a 74% close rate. 
• InsideSales found that 50% of sales opportunities go to the first salesperson to contact a prospect.

Most salespeople spend their time chasing prospects who are actively involved in making a decision. If you join them, your chances of winning are slim. Instead, go where the decision isn’t – yet – but could be. Here's what the early bird does to find those undiscovered opportunities. 

What's the key to long-term sales success? Short-term sales success. Research by DDI shows that it's important to see significant progress within three months - or else you'll get discouraged and start a downward spiral.

That's why I've always focused on quick start strategies. Knowing how to ramp quickly totally changes the game - whether you're in a new sales position, introducing new products, or targeting new buyers.

That’s why I thought I’d share Kyle Smith’s story with you — in his own words. You’ll discover how he used Agile Selling as sales training to significantly shorten his own ramp time.

P.S. His boss says he's doing great -- and in a ridiculously short time!

Rapid Learning Mini-Course Video #7

Yay! You made it to the last video in this Crash Course. If you’re like most people, you’re a bit overwhelmed. Learning agility – and specifically it’s subset, rapid learning – is a totally new concept to you. And, it seems like a ton of work.

You have to do a 30,000-foot scan, ensuring you’re dumping things out of your brain as you go. Then you have to Chunk, Sequence and Practice – all before you’re ready for prime time.

How in the world can you do all this when you’re already working so darn hard – and such long hours?

Rapid Learning Mini-Course Video #6

Welcome back to the sixth video in this mini-course on rapid learning. The whole goal of this program is to help you become a rapid learner – so you can quickly master new information or pick up new skills.

So far, we’ve focused on Dumping, Chunking and Sequencing. You’ve learned about how to take the “Deep Dive” on that one specific area you’re going to tackle first. In short, you’ve acquired the knowledge you need. But knowledge is worthless if it’s stuck in your head. You have to immediately put it to use, or it will quickly evaporate into thin air.

Up till now, we’ve focused entirely on knowledge acquisition.

Now, it’s time to turn that knowledge into action.

Rapid Learning Mini-Course Video #5

Welcome back. I’m glad to see you’re focused on becoming a rapid learner. It truly is a skill you can use throughout your career. And another thing, employers are looking for rapid learners.

After taking a high-level scan – the 30,000-foot view – of what we want to learn about LinkedIn, we’ve finally decided that creating a strong profile is the best place to start. Now, we take a deep dive into this area, scoping all the sub-chunks of the overall profile chunk.

Rapid Learning Mini-Course Video #4

Hey! You’re already getting smarter. By now, you’ve discovered rapid learning requires you to do things a whole lot differently from your normal ways. Shoot, your old high school teachers would really be impressed at how organized you are now.

Now that you’ve completed your Chunking exercise, it’s time to move to a crucial next step – Sequencing.

Rapid Learning Mini-Course Video #3

I’m glad you’re here. Our goal today is to make sense of all that LinkedIn chaos you created after reading my last article: How to Rapidly Master LinkedIn. But first, a quick story.

For many years, I worked as a consultant, helping companies to jumpstart sales of their new products and services. In just three months, I had to learn about their offering, customer, sales process and more. Then, I created a special training program, playbooks and PPTs on “how to sell this new stuff.” There were some years that I did this a dozen times.

Because of my work, I had to master rapid learning skills or I’d drown. I always scanned first. And, since it was ALL new to me, I knew I’d never remember it. So, I wrote it all down. I couldn’t trust my already overloaded brain.