He had a promotion on the line he so desperately wanted. Not for the status, but for all the blood, sweat, and tears he put into the grind. We in sales know all about "the grind." You hustle and work hard to get mostly rejected. Those deals come in just enough to keep you going. But sometimes you want more than the individual win.
"Coaching is in my blood. I've done it for a long time in youth sports. I love the thrill of winning as a coach."
As the fifth employee with Quantum Workplace (the company is now 100 strong), Corey Farley technically wasn't even on the payroll. He was first a contractor and managed projects associated with the company's Best Places to Work program. That turned into a sales role selling upgraded custom reports to program participants.
Corey found instant success and knew sales would become his lifelong career path. He morphed into a consistent closer, surpassing one million in sales in 2015. Though the money was decent, Corey felt this tug to lead. He created a monthly "boot camp" for the sales team to work on skill development. He had call reviews with other reps, which he affectionately compared to "Gruden's QB Camp." All while racking up lots of wins in an individual contributor role.
Fast forward to 2019 and that pending promotion to lead a team of reps. Corey needed to hit the Q3 revenue target with zero room for error. He had one final deal that was a long shot but would take him over the top. It was September 30. And it was getting late—time to brainstorm on Zoom.
What's up? Did you get it!
Not quite; legal has some issues. Let me share my screen.
He looked dejected. So did his manager. But Corey's one helluva poker player. He scrolled down to the bottom of the contract. Circled were the words, "WE DID IT!" with the customer signature freshly inked. Goal hit. Promotion to leader earned. For those reps he now leads, they won't be surprised by his subtle use of the "we" pronoun.
He shared a few things influencing his success:
You currently have this artist in heavy rotation: The Fugees.
This sales or leadership book is a must-read for aspiring leaders: The Perfect Close.
A new sales tactic working for my team is: Breaking down the last 10 minutes of a call into a 5/5 format to drive to a clear future.
If you don't have this in your sales tech stack, you need to add: Chorus.ai.
Your favorite metric to track after revenue is: Days-to-close.
Corey leads the new business sales team at Quantum Workplace, where he manages a group of talented Account Executives tasked with growing new revenue 33% year-over-year.
Are you a rising star? Take five minutes to fill out this short form. We'll polish it up, write your profile, and get your approval to share with The Weekly Pitch community! The Leaderboard is a fun twist on the Q&A and an opportunity to elevate your personal and company brand.
