Good Morning. Elon Musk just tried to sell Starlink to Ryanair, but got rejected because the CEO didn't want to spend $250 million a year on a new internet system. So Elon did what all of the best sales reps do… he called the CEO an "utter idiot" on X. Classic sales move right there. In response, Ryanair launched a "Big Idiot Seat Sale" offering flights for $23 to 100,000 customers and is now getting more free publicity than they have in months. The lesson here: when a prospect says no, maybe don't publicly insult them on social media. Just a suggestion. Now, let's get into today's Follow Up. (:
How to deal with a reference request 🗣
How to stand out against everyone else ⭐
The best cold outbound for a sales job ✍
Sales jobs & a meme 😂
Sales Tip of The Day 💡
When a prospect asks for a reference, diagnose their confidence before you send one.
❌ “No problem, I’ll connect you with a customer.”
✅ “Happy to. Out of curiosity, what are you hoping to confirm by talking to them?”
Asking for a reference is normal. But not all reference requests mean the same thing.
Sometimes they want validation. Other times, they want reassurance that this will work for them specifically.
If it’s reassurance, a reference isn’t always the best move. You can often do more by addressing the exact risk they’re worried about directly.
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3 Ways to Stand Out from the Average Sales Rep
The fastest way to lose someones attention is to sound like everyone else.
I see it all the time.
Demos blur together. Follow ups become rarer. Reps fade out the moment things slow down or get uncomfortable.
Standing out today has nothing to do with being louder, more aggressive, or cramming another slide into your deck.
It comes from doing a few critical things far better than your competition.
Product Mastery Still Matters
Some of the best salespeople right now are not in sales.
They’re YouTubers.
The ones creating "how to" videos about software. The people who take a complicated product and explain it so clearly that you think, "I finally get this."
Take Ravi Abuvala, with this ClickUp tutorial. It’s sitting at over 600K views, and has likely sold 10’s of thousands of dollars worth of ClickUp subscriptions.
And people love it becuase its an incredible exchange of value. You give 15 minutes of your time, and Ravi gives you everything you need to know about how to start using ClickUp.
The top creators on YouTube teach. They sell without ever sounding like they’re selling.
And because of that, people trust them. Then they buy.
That skill is learnable.
Product demos are trust-building moments that shorten decision cycles and keep deals moving forward because buyers understand what they’re getting. And why it matters.
If you want to improve your demos, focus on the things most reps skip.
Spend more time with the product. Not just five minutes before a call. Live in the product. Break things. Learn how your customers use it.
Shadow your best reps and sales engineers. Pay attention to how they explain features and where prospects lean in or tune out.
Study popular demos on YouTube. High views and engagement are a public measuring stick that tells you which approaches actually resonate with buyers.
Be Relentless With Your Follow Ups
It’s 2026, and I feel like I’m beating a dead horse when saying this.
But even today, the bar is low for follow ups.
Most reps send a proposal, fire off one “just checking in” message, and then move on when they don’t hear back.
To a buyer, that silence reads like they've been deprioritized. Like you didn't really want their business.
80% of deals don’t close until around the 5th follow up, yet 44% of sales reps give up after their 1st contact.
That gap explains why most deals die too soon.
If you want to stand out, follow up more than what feels comfortable.
Do The Extra Work (That Stuff Others Avoid)
This is the X factor.
Sales roles come with clear expectations: run the calls, update the CRM, hit the quota, stay efficient.
The reps who consistently dominate the leaderboard go beyond what’s expected.
What does that look like?
Taking detailed notes and sending a clean recap without being asked.
Owning a pilot or rollout, even when it creates more work for you.
Suggesting operational changes that make adoption easier.
Sending leadership thoughtful ideas instead of generic status updates.
Doing research or extra work that will make your prospect’s life easier.
None of this is mandatory.
Which is exactly why it works.
This kind of effort signals ownership. It shows you’re thinking past the deal (and your commission) and focused on what makes the relationship successful.
Buyers notice that.
That extra work tells them that you want their business.
What helps you stand out most in a deal right now?
