Stuck in a Sales Plateau? Your Cookbook Might Be Outdated
Ryan, a mid-thirties sales professional, had hit a wall. For six straight months, his commissions stayed flat. He narrowly missed quota each time. Frustrated, he scheduled a meeting with his manager, Jeannine, to figure out what had gone wrong—and what needed to change.
One of Jeannine’s first questions cut right to the heart of the issue:
“Let’s talk about your cookbook.”
For Sandler-trained salespeople, a cookbook is a structured behavioral plan. It outlines daily, weekly, and quarterly prospecting activities, each with measurable goals—like number of outbound dials or decision-maker conversations. Ryan had created his cookbook when he first joined the company five years earlier and had followed it consistently since.
But Jeannine noticed something troubling. Ryan’s cookbook hadn’t evolved. There was no digital outreach. No social media engagement. No effort to generate referrals online.
Is Your Sales Process Stuck in the Past?
Ryan was relying on the same strategies he used five years ago:
Phone calls
In-person networking events
Face-to-face meetings with existing clients
He hadn’t even created a LinkedIn profile. Like many “digital immigrants,” he stuck with what had worked early in his career. But the results were telling—his old methods weren’t delivering like they used to.
Jeannine asked a pivotal question:
“Are your traditional tactics still delivering results?”
The answer was clear: they weren’t.
Average vs. Excellent Salespeople: What’s the Difference?
Here’s the truth:
📉 Average salespeople stick to what’s comfortable.
📈 Excellent salespeople adapt, improve, and evolve.
Top performers are always refining their systems and processes. They don’t rely on outdated strategies or leave anything to chance. Instead, they:
✅ Set measurable goals
✅ Leverage digital tools
✅ Embrace change
✅ Continuously improve their approach
Sales excellence isn’t luck—it’s built on a foundation of intentional, ongoing process improvement.
Modern Prospecting: Updating the Cookbook
With Jeannine’s coaching, Ryan reworked his cookbook to include modern prospecting strategies:
He launched a professional LinkedIn profile
He reconnected with over 100 known contacts
He set weekly goals for asking those contacts for referrals
He began tracking digital engagement just like he had tracked calls
By stepping outside his comfort zone, Ryan brought his approach into the digital age—and the results were clear.
The Results: A Quota Hit and a Turnaround
By the end of the next quarter, Ryan closed four major new deals. For the first time in nearly a year, he hit his sales quota. The difference? He committed to process improvement, not just harder work.
His story is a reminder for every salesperson:
What got you here may not get you there.
Take Action: Is It Time to Update Your Sales Cookbook?
If your results have stalled, it may be time to re-evaluate your behaviors and update your prospecting plan. The most successful salespeople continually evolve their strategy—and so should you.
🔗 Ready to modernize your cookbook? Crash a Class and see how top performers are doing it.
