How Top-Performing Reps Crush Their Numbers with a Weekly Sales Prep Ritual

As a sales professional, your results depend heavily on your routines. And for quota-crushing reps, few habits are more important than a weekly planning and preparation ritual.

Top sellers know that a few focused hours on Sunday is the secret to hitting the ground running on Monday. It sets them up to win for the entire week.

In this post, we‘ll break down exactlywhat the best reps do to get ahead before the week even starts. You‘ll get a proven prep checklist, see why it drives better results, and learn from real-world examples.

By the end, you‘ll have a powerful process to implement in your own sales approach. Let‘s dive in!

Why the Best Reps Rely on Weekly Planning

The case for investing in a weekly sales prep habit is compelling. Research shows that:

Reps who spend at least 30 minutes planning their week close 26% more deals than those who don‘t. (Source)
Top-performing reps are 2.3X more likely to dedicate a full hour to weekly planning and prep. (Source)
Sellers who strategically plan their week in advance generate over 40% more revenue than those who just "wing it." (Source)

As Andy Paul, host of the Sales Enablement Podcast explains:

"Elite sellers control their calendar. They don‘t react, they proact. They strategically carve out time to get a head start on their week while others are watching football. That‘s a big reason why they dominate."

The Ultimate Sunday Evening Sales Prep Checklist

So what exactly are top reps doing during their Sunday planning session? Here‘s a detailed checklist, broken down by key areas:

Review the Previous Week

Before looking ahead, tie up any loose ends from last week:

[ ] Review calendar and notes from each sales call/meeting
[ ] Log any missing info and complete outstanding follow-up tasks
[ ] Catch up on important internal emails and Slack threads
[ ] File expense reports and submit necessary paperwork

Plan the Upcoming Week

With last week squared away, turn your attention to the days ahead:

Confirm Your Schedule

[ ] Block off travel/meeting prep time on calendar
[ ] Schedule dedicated prospecting blocks
[ ] Send invites for internal syncs and one-on-ones
[ ] Make a prioritized to-do list for each day

Prep for Prospect Calls

For each upcoming meeting:

[ ] Review account history and past notes in CRM
[ ] Check prospect‘s LinkedIn for talking points
[ ] Find 1-2 relevant pieces of information to reference
[ ] Draft and save a customized meeting agenda

Write Intentional Emails

Queue up thoughtful messages to:

[ ] Revive stalled opportunities
[ ] Share helpful content/insights with prospects
[ ] Request introductions and referrals
[ ] Thank new customers and engaged prospects

Learn and Level Up

Block off 30-60 minutes to:

[ ] Read industry blogs and newsletters
[ ] Watch a sales training video
[ ] Listen to a professional development podcast
[ ] Chat with a mentor or top-performing peer

Schedule It Out

Finally, put all these to-dos on your calendar to guarantee they get done:

(Source: Yesware)

How Prep Translates into Better Sales Results

Investing time in strategic planning delivers major dividends across your entire sales process:

Better Discovery Calls

Thoroughly reviewing account history and researching each prospect helps you ask better questions, personalize the conversation, and uncover key needs. You‘ll conduct more valuable discovery.

More Impactful Demos

Gathering relevant use cases and examples beforehand allows you to customize demos around what matters most to each buyer. You‘ll deliver a tighter, more persuasive product story.

Proactive Objection-Handling

As you prep, you can anticipate likely concerns and objections. You‘ll be ready to tackle them head-on before the prospect even brings them up.

Insightful Discussions

Buyers are hungry for reps who provide valuable ideas and perspectives. Dedicating time to finding helpful content to share establishes you as an insightful thought partner.

According to Corporate Visions:

74% of buyers choose the rep that was first to provide value and insight.
But only 19% of buyers say the salespeople they meet with are providing value and insight.

Putting in the work ahead of time is how you join that elite 19% who truly differentiate themselves.

More Effective Follow-Up

Sending personalized, relevant, timely emails keeps deals progressing. Knocking these out before your crazy week starts means critical follow-ups don‘t get neglected.

Research from Yesware shows that sales emails sent on Monday have the highest open rates of any day of the week:

Sales Email Open Rates by Day
(Source: Yesware)

Get your messages queued up and scheduled to capitalize on that Monday morning momentum!

Real-World Weekly Planning Examples from Top Reps

To further illustrate the power of a weekly planning ritual, let‘s look at a couple examples of how top-performing reps put it into practice:

Example 1: Liston Witherill, Chief Sales Officer at Serve Don‘t Sell

Liston is religious about his Sunday evening routine:

"From 8:00-9:30pm every Sunday night, I review my sales pipeline and prep for the week ahead. I go account-by-account and make sure I‘m fully up to speed on:

Most recent interactions and touchpoints

My objective for this week

The buyer‘s key priorities and concerns

How I can provide value on our next touchpoint

I update my CRM, queue up emails, and do research to fill in any knowledge gaps.

Then I make a prioritized to-do list for each day, time-blocking my schedule in 30-minute increments. I set ‘rocks‘ – my 1-2 top priorities – for each day.

This habit has been a complete game-changer. It allows me to be proactive instead of reactive. I show up to every interaction prepared to deliver value. And I never get overwhelmed or drop the ball on follow-up.

It takes discipline, but it‘s hands-down the highest-ROI time investment I make every week."

Example 2: Tiffani Bova, Global Growth Evangelist at Salesforce

Tiffani, a sales strategist and author, also sets herself up for success with a Sunday ritual:

"Every Sunday afternoon, I open up our company‘s sales dashboard and dig into the numbers. I‘m looking at my key metrics vs. goals, pipeline velocity, and deal health.

I reach out to anyone with at-risk deals to understand where I can help. I‘ll provide talk tracks, battlecards, case studies – whatever they need to keep things on track.

I also check in on top opportunities, sending notes of encouragement or asking how I can support.

The rest of my time is spent learning. I‘ll browse LinkedIn for trigger events and job changes. I read a few industry articles and newsletters. I‘ll watch a webinar or two on sales techniques.

Dedicating a couple focused hours on Sunday to calibrating where things stand and improving my skills is so valuable. It allows me to operate at a higher level all week long."

Embrace the Sunday Ritual to Supercharge Your Results

If you‘re serious about hitting your number, you need to get serious about preparation. A Sunday planning habit is how you elevate your game.

Carve out 2-3 focused hours every week to implement the process laid out here:

Review the previous week and tie up loose ends
Strategically plan and prep for the week ahead
Invest in your ongoing growth and development

Attack your week with intention, instead of just reacting to what comes at you. This is how top reps stay one step ahead and consistently crush their quotas.

It takes discipline, but it‘s a differentiator. Put in the work and reap the benefits.

For more tips on improving your sales habits and results, check out:

Now go crush your week!

How Top-Performing Reps Crush Their Numbers with a Weekly Sales Prep Ritual

Why the Best Reps Rely on Weekly Planning