17 Successful Sales Habits + How WhatsApp Helps
The right habits can make all the difference between hitting your targets and falling short. They help you stay organized, focused, and ready to tackle challenges. Now, if you’re wondering, what’s WhatsApp got to do with having the right habits to succeed in the world of sales, that’s what we’re here to talk about.
In this article, we’ll explore 17 habits that drive sales success and show you exactly how WhatsApp can help you make the most of each one. Let’s dive in.
1. Identify and stick to your buyer personas
Knowing your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is the foundation of any successful sales strategy. When you clearly understand who your buyers are, their needs, and what motivates them, you can focus your efforts on the right prospects. When your outreach is targeted and effective, it saves you time and increases your chances of success.
WhatsApp lets you easily organize and manage your leads. For instance, in the WhatsApp Business app, you can use labels to group contacts by buyer personas, such as industry, company size, or decision-making role.
The WhatsApp Business API gives you even more flexibility. You can create and use an unlimited number of tags to create deep segmentation of your prospects and leads.
For example, you can tag leads as “Tech startups” or “Enterprise clients” and filter your audience to tailor your messages to each group. This keeps your outreach focused and helps you engage with the right people in the right way.
2. Use a measurable, repeatable sales process
A structured sales process provides consistency and predictability in your results. When every step - from lead generation to closing - is clearly defined, it’s easy to track progress, identify bottlenecks, and adjust your strategy for better performance. A repeatable process also simplifies onboarding new team members and scales your efforts.
Break down your pipeline into clear stages:
- lead generation
- qualification
- follow-ups
- proposal
- closing.
Define specific actions for each stage, such as setting a time frame for follow-ups or standardizing initial outreach messages. WhatsApp can help streamline these stages.
Use message templates for initial outreach, schedule follow-ups, and keep track of how your leads and customers respond to refine your strategy.
WhatsApp can be integrated with your CRM. With this integration, you can automate key parts of your sales process. For instance, you can set up automated workflows to handle lead qualification, send nurturing messages, or follow up on inquiries automatically. Here’s what a workflow setup looks like in HubSpot:
3. Practice active listening
Those that truly pay attention to their prospects, can uncover valuable insights. Active listening means understanding their needs, challenges, and goals. If you can fully and clearly understand what your leads are looking for, you can build your solutions and gain trust. It’s one of the most effective ways to show your prospects you’re invested in their success.
To improve active listening:
- Ask open-ended questions to receive detailed replies
- Summarize and repeat key points to confirm understanding
- Note key details from conversations for better follow-ups
Always review previous chats before following up so that you remember important details and can personalize your approach. You can also use voice messages to capture a more natural and engaging conversation flow.
With WhatsApp CRM integration in place, every activity is automatically logged in your CRM. You can review past conversations to avoid missing important details or repeating questions unnecessarily. Here’s how HubSpot logs engagement with your prospects:
If a prospect mentioned a specific pain point earlier, you have all the context you need to reference it in your follow-ups.
4. Personalize your message
Instead of sending generic outreach messages, start with details relevant to the recipient. A personalized message is more likely to grab attention, build rapport, and lead to meaningful conversations.
When you address your prospects by their name, mention the product they’re interested in, or a challenge they face, it creates an instant connection and makes it easier to move them through your sales funnel.
5. Follow up
Most deals aren’t closed on the first interaction. Following up with prospects keeps the conversation going where you can address objections, and remind prospects of the value you offer. A well-timed, tailored follow-up can be the difference between a lost lead and a closed deal.
Rather than simply checking in, share useful content that brings value to the prospect. Send a relevant case study that showcases how your product has helped a similar client. Share a testimonial that builds credibility.
6. Always have an elevator pitch
Create an “elevator pitch” - a short, compelling introduction to your product or service. It should quickly explain what you do, who you help, and why it matters. A strong pitch makes it easier to start conversations, capture interest, and move prospects to the next step.
WhatsApp lets you save and use quick replies for your elevator pitch. Instead of typing the same introduction over and over, you can create a pre-written pitch and send it instantly when chatting with new prospects.
It can be something like this:
“Hey [Name], we help B2B sales teams close more deals over WhatsApp by automating follow-ups and organizing conversations. Want to see how it works?”
7. Develop habits for productivity
Productivity habits like time blocking, prioritizing high-impact tasks, and minimizing distractions help you stay focused and efficient. The more structured your workflow, the more deals you can close without feeling overwhelmed.
Plan your follow-ups in advance and pin high-priority conversations for quick access. Avoid unnecessary scrolling by setting specific times for outreach and engagement. This will ensure that your time is spent productively.
8. Set personal goals
Instead of just chasing quotas, set personal goals that push your team to improve. Whether it’s closing a certain number of deals per month, improving response times, or increasing customer engagement, having clear goals keeps everyone motivated and focused.
WhatsApp’s status feature can also be used to share updates, keeping your network engaged.
9. Be a team player
Collaboration helps sales teams perform better. Share insights, discuss challenges, and learn from each other. This will push everyone to drive better results. Use WhatsApp groups to stay connected with your team, exchange strategies, and discuss common objections.
Always keep an open line of communication with your colleagues to align on key prospects and help the entire team succeed.
10. Build routines based on strengths and weaknesses
Structuring your day around your strengths helps you work more efficiently. Some people find making cold calls best in the morning when they’re most energetic, while they leave handling admin tasks in the afternoon when they need a break from selling.
Find your routine and stick to it. It will improve your natural workflow and boost productivity. At the same time, try to recognize and improve weaker areas to ensure continuous growth.
11. Be honest
Prospects appreciate transparency, whether it’s about pricing, features, or potential limitations. Being upfront helps manage expectations, prevents misunderstandings, and builds long-term relationships with customers.
WhatsApp makes it easy to provide clear, consistent, and honest communication. Use saved replies to ensure pricing, policies, and product details are always accurate and aligned with your company’s messaging. When customers know they can rely on you for honest information, they’re more likely to do business with you.
12. Always solve for the customer
Sales isn’t just about closing deals. It’s about helping customers find solutions to their problems. When you focus on their needs rather than just pushing a product, you build trust and create long-term relationships.
Instead of pushing a product, ask questions to understand what your prospect truly needs. Focus on presenting product benefits that directly address their challenges.
13. Ask for referrals
A referral from a satisfied client carries more weight than any cold outreach. Asking for referrals helps you tap into warm leads who already trust your product because someone they know recommended it. You could say, happy customers are your best salespeople!
WhatsApp makes it easy to request and share referrals. You can send a quick, personalized message to happy customers, asking them to introduce you to someone who might benefit from your product. With WhatsApp’s one-tap forwarding feature, customers can easily share your details, a referral link, or even a short testimonial with their contacts.
The simpler you make it for them, the more likely they are to refer you. And if you offer a small incentive, such as a discount, exclusive feature, or simple thank-you gesture, you’ll make it even easier for them to spread the word.
14. Always seek feedback
Seeking feedback, whether from prospects, customers, or your team, helps you improve your strategy, fine-tune your pitch, and identify areas for growth. The best salespeople are always learning and adapting.
Keep it simple by asking what they liked and what could be improved. Implementing their suggestions improves your strategy and makes customers feel valued.
15. Build personal relationships
Forget about sales as just transactions. Sales is about relationships - especially in today’s digital world, where customers expect brands to communicate with the same warmth and authenticity they get from friends. Taking the time to build genuine relationships increases loyalty, repeat business, and referrals.
With WhatsApp, you can maintain personal, one-on-one communication with customers in a way that feels natural. You can check in with them, send personalized updates, or even share relevant content that adds value. With WhatsApp’s multimedia support, you can send voice messages, videos, or images to make interactions more engaging and personal. Better yet, you can even call them when the voice call feature is available in your region.
Small, thoughtful touches like remembering past conversations or following up on a previous discussion go a long way in strengthening relationships.
16. Get rid of distractions
Distractions kill productivity. In sales, staying focused on high-impact tasks, like following up with leads, engaging prospects, and closing deals, is what drives success. The more you minimize distractions, the more time you have to build relationships and convert leads into customers.
WhatsApp helps you stay organized so you can focus on what matters. Use contact labels to prioritize leads, filter conversations, and avoid wasting time on low-value interactions. Mute non-urgent chats and group notifications to stay focused during deep work sessions. Plus, with quick replies for frequently asked questions, you can respond without getting caught up in unnecessary back-and-forth.
17. Consistently build up your pipeline
If you’re not constantly adding new leads, you risk running out of prospects to sell to. Successful salespeople make pipeline-building a daily habit. Networking, referrals, or proactive outreach, use every strategy to make sure you are never left without prospects.
Use click-to-WhatsApp ads, QR codes, and WhatsApp links to attract new leads and start conversations instantly. Engage with new leads consistently and follow up regularly to keep your pipeline full. Maintaining a steady flow of new prospects ensures that your sales momentum never slows down.
Final words
Building the right habits and using the right tools to stay consistent can be your cheat code to success. These 17 habits will help you stay focused, build trust, and close more deals.
But having the right habits is only part of the equation. You also need the right tools to work efficiently and scale your efforts. WhatsApp helps you organize leads, save replies, personalize outreach, and strengthen relationships in a direct, convenient way.
Sales is all about momentum. The more consistently you apply these habits and use WhatsApp’s features, the more success you’ll see. Start making these habits part of your daily routine, and watch how they transform your sales game.
Do you have questions about leveling up your sales with WhatsApp? Book a call with our experts and get the answers you need to start closing more deals!
Miodrag brings over 15 years of hands-on experience in content writing and marketing, with a talent for making even the trickiest topics clear and interesting. His passion lies in guiding businesses to effectively utilize WhatsApp to build stronger customer relationships and drive results. With an eye for detail and a heart for storytelling, he’s here to show how effective WhatsApp communication can boost sales and enhance customer engagement.
