Are you struggling to make meaningful connections with prospects in today's cluttered and noisy marketplace? If so, you're not alone. In this episode of “The Sales Evangelist Podcast,” host Donald Kelly speaks with guest Matt Reuter, a senior director of Sales Development for RealPage. Matt shares valuable insights and strategies for increasing connection rates with prospects in today's competitive market.  He highlights the challenges sellers face, particularly in terms of breaking through the clutter and noise, and offers practical tips to overcome these obstacles. Matt emphasizes the importance of smart and strategic activities, focusing on outcomes rather than sheer volume, and understanding the nuances of prospect behavior to maximize connection rates. Craving Results Drawing inspiration from Tim Grover's book, Relentless, Matt emphasizes the significance of craving results and focusing on the right activities.  By understanding the desired outcomes and having a relentless drive to achieve them, sellers can channel their energy and efforts into activities that are more likely to yield positive results. Understanding Your Prospect Matt emphasizes the need for sellers to take a step back and truly understand their prospects. This includes considering factors such as their industry, location, and daily routines.  Drawing from his experience working with diverse teams across different cities, Matt recognizes that work-life and business practices vary across regions.  Sellers can align their outreach efforts with prospects' preferences and schedules by understanding these nuances. Optimizing Activity Timing To boost connection rates, Matt advises sellers to identify specific time slots when prospects are more likely to engage.  He suggests looking for gaps in the prospect's schedule, rather than bombarding them during peak meeting hours.  Choosing the right time to reach out, send an email, or connect on LinkedIn increases the chances of catching the prospect's attention and avoiding crowded inboxes and voicemails. Working Smarter, Not Harder Matt encourages sellers to work smarter by focusing on the quality rather than the quantity of their activities. This means prioritizing meaningful interactions that are more likely to yield positive outcomes.  He cautions against wasting time on aimless calls and emails that do not result in connections.  Instead, sellers should invest their energy in activities that have a higher probability of success, based on their understanding of the prospect's preferences and behavior patterns. Shifting the Metric Matt challenges the conventional emphasis on the number of calls or emails made and urges sellers to focus on the outcomes they desire.  Rather than simply counting the volume of activities, sellers should prioritize the desired results, be it setting up a meeting or securing a connection. This shift in mindset helps sellers prioritize their efforts and places the emphasis on achieving meaningful outcomes that drive success. Autonomy and Empowerment Matt explains how he empowers his team to structure their day based on their understanding of the prospects they are targeting.  Rather than micromanaging their schedules, he encourages his team members to evaluate the buyer's behavior and align their activities accordingly. This autonomy allows sellers to make informed decisions on when and how to engage with prospects, thereby increasing their chances of establishing connections. In this episode, Matt highlights the challenges faced by sellers in establishing connections with prospects. Through his insights and experiences, he discusses the importance of understanding the prospect's behavior, optimizing activity timing, and working smarter rather than harder.  When sellers focus on results rather than sheer volume, they can increase their chances of success. Implementing these strategies can help sellers cut through the noise, break throug