Focus on the Process, and the Revenue will Follow.
Of course, you need to be aware of sales numbers and the health of your order book, but successful wealth creators focus every day on the detailed application of client-building activities within a systematic approach.
Here are a dozen trusty sales fundamentals to look out for..
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#1 Make the first contact personal: People phoning people is still the best way to boost your sales! Video-calling is a great added dimension. Email and Social Media are good supports to your telesales efforts.
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#2 Be confident, smiling, and authentic: Great salespeople are always in motion and building emotion. They stand up, smile, move around, and engage with customers in their territory.
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#3 Acknowledge the gatekeeper: Interact authentically with the first contact person and you will quickly earn an advocate inside that client’s organization. Speak to that person on the line or sitting at reception as though they are the CEO. Good salespeople take them along and never try to out-maneuver them.
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#4 Begin with the WHY: Why should anybody want your product or service? Always lead with your brand ideals and values so as to appeal to the hearts first, then minds and wallets. Features and benefits have their place later in the sales process. Simon Sinek has a brilliant TED talk here.
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#5 Show tenacity in the face of objections: Practice, practice, and practice your best responses to objections. Train for unconscious competence at recall that will impress prospects that you know your stuff. STAY on the phone. So many sales are lost because people give up after the first objection.
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#6 Seek understanding with good questions: Ask only open, thought-provoking questions that help your prospects to think broadly about their business and how your products and services can add value. “What if…” can be the most powerful words for creativity.
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#7 Listen with empathy: Especially for buying questions. These begin with, “How much..? How soon..? or How many..?” in reference to your products or service. These verbal clues tell you that it is time to stop selling and to start closing. Your clients are ready to BUY! At this point, you shift your focus to making it as easy as possible to do business with you now.
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#8 Double-check that you really know your client: Always get your new clients’ complete and correct contact details and shipping information. Be sure to automate and error-proof this system. Nothing puts a customer off quicker than spelling their name wrong.
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#9 Confirm the next contact: The final action in every customer contact should be to schedule and confirm the details of the next contact. Who will do what and when? Failure to do this sets your client adrift and ruins all of your previous good work. Nail down a time and keep your commitments.
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#10 Sales are all about momentum: Arrange a series of prospects to call. This is not research time. Ensure that you record the information for each call correctly and rapidly move on to the next, using each call to energize yourself for the next.
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#11 Voicemail is a genuine opportunity: Unanswered phones are opportunities to leave your well-rehearsed story and intrigue the prospective client. Of course, it will be just one among possibly several for the prospect, and one in a long series for you. It’s good to rehearse to keep it fresh. Always let your prospective client know that you will follow up via email and another call, at another time.
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#12 Be tenacious: Sales are very rarely made on the first attempt. Most require 7 or 8 contacts. If you are having trouble reaching an individual within an organization, vary the times you call or increase the frequency. Your client will appreciate your tenacity.
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At PBC we train the 7-step Client Builder sales methodology. It combines the latest sales philosophies and reinforces these “trusty dozen selling fundamentals” with drills and roleplays. In this way, we help you to ensure your sales organization is at the top of its game. Fine-tuning the sales process means you can close more business, spend your time and resources more effectively, and grow your profits! |
