Before digital strategy became my passion, I loved sales. In fact, I still love sales. Whether you’re a business owner or manager, or you are carrying a bag, selling is at the core of what drives a business forward.
In the integration space, we have long lived and died by the success of our sales teams. Even though digital is changing the sales landscape, that doesn’t mean it isn’t important to hone the craft of strategic selling.
As another year begins and another new quota is in front of us, we’re looking for new ideas to guide us toward not only meeting but exceeding expectations for our business.
Sales professionals must stand out – to do so, here are a few tips for sales professionals at organizations large and small.
Tip No. 1: Expand Current Customers
It is 75% more likely that you will sell something else to a current customer than win a new one; however, for some reason, sales pros love to chase the new opportunities and neglect their current customers. Chances are good that every single one of your clients could benefit from at least one more product or service in your portfolio.
Tip No. 2: Timely Follow Through
I can’t tell you how often I’ve been told that the difference between winning a deal and losing one was responsiveness, whether it’s response to an early inquiry, during the proposal phase, or after the sale.
Being timely keeps you in front of the customer, but also provides the customer some comfort that you are going to be as good in delivery as you are in the sale.
Tip No. 3: Win ‘Em Back
Everyone has lost a customer, but that doesn’t mean they’re lost forever. It’s great practice to keep in touch with customers you lost during the proposal phase (or even after you worked with them). Sometimes they realize the gas isn’t greener; if you stay on top of this, you may find yourself winning back a nice piece of business.
Tip No. 4: Leverage More Channels
Calls, in-person meetings, and emails are still the core of selling; however, new channels like LinkedIn, Twitter, and blogs can all lead to new business opportunities. Many people are doing more shopping before engaging with a sales professional. If you aren’t putting content and ideas out there in social and digital channels, it will be hard to find you. This goes not only for the company (marketing) but also for individuals.
Tip No. 5: Focus on Service
More than just responding, companies that are procuring technology want to work with service-oriented companies. Salespeople have the chance to lead the way by making service a bigger part of the discussion. Many sales professionals steer away from the service discussion because it’s lower margin or because it isn’t in their comfort zone. But showing your differentiation through service may be the “X factor” that a client uses to choose your company over another.
Meeting quota may be the best indicator of a salesperson’s success in his or her role, but the ability to grow your client base while delivering a best-in-class customer experience is what will lead to continued success for the salesperson and the company.
In an always-on world, salespeople aren’t dying – but their work will be very, very different, at least for those who are going to achieve the greatest results.
How will you crush your quota this year? What are the biggest changes you plan to make from sales strategies of the past? —Dan Newman, Cofounder of V3*Broadsuite
Image: Stuart Miles