1. Lead generation for your sales force
Start a lead generation program to offer them the best qualified sales leads possible. But remind them these are still only leads and they will need to go through the same process as for a cold prospect. Except this time they will know more about them and they will have expressed an interest in your products or services.
2. Stand up for your products
Too many sales people tend to agree to anything a prospect will tell them about their products or services, even if negative. This is unfortunately not the best way to sell as you will be seen as weak and not fully supportive of your company. If someone is being negative about your products or services you need to be able to stand up for them and have all answers ready to oppose them point by point.
You can’t just tell them ‘yes, I know, I’ll talk to the product development team’ even if you know the product could be improved. This may sound like an evidence but you need to believe in what you’re selling to achieve great sales results.
3. When unsure, ask for time
As a sales person you won’t always have all the answers. Instead of making them up, tell your prospect or customer you will check with the relevant department and come back to them. There is no shame in doing this and it will help you reduce the number of mis-sold contracts.
4. Keep some mystery
Selling is like fishing: you need patience and the right bait. So don’t give everything away in the first call. Keep some ammunition for the next ones. Everyone likes a little mystery so play with it. Create desire. Don’t come back to your customers or prospects too quickly.
5. Always stay in control
Try to anticipate everything from your customers. If you know what your customer will say next you will always stay in control and avoid any blanks in the conversation.
6. Know your prospects’ needs better than themselves
Selling is not about harassing your prospects: it’s about explaining why your product are the perfect solution for the buyer. To be able to do so you must first of all perfectly know what you’re selling, but more importantly you must understand the prospects’ needs flawlessly. Which means you need to do a lot of research before even calling a prospect. And know in advance what every objection will be. This is the best way to get great sales results. Preparation and in depth knowledge of your potential customers.
7. CRM software
Get rid of all Excel and Word documents and buy licences to a good CRM platform like Salesforce. It will allow you to easily keep track of all your prospects and customers and optimise sales processes.
