Dear Sales Diary:
The economy has really taken its toll on the selling professional. It is the most difficult to find clients and even more difficult to get prospects to return calls. I am not certain what I need to do to get the attention of the buyer and ensure that I meet my year-end goals. I enjoy selling however sometimes the stress and aggravation is simply not worth it.
Does this sound like a page out of your selling diary? Are you having problems closing business and meeting here in goals? Do you suffer from the aggravation of selling? Do you want to extricate yourself from the profession? These are just a few of the questions some selling professionals ask each day on the job. However, during difficult economic times or even good ones nothing really changes about selling. The only difference today is the customer to customer influences and the ability to search the Internet had plagued buyer and seller relationships.
With that in mind in order to maintain a positive attitude selling professionals and even entrepreneurs might want to obtain sales help to assist their business development efforts. Here are just a few selling techniques that might provide some positive results.
1. Offer something for free. During difficult economic times sometimes buyers are looking for some incentive to move. Typically sales promotions, sampling and other selling incentives are methods that provide some semblance of value. What do you or your companies have that you can provide to existing or prospective clients that illustrates some of your value?
2. Enhance customer service. With the increase of competition customer service becomes a marketing differentiator. Such tools such as greeting cards or gratuity cards are wonderful ways to make contact with clients. Speaking to clients once every 30 days to remain top of mind is also helpful. Finally return calls when you say that you will and do not ignore calls for the most onerous customers. Remember customer are not an interruption of your business they are the purpose of it.
3. Busyness. With the lack of personnel people are busier than ever before. However, this ensures that days go quicker. Create routines for yourself that ensure you have something to do to keep the mind busy.
4. Create action steps. One of the largest problems amongst selling professionals is that they do not create enough action steps to lead perspective clients. If you want returned calls, you must say so. If your plan is to call the client, schedule an appointment. Confirm all appointments so that you remain in constant contact yet at the same time leads them down a path.
5. Conduct research. The only way to help prospective and existing customers is by understanding their world. Read voraciously so that you understand the company and the competitive pressures. Share articles and other resources with your buyer that proves your value and opportunities to assist them.
6. Network constantly. According to research from CSO insights, many selling professionals lack a process for lead generation. Ironically this is the most important area for anyone involved in the world of selling. Even though the economy gyrates your pipeline must not! It is vitally important to spend at least 5 to 10% of your day accumulating new leads.
7. Remain close. Even though customers are busy and may not return calls in a timely fashion, it is still necessary to remain close. The more often you can meet or at least communicate allows you to remain top of mind. The extra attention you pay to prospective and existing clients illustrates your value and differentiation. In difficult economic times those that remain close to their customer base and constantly remain in communication are 250% more profitable than those that don’t. The extra attention just might get you future business.
© 2010 Drew J. Stevens PhD. All rights reserved.
Drew J. Stevens Ph.D. (Dr. Drew) is the author of Split Second Selling and the soon to be released Ultimate Business Bible and six other business books on sales, customer loyalty, self mastery and business development solutions. Drew helps organizations to dramatically accelerate revenue and outstrip the competition. He conducts over 40 international keynotes, seminars and workshops per year. Dr. Drew is the founder of the Sales Leadership Certificate one of only 14 programs in the United States offering an accredited degree in the profession of selling and has a top ranked podcast called Sales Acceleration.
