Three Ways Top Salespeople Close More Deals
How are you and your sales team progressing towards ‘closing deals’ and hitting second quarter sales goals? While there is no ‘magic bullet’ for sales success, there are four best practices that I consistently see great salespeople and sales teams incorporate into their culture, methodology and philosophy.
Top salespeople consistently prospect for new and existing business:
Top salespeople know that the world changes and with that change comes mergers and acquisitions, sales of a company or really bad news, closing of a company. Some of those changes can’t be controlled by a salesperson; however, top salespeople know that they can always control their sales activity. They practice the ABP rule: always be prospecting. They are diligent about blocking time on their calendar to meeting with existing clients to check satisfaction and look for new opportunities within the account. They are equally diligent about prospecting for new business and employ five to seven different tactics to generate new opportunities each month. Good things may come to those who wait—I have just never seen it happen in sales!
Top salespeople are choosy about their prospects:
A salesperson can possess the combined selling skills of Zig Ziglar and Tony Robbins however, if they are meeting with a buyer who is truly a price shopper, no amount of consultative selling skills will convert this type of buyer. The reality is this buyer is not interested in your expertise, service or relationship. He is interested in one thing only: low price. If you do sell to this prospect, don’t get too attached. Prospects that buy on price quickly leave on price and you have just wasted valuable time in a one-time deal. Your best strategy when meeting with a transactional buyer is to stop the sales meeting, politely let them know they are not a fit for your organization and graciously refer them to your competition. (Keep your competitor busy writing practice proposals while you work on real deals.)
Top salespeople have conviction:
No amount of sales training can replace this reason for not closing business. Top salespeople are convicted on their company, product and services. If a salesperson is not convinced they are working for the best company, he/she might as well wear a bill board stating, “I work for the number two company in the industry.” You can easily identify this salesperson because of their one consistent behavior—whining. “My prospects only buy only on price.” My question back is always the same. “Then why does the company need a high paid salesperson like you?” Only a salesperson who is sold on their company can sell the company.
Prospect consistently, get choosy and examine your conviction. You are one-third of the way through Q2. Make May and June your best.
Good Selling!
