Sales people are confused. And who is creating this confusion? Sales leaders and sales experts. The very people who are charged with guiding and supporting your sales success.
Think about what we throw at you on a daily basis.
Make more calls! Make fewer quality calls.
Cold calling is dead. Pick up the damn phone!
Ask more questions. Ask fewer questions.
Get the budget up front. Defer money conversations.
Never drop your prices. Be willing to negotiate.
Be persistent. Persistence is irritating.
Leverage this script. Scripts don’t work.
It seems for every pearl of wisdom you pull from one expert’s blog, there is an opposite point of view from an equally respected source. And while the boss wants you to do X today, he may be asking you to do Y tomorrow.
How does a frontline sales pro make sense of it all? And what should you do?
Well here’s my simple answer: It depends.
The real problem with all the generic advice thrown at sellers today is that it’s out of context. Without reference to a specific client scenario, it is simply not good advice.[bctt tweet=”The real problem with all the generic advice thrown at sellers today is that it’s out of context. Without reference to a specific client scenario, it is simply not good advice. ” username=”JillSalesSHIFT”]
Take the pricing conversation as an example. If I am talking to a highly desirable prospect, I’ll defer the price conversation until I’ve built strong credibility through the gaining of information and positioning of value. I want this potential client to first be sold on salesSHIFT’s relevance to their issue. So that when it is time to talk pricing she is motivated to find, or even create, the budget to engage our expertise. On the other hand, when I receive a marginal incoming lead, I want to be clear up front, “Do they have the funding to afford me?” In this case, I use my handful of power qualifying questions* to assure the answer early in our conversation.
Consider these questions commonly asked by sellers:
- How much time should I devote to prospecting?
- How frequently should I follow up and when do I give up?
- What are the best discovery questions?
- How much information should we include in our proposal?
- How do I get a commitment to move forward?
It depends, it depends, it depends.
Let’s look at a couple of these examples. “How much time should I spend on prospecting?” It depends. On your role, your current portfolio of active business, the length of your sales cycle and a host of other criteria specific to your situation.
“How much information should we include in our proposal?” This will depend on what the various decision makers and influencers consider essential for making the right decision. It will depend on what your contact needs to effectively make the internal sale. It will depend on your competitive circumstances.
“How do I get a commitment?” The “how” in gaining commitment depends on the next step in the buying process. It depends on what you have successfully accomplished prior to this point in the sales cycle. And it depends on the client’s sense of urgency to move forward, not yours.
So how do you clear this fog of confusion? I’ve said this before, and it’s the one piece of advice you can apply to every situation. Success in selling requires you to “stop and think.” Stop accepting easy one-dimensional answers to multi-dimensional sales questions. [bctt tweet=”Success in selling requires you to “stop and think.” Stop accepting easy one-dimensional answers to multi-dimensional sales questions. ” username=”JillSalesSHIFT”] Think about each situation, first from the client’s perspective, and then from yours and your organization’s. Consider what you know, and what you don’t, about this specific situation. And, depending on the circumstances, select the most relevant course of action.
Of course you want to take advice from people with expertise. And, rather than blindly applying generic guidance to important opportunities, use their input as a catalyst for deeper thought about your unique situation.
Think deep and sell smart!
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* Interested in learning about my five power qualifying questions? You’ll find them in chapter two, pages 38 – 39 of Uncommon Sense: Shift Your Thinking, Take New Action, Boost Your Sales.
Or, contact me to find out how you can shift your team to an “Intelligent Prospecting” approach that proactively and efficiently drive stronger sales results in 2019.
