ADD SALES PROSPECTING TO YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY
With ever increasing competition and sales expectations needed for growth, more businesses are hiring sales people, while others are transitioning some of their employees – including themselves – into a direct sales role. They are generating sales activity using social media, print and digital advertising, and search engine optimization to drive web traffic.
But they are finding these tactics are not the end all solution. In response, they are integrating direct sales and sales prospecting as part of their marketing mix to increase revenue for their businesses. Here are guidelines to launch a sales prospecting effort at your company:
- Prospecting can be the most time consuming part of the sales process involving regular planning, follow-up and qualifying to locate viable prospects among the unscreened leads in the marketplace. This requires your assessment of who potentially can be a customer.
- Develop a sales incentive plan for your sales people that weighs your budget, incremental revenue opportunities, and motivational value for the sellers.
- Review your current customer base to develop a profile of your typical customer. Start with your top customers and develop criteria to qualify and target prospects.
- Targeting qualifiers could include industry, geography, and company size by sales volume.
- Focus on your target market to improve efficiency and to leverage productivity in closing deals.
- Develop an introductory opening-line tailored to the business called on.
- Create a “prospecting” offer that is a special deal that gets the prospect’s attention to learn more.
- Anticipate what the sales objections will be and have responses prepared.
- Block out time for direct sales activities: cold-calls, follow-ups and appointments.
Customers Are Switching To The Competition
Accenture 2013 Global Consumer Pulse Survey found that:
- 51% of U.S. consumers switched service providers in the past year due to poor customer service experiences, up 5% from 2012.
- 81% said the company could have done something differently to prevent them from switching.
Are your customers switching to your competition? Are they getting ready to switch? Where do you start to improve customer retention at your organization?
Surveying your customers is a first step to obtain quality assurance and satisfaction measures. This can be a post customer service call questions and customer relationship surveys conducted periodically.
Improving customer service at your organization should include the review of business practices and the working relationships among internal customers. Everyone takes a turn being a “customer” or “provider” to another co-worker.
Realize that business processes and staff behavior does have an impact on co-worker relationships. This creates an image of your organization that is readily perceived by the external customer and community.
Trust me, your staff will have valuable insights and examples on service gaps and improvement opportunities. You will need to have the courage and thick skin to question your staff for their input on service. I do not suggest this unless you are really open-minded to what you will hear and are prepared to effectively respond with action. Ask them the following:
1) What causes poor customer service at our organization and your department?
2) What do you think our organization and your department can do to improve customer service and retain customers?
3) What do you think , that I as your manager, can do to improve customer service?
4) What do you think you can do to improve your own customer service effectiveness?
5) What do you see as improvement benefits?
Social Media Isn’t Social In Sales
You’re on Facebook and LinkedIn. You’ve spent money on print and digital advertising, website design and search engine optimization to drive web traffic and sales leads. But will your people turn that lead into a sale or an appointment when they have direct social contact with the prospect? On the telephone, retail floor, front counter and in the field?
Effective selling involves the social skills to build a relationship combined with the sales skills to close the deal. Don’t overlook the importance of the following social-selling skills:
- Gain the prospect’s trust through your demonstrated confidence. Know your product’s value, its benefits and uniqueness. Know your prospect’s business and industry. Know your competition.
- Be credible. Accurately and honestly respond to the prospect’s questions and provide requested information. If you don’t know, admit it and get an answer.
- Listen. Focus on what they are saying. Being just single-minded about making the sale can diminish your awareness of their true needs and cues.
- Strive for collaboration & rapport. Create a solution with the prospect.
- Don’t fight objections. Understand & respect their concern. Consider this a valuable opportunity to truly understand their needs.
- Don’t get defensive. Hearing a “No” and rejection are a typical part of the process. Stay objective & control your emotions.
- Don’t forget them. Solidify the relationship by keeping promises, following-up, & with periodic communications.
- Don’t burn a bridge. You may close them in future. Recommendations can come from where you least expect it.
- Be professional and a class act. More doesn’t need to be said.