The New Rules of Sales
The recession has changed the old way of doing sales. If you’re going to compete in a market that has grown more cautious, distrusting, and frugal, you need to be aware of these key rules.
1. Understand the 2 roles of the decade.
Either you are actively involved in selling or you are supporting someone who is. This means that everyone should have at least a basic level of sales skills. If a company leverages one role without the other they are putting the business at risk.
2. Don’t forget product is only a fraction of the sales process
More important than any product is the relationship between a company or sales person and the customer. All things being equal friends buy from friends. Do you remember the last time you bought from someone you didn’t like?
3. Know other’s motivations and drives
In the past, you could get by in sales with just a good understanding of the product. Those days have ended. Today, you need to know the motivations, drives, and behavior styles of your customers and their teams in order to increase your influence.
For example, if you know the decision maker’s motivations involve careful study, little change, and following established procedures, you are going to prevent losing business by doing other typical sales tactics. Imagine you go back to this person and tell them you can only keep the pricing if they buy this week, or you tell them there is no need to involve other team members who usually are involved in the buying process. You are probably just going to aggravate them, and encourage them to look elsewhere.
4. Become a trusted adviser
Every sales organization stresses becoming a trusted adviser, but few actually accomplish that. The reason stems from the mismatch of goals between a sales organization and the customer.
Sales teams often just want the next sale and are more concerned with the revenue they are going to bring in then the actual problem they are going to fix for the customer. Pressure comes from the top down, (people who don’t have any relationship with the customer) to close business quickly.
Businesses on the other hand have lots of projects happening at the same time. Therefore, they don’t always put the same priority on your sale as other projects. Further, the business process for purchasing may not always be the same as the sales process of your company. It’s easy to see why becoming a trusted adviser becomes so hard.
By taking the time to understand your customer’s needs, time lines, processes, and preferred way of business, you can know how you can be a trusted adviser.
5. Get into sales fitness
Sales training must become continuous learning, a little bit every day. Train like an athlete creating a culture where practice, reflection, self-learning and coaching occur daily.
Sales is more competitive than ever and that will never change. You can’t afford to fall behind.
6. Be aware that sales managers will be the key to sales success in 2010
It is proven that sales teams achieve higher performance and results when their sales managers are frequently and effectively trained and coached.
A bad sales manager can be devastating to a team. If they don’t carefully manage morale, goals and skills training, the team can fail miserably. Likewise, a good manager can make a revenue producing machine with happy and effective sales staff.
Three Things You Should Do Next
1. Share this article. Copy a link to this article on Networking Tips to your blog or site. Tweet and share as well.
2. Start your sales fitness program. Take fifteen minutes to schedule what sales books you want to read, the goals you have, and when you can revisit what you are doing and adjust accordingly.
3. Check Out Value Based Networking. This is our networking program that is regarded highly by many professionals.
