When it comes to sales, small changes can bring about big results. This post contains ten 'tweaks' to your daily sales routine. Each tweak has the potential to double or even triple your daily sales volume.
These tweaks come from a conversation I had a few years ago with Tom Black, author of 'The Millionaire's Caravan'. He's an interesting guy who used his sales skills to go from extreme poverty to becoming a millionaire.
Tweak 1: Only Contact Decision Makers
A 'decision maker' is either the owner of the problem (or part of the problem) that your product solves, or the owner of the budget (or part of the budget) that will pay you.
Research the job titles and backgrounds of people who have previously purchased your product (or similar products). Restrict your lead qualification activities (e.g., cold calls, email marketing) to those with similar positions.
Because they are the ones making the decisions, they deserve your extra effort to try to connect with them directly. If you find yourself constantly being blocked, move on to the next lead.
Since your time for sales each day is limited, don't waste it calling people who don't have the authority to buy. While it's possible to reach decision makers through lower-level people, finding such people takes more time and effort than trying to connect directly with those you really need to talk to.
If you plan to talk to senior management, you must be able to present yourself as their equal. If you grovel, you'll only destroy yourself.
Tweak 2: Only Sell to Big Buyers
A 'big buyer' is a company large enough that it certainly has the funds needed to purchase your product without putting any strain on their finances.
Before calling a company, use the internet to research the company and confirm that they are strong enough and have sufficient funds to purchase your product.
Experience shows that making a small sale to a small buyer takes more time than making a large sale to a big buyer.
Since your time for sales each day is limited, it's better to try to make a few big deals than to pursue a hundred small ones.
Regardless of the size of the deal, if a potential customer can't spend money at this time, they are not truly qualified. So don't waste time on them.
Tweak 3: Control Your Meeting Time
'Meeting time' is the time you spend meeting with potential customers.
When you first make an appointment, agree to any time that is convenient for the potential customer. Then, once the appointment is in the potential customer's calendar, ask to change it to a time that is convenient for you.
Once a potential customer has decided to meet with you, 99 times out of 100, they won't mind changing the date.
This allows you to better arrange your travel time, preparation time, and meeting time, letting you spend less time on each potential customer while achieving the same positive results.
If you only keep your schedule (and list of potential customers) on your computer or smartphone, you'll eventually get burned. These devices are convenient, but they can:
- run out of battery,
- crash unexpectedly,
- be stolen,
- get damaged,
- lose files,
- fail to connect to the network,
- require complex commands, and
- strain your eyes.
If you record your sales activities on paper, the only way you won't contact a potential customer is if your dog eats the paper, which almost never happens.
Tweak 4: Use More Referrals
A 'referral' is when an existing customer or colleague recommends that you contact a potential customer.
When you confirm that a customer likes you and your product, ask that customer to contact people who might also need your services.
When you encounter a referral sales situation, the potential customer knows someone you know. Therefore, you've already been 'vetted' as someone trustworthy and not a waste of their time.
Because the customer trusts you, it's easier to get the information you need to qualify the lead. As a result, you end up saving time on false opportunities and spending more time developing real opportunities into sales.
Only ask customers who like you for referrals; asking when you're closing the deal (or worse, when you haven't closed) is a recipe for disaster. If they don't trust you 100%, why would they tie their career and reputation to you?
Tweak 5: Optimize Your Meeting Schedule
Your 'meeting schedule' is the collection of your 'meeting times' on a given day, week, or month.
Calculate the optimal number of sales calls or meetings you can complete in a day and schedule accordingly. For example, if you find that a normal sales call typically takes half a day, schedule meetings at 8:30 AM and 1:30 PM.
This ensures you spend your time on as many potential customers as possible.
This allows you to reach more potential customers in the same amount of time without reducing the time you spend with each one.
Beware of 'one meeting a day'. For example, if your meetings with potential customers usually take 4 hours, and you schedule a meeting at 11 AM, that will be your only meeting for the entire day.
Tweak 6: Sell When Prospects Are Available
'Available' means the potential customer can take your call or meet with you face-to-face.
Don't waste prime sales call time (i.e., 'working hours') on things like CRM systems, research, and replying to emails. Instead, use that time to contact and meet with actual potential customers.
The core of your job is selling; everything else is grunt work—maybe necessary, but secondary. If possible, delegate electronic paperwork to an administrative assistant.
Prospects are only available when they have time. If you're ready to sell but they're not ready to buy, you have to wait until your sales conditions are met.
Many sales reps don't know the best time to call or contact prospects. Quick tip: The worst time is right after lunch. Check out: What is the best time to make sales calls?
Tweak 7: Keep First Meetings Short
A 'first meeting' is the first substantive meeting you have with a lead to qualify them as a real prospect and get them into your sales pipeline.
Most B2B sales require more than one meeting to close the deal, especially when there are multiple decision makers. Set appropriate goals for the initial meeting and achieve them, then move the sale forward to the next step.
Most prospects' biggest concern about an initial relationship with a sales rep is that it will waste their time. Keeping the first meeting brief shows the prospect that you're busy too.
A short phone call, web conference, or face-to-face conversation doesn't take much of your time, allowing you to further qualify and prioritize prospects, so you can focus more on the most promising opportunities.
When you meet with decision makers, you naturally tend to want to close the deal. However, if you rush (like trying to get on a boat before everyone else), it can actually make closing the deal later more difficult.
Tweak 8: Stop Repeating Yourself
'Repeating yourself' means when you try to state the same point more than once, remember not to literally just repeat what you said the first time. Over and over, more than once. Repeating yourself. Get it?
Create an agenda for your meetings and any presentations you might give. State your main points forcefully and confidently once.
Many sales reps secretly fear that prospects don't believe what they say, so they start repeating themselves, hoping it will increase credibility. But repetition actually undermines credibility because it makes you look uncertain.
When you appear unsure of yourself, prospects start to wonder if you're hiding something or can't deliver on time (or worse). As a result, you end up spending more time rebuilding lost credibility.
You should repeat your core message three times—that's an unwritten myth in 'how to present' courses. Wrong, wrong, wrong! The rule is: 'Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them.' First, pre-frame the message (let them know it's important), second, the message itself, and third, a call to action based on the message.
Tweak 9: Don't Fear Objections
An 'objection' is a temporary mental block that prevents a prospect from buying.
Become familiar with the objections you typically encounter in your sales cycle. Never explicitly bring up these objections (e.g., 'I imagine you're wondering why our price is higher than the competition's.'). Instead, address these objections in your presentation without explicitly mentioning them. (For example: 'Our customers see ROI within three months—the fastest in our product category.')
Most objections are variations of 'it costs too much,' so including a strong financial case in your sales message will certainly quell most objections. And even though prospects may have objections, the last thing you want to do is give them a detailed list, even if you're sure it would clarify everything.
While some objections are inevitable, you can easily see objections that prospects haven't even thought of. Then you have to spend time answering that objection, time you could have spent closing the deal.
If a prospect doesn't raise at least one objection, it's likely they're humoring you. An objection is usually a sign that the prospect is considering buying.
Tweak 10: Try to Close, Then Close
Ultimately, of course, 'closing' is when you ask the customer to buy your product. However, 'closing' can also refer to achieving intermediate steps in the buying cycle.
When you've told your story, ask a question that confirms the prospect's buying interest to see if it's the right time to close. (For example: 'Does all this work for you?')
Many sales reps avoid closing, especially after investing a lot of time and effort in an opportunity. They fear that all their positive expectations will be dashed and that the relationship they've built with the prospect is fake.
Trying to close before actually closing makes it more likely you'll close at the right time in the sales cycle—neither too early nor too late. Trying to close at the wrong time means you'll need more time to complete the sale. If you close too early, you'll face resistance that you'll have to spend time overcoming. If you delay closing, you might delay until someone else closes the deal with their product.
Reply with the following keywords to categorize and read related professional articles: Sales Supervisor, Second-tier Management, Regional Manager, Distributor Management, New Channels, City Manager, Competition, 2015, Manufacturer-Dealer Game, Product Stagnation, Terminal Visit Management, Route Management, Deep Distribution, Internal Management, Sales Skills, Profit Improvement, Recruitment, Distribution, Daily Management, Team Motivation, Trade Promotion, Sales Misconceptions, New Product Launch, Township Market, New Product Pricing, Sales Target Achievement, Closing, Market Visit Inspection, Baijiu, Beer, Sales Increase, Agency Products, Cross-channel, KA, Terminal Merchandising, New Market, Market Operation, Learning, Book Recommendations, Inventory Management, New Salespeople, Consumer Promotion, Execution, Old Products, Expired Product Handling, Model Market, Franchise Recruitment, New Media, Distributor Development, Performance Appraisal, Assessment, Annual Planning, Shopping Guide, Morning Meeting, Display, Transformation, Stock Pressure, Holidays, Distributor Cost Control Channel Operation, Marketing Theory and Laws, Brand Truth, Order Meeting, Team Management, Training, Debriefing, Debriefing Report.
Reply with number 1 to enter the library category browsing;