Are you salespeople humanizing data & technology?
There was a time in the not too distant past where there was no internet, no email, no text messages, no ChatGPT, or large databases with contact information. A salesperson had a telephone, transportation, and maybe a reverse directory, and we still hit quota.
In fact, I believe business owners had less patience for a rep missing quota. If you run a business, you should be less patient.
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The rep had a smaller list of ideal targets to reach, and had to nurture relationships. There were fewer distractions. Fewer gurus telling reps that this or that was dead, there wasn’t a new way to be successful every couple of months.
The fundamentals mattered. The telephone. The face to face meeting with a real conversation in a conference room and a cup of coffee.
This blog is not about a trip down memory lane. It is about a few fundamentals, and when these basics are understood and executed well, they can help you become a better salesperson, and win more deals.
The past was not always better, neither does adding complexity and dehumanizing the approach does not mean better.
Humanize Prospecting.
You have a phone. Think of your “smartphone” as having an app that allows you to dial a number, and talk to a human. The phone still works.
Automating the prospecting process with endless emails and text messages does not build a relationship as well as you might think.
Do you have one vendor or salesperson who sends endless emails? How does that feel? When you craft something by hand, you tend to do it better, and with professionalism. It also lands better with your prospect.
Focus on a smaller, targeted list of prospects. Chet Holmes called them dream clients. Get their attention by connecting with them about the problems they face. You know, the problems you solve; without defaulting to a pitch and the features of your offering.
If you use technology to understand your dream client’s concerns, and challenges, you can build a profile of their desires, beliefs, and wants. Theirs, not yours. Research their voice. This will help you craft messaging that resonates.
A colleague, Matt Anderson, refers to something called “the dreaded curse of knowledge” that gets in the way of business owners and salespeople. You know your products so well, you believe that if you just tell the prospect what to do they will see the light, and buy. You will not get their attention with this type of prospecting.
Prospecting, and marketing, must grab the attention of your ideal customer. You must deliver value, and empathy before the call to action. This episode of my podcast, Sales and Cigars, talks about this idea. Think differently about sales.
Sales Meeting Preparation
Information is ubiquitous today, but salespeople don’t use it to prepare for their meetings.
It is so much easier today to help a prospect see into the future, and be a resource. It isn’t about asking them what keeps you up at night?. Salespeople should be helping the prospects to see what is around the corner, or least the reasons for what the prospect is experiencing today.
Salespeople can add value and improve sales results by doing the research and reading – the work. Anthony Iannarino calls this being one up.
Preparation or pre-call planning is not just about having an agenda. It is about sharing data, information, and explanations that solve the prospects’ problems. Don’t confuse the value with the pitch.
By the way, go see your prospects, and customers in-person. Virtual saves time and money. Face to face is important. It is not dead.
Go get a tour, sit in their conference room, understand the vibe in their office. Being a human will always be a reliable strategy to building relationships.
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Slow Down to Win More
Sales managers often focus on the wrong things. Sales leaders probably more so. Sales managers want velocity. Sales leaders want some multiple of the revenue quota to feel good about the pipeline.
I wrote about this in my book, The Critical Mistakes that CEOs make with the Sales Organization. I also provide the solution in the book.
When sales managers and leaders drive the wrong behaviors like adding unqualified sales projects to the pipeline, and not having a clear scorecard for what a qualified project is for a pipeline, it leads to unreliable revenue forecasts. Thepipeline is bloated with deals that are not closable. They sacrifice quality for quantity for some B.S. KPI.
Salespeople need to win more, and they can do this by being focused on prospects and customers by spending more time with them delivering value, not pitching endlessly. If the salespeople are helping the prospects feel confident about making good decisions, the reps will win more.
Get their attention, and they are less likely to spend time with your competitors.
I am not suggesting you abandon email, automation, and technology. Harness the tools for good. Humanize it to create relationships with your prospects and customers to be the resource they need. Don’t be a robot.
Salespeople are invited into the buying process later and later because buyers have access to the same info – your product info is available to them. Use the tools to deliver value, and your sales team will win more.
Since you are here…
Do you understand your sales team? Are the strengths and weaknesses of the people and the sales systems crystal clear? Before you spend another dollar on training or development, it might make sense to know the ROI.
This is especially true if you are considering making changes to the team due to the economy. This link provides some additional insight on what you can learn. I believe if you have good data, you make better decisions. I can provide you with better data on your sales team.
I want to thank you for subscribing and reading the blog. The entire team at Helix Sales Development is working hard to deliver value to as many entrepreneurs as we can. We do not and cannot work with everyone who reaches out, but we are building offerings to give you access to great tools.
