4 reasons to change the way you manage your sales calls so that you are less of a busy sales fool, gaining more business with the same effort!
I have come across a few companies recently who are very busy calling and meeting loads of potential clients. They are focusing on the number of sales calls they make and then asking me why their conversion rates are so dismal. They believe the adage:-
more sales calls = more sales
I’m not saying that sales is not a numbers game, obviously if you call no-one then you will not grow your sales but being busy doing the wrong things means you have less time to do the things that will make you money.
I know it’s common sense but if you are a sales person being measured solely on these types of activities sometimes you end up doing the numbers to satisfy management requests. With access to many sales process analysis tools, such as sales focused CRM packages it seems some companies are focusing on the wrong activities and then beating sales guys over the head with the bad stats. Measuring and monitoring the right activities and qualifying the leads before committing time will reap benefits.
This blog should give a slightly different view on the numbers game and show how to improve conversion rates and sales efficiencies in order to gain more and better quality business.
1. Who is your ideal client?
I touched on this in another blog which you may want to read (Get better leads..). Qualification of leads is a vital part of being effective as a sales person. You should have a good idea of who your ideal client is, the one that you know is looking for companies like you and will bring the best financial reward. Qualification can be done on the phone or in a meeting, keep in mind they might be ideal but the prospective client must also have a need for your products/services otherwise you are wasting your time.
2. What is your product offer?
It may seem a mad thing to write but many sales people do not fully understand the products on offer with regards to feature benefit analysis and how this fits with the prospective client’s buying motivations. Sales people may have lots of knowledge about the product features & benefits but are they fully understanding this from the prospective client’s viewpoint? This skill will encourage better sales technique and in return higher conversion rates.
3. What are your USPs i.e. your differentiation vs the competition and do your ideal clients actually need/want these?
This is very similar to the second point and relates to the company’s differentiation with regards to what is on offer from the competition. Fully understanding the prospective client needs & wants and being able to relate these to the USP will increase the prospective client’s desire to buy products and services from your company rather than shopping around.
4. Are you concentrating on getting to the next stage of the sales process?
Once you have qualified the prospective client, are you actively looking at ways to progress the sales process so that you can ask for the business? Are there walls or blockages that need removing in order to gain commitment to move closer to the sale? If so, identify what they are and find ways to achieve this. This is the area of activities that should be measured and monitored effectively. The analysis will highlight areas of improvement of your staff’s sales competencies which if managed well will reap the rewards of more sales in a reduced timeframe.
If you find you need to improve any of these areas or want more information, please contact me. I will be happy to help.
