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Successful sales is a deliberate, thoughtful activity. You need a process that you initiate over and over again.
Think of the sales process in terms of bike riding. When you ride a bike you have to gain momentum. When you first start to pedal, it takes extra energy to get the bike to move. Once you’ve been riding you develop a flow- you can even glide at times. As you ride you build up steam. And when you hit a hill it is easier to climb it because you already have that momentum going. Compared to sales? Read ahead the 5 Steps to a Successful Sales Approach that will show you the way.
1. Define your target market. Knowing this is critical to your sales success. You aren’t going to do business with everyone. You have to have a place where you can focus in order to build up that momentum we talked about. Once you have the market defined, create a list. This list should be large enough to give you the opportunity to really delve in and repeat the process a couple of times
2. Determine your outreach. Will you cold call or network or both? Once you’ve defined your target and created the list, reach out to your networks to see if you are connected in any way to the person or organization you seek. This includes direct outreach – emailing or calling them. Next, take the ones on the list you don’t have a connection to and cold call them. You can’t leave the action in their hands. The process is yours to conduct, not theirs.
3. Know your questions. Before you go on a sales appointment, create a list of questions to ask the prospect. This is the time for you to really get to know them, their needs, their business practices. It is not the time for you to talk endlessly about your product or service. If they look like a qualified prospect, provide them with a quote. If they don’t, walk away.
4. Deliver and build. Deliver on what you said you were going to do for the prospect. Then make sure you build the relationship. Don’t expect them to stay with you or use you for other needs if you aren’t taking the time to build the relationship with them. The sales process doesn’t end with the sale.
5. Monitor. This is one of the most critical aspects of a successful sales strategy. As you move forward with your plan you must keep track of how well it is working. On the first day of each month, take a look back at the previous month. Ask yourself these questions: How did it go? What worked? What didn’t work? Did I hit my numbers?
Knowing what works and what doesn’t gives you the opportunity to tweak your process. Adjust or get rid of what doesn’t work, and keep what does. If you hit your numbers, celebrate! Then prepare for the coming month. What’s the goal? What’s the plan?