We are picking up many new clients with experienced sales forces who are struggling with disappointing sales. Why? Because the world is rapidly changing and so is the way we are conducting business, TODAY.
For example, 5 years ago, an outside sales representative spent an average of 75% of his or her time calling on clients face-to-face. Today, that figure is reversed for an outside sales representative. Customers are busier, so better ìphone timeî is essential to success. The job of an outside salesperson is being redefined continuously.
So, how persuasive are you on the phone? If you are in sales, youíd better be great at this! If not, youíll risk never getting the customer on the phone a second time; yet alone to set an appointment, schedule another phone call, or ultimately close a sale!
Letís take a look at how our world has changed and what that means to us as professional salespeople:
*There is more global competition
*Customers are better informed
*Companies are distributing the decision making process
*Better one-stop shopping
*Everyone wants to negotiate price
*There is more ìpublicî pricing
*Customers are taking longer to make decisions
*Decision makers are afraid to commit
*That four-letter word ìe-bayî
The list goes on and onÖso what are you doing to address these shifts in your customerís behavior and are your strategies working? Let us hear from you about what you are doing via email (
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). We will send a copy of my book, CELEBRATE SELLING THE CONSULTATIVE RELATIONSHIP WAY, to those who offer up the best and most usable solutions to these sales challenges.
Weíll print the best ideas in next monthís PERSUASIVE STRATEGIES newsletter to share. In the meantime, here are my top three favorite ways to generate more business in a competitive selling environment:
1. Polish your skills! Take a course, enroll in a seminar, work with other (better) reps, read, listen to tapes, and practice new ideas on your customers. Expand your world and try some new stuff! (Oh, and you can call usÖwe can helpÖ)
2. Be quiet and listen to your customers at a deeper level! Those of us in sales love to talkóitís our greatest asset and our greatest liability. Bite your tongue and let the customers talk without interruption. Study body language, phone voice inflections, and youíll find that thereís a lot of misinterpretation going on.
3. Tape yourself during your phone calls! Listen to those tapesÖdo you sound professional, enthusiastic, engaging? Or do you sound bored, distracted, like you are disrespectfully multitasking? Think about it and listen to yourself.
OK, that should get you started. Send us your ideas, too!
(c) Renee Walkup, SalesPEAK, 678 587-9911 www.salespeak.com |
