It was once thought that selling is an innate skill, something that simply cannot be taught. There might have even been times when you hear people refer to someone as being one that is “born to sell.”
That is probably why that, historically, the art of selling hasn’t been offered ion business programs despite it being a vital component of any business enterprise. Traditionally, when sales representatives are brought onboard within a company, they’re inundated with bucket loads of information, and then after that, it’s either sink or swim. Every man and woman for himself/herself.
The sorry fact is, those that don’t sell quickly or fail to meet their sales quotas consistently are let go. It is automatically assumed that they just didn’t have what it takes. However, in today’s technology-driven era, is it possible for the skill and art of selling to be taught? Or is it not those salespeople are not being taught during onboarding, or that it is not being approached the right way?
The Art of Selling
Selling is undeniably an age-old practice. Even in ancient times, before the advent of currency, there has always been some sort of trade, either for goods or services. Think of a tank of milk, or a portion of meat, as examples, in exchange for a bushel of apples or for half a day’s labour.
The way we sell today has changed so dramatically over time. Today, we are inundated with so many choices both for products and services, which makes the sales process more critical.
The fact is that buyers select vendors often based on their sales skills than their prices, quality, or service features. One note of interest that you must know is that sales has evolved so much more than being just a consultative process. Selling now has evolved to a point where services and products are adapted around the needs of the consumer.
This evolution brought with it the need for a different and novel approach to the process. It is no longer just about which vendor can best articulate a set feature or who listens. It has also elevated to understanding the customer in-depth and providing them with a solution.
Anyone who sells today knows how to assess multiple customer needs and motivations, analyse, and forecast market trends, skilled in employing various automation tools, and to develop value-driven solutions in partnership with their clients.
Sure, social skills are vital in building relationships, but if you are going to provide a solution with your customers, there would be a need for you to understand their business deeply.
Learning How to Sell
Today’s complex modern sales process is further compounded by the incredible pace in today’s business world. This means that we need to teach these skills, but we also need to develop and build a culture of continuous learning.
Here at The Growth Manager, we make it our mission to empower our clients and impart our knowledge in sales mentoring and helping our clients to continually inspire them. We also love working with them in coming up with their sales strategies, and to involve their communities as they grow their business, and to keep them focused in achieving their goals.
There are multiple moving targets involved in every sale, therefore, preparation is another key element to success. What you might have learned about your customers and their industry a year back may not be of relevance this year, or the coming years. Whatever relevant and/or capable product or service you are offering just a few months ago may have already changed.
These are just part of what we can do for our clients and be the conduit of learning and learn to be successful in selling and more. In order for us to teach you how to be successful, you’re going to have to want to learn. But we instil that it has to be taught in a way that aligns with today’s modern sales techniques that can adapt quickly with the rapid pace of change.
The Importance of Sales Follow-Ups
So, you have adapted to the modern way of generating sales for your business, or as we call them, leads. As you gain more leads, so do your chances of gaining sales. But the success of any sales rests on how well we seal deals. The key to this is a strong follow-up plan to get your prospects on board.
This simply means that the frequency of contact you have with your prospects determines how quickly they will make a purchase or engage your services. The more frequent you get in touch with your customers, the more you get to understand their desires and then come up with ways to help them achieve them.
Regular follow-up gives your prospects a chance to be heard and engaged effectively. Additionally, constant contact helps your customers to keep you in mind the moment they have a need that you may be able to fill. The fact of the matter is customers who receive constant follow-ups are more likely to go for your offerings than those without follow up.
Only a low percentage of leads convert on the second or third follow up. Surprisingly enough, up to a high of 80% will buy into a sales pitch after the fifth to twelfth contact. Needless to say, this highlights the importance of following up as crucial for any marketing strategy, which you must never overlook.
Apart from closing deals or making sales with follow-ups, there are other benefits with conducting sales follow-ups: you get to boost sales, gain customer trust, improve customer retention, and you get to innovate and reinvent.
In Conclusion
It may be next to impossible to think that your sales team can retain pertinent information that is needed for any possible sales scenario. Therefore, having an extensive market research, product information, tips, and best sales practices right at their fingertips is a must.
For this reason, The Growth Manager is here to provide you with just-in-time learning with our Sales Mentoring 6 Pack Bundle for you and your entire team. A lot more of us can be successful in sales if armed with the right training tools. Join us today and let the growing begin.
