5 Essential Sales Practices for a Successful Year

 Selling is a hard job.  Many would say harder than ever.  But one could definitely argue, some aspects have never been easier.  Imagine explaining to a guy who sold in the early 80s how much information you can gather about a prospect with just a few mouse clicks!

At our fingertips we have access to more information than we ever could have imagined.  We can make decisions in mere minutes compared to days of canvassing an office park or phone book trying to figure out what a company even does.

And from the buying side?  Forget about it.  We can pull spec sheets, compare prices, compare companies and their offerings in seconds.  The amount of information we have to make an informed buying decision is incredible.

However, there are two sides to every coin.

The dark side to technology is that we are inundated with messages petitioning us to buy.  Whether it’s an ad on social media, a promotion in our inbox, or a bot blowing up our phone, it feels like all day, every day we as consumers are being asked to buy more and spend our hard-earned money on something.  Of course, bad salespeople, as usual, are making it harder for the good guys.  Think about all the noise thrown at you in a day as a consumer.  Now, imagine if you dealt with that all day at work as well because you had a certain title in front of your name.

Our prospects live in a world of overload.  Although they have access to unlimited information, and often want to buy, they don’t actually know how to filter through the noise and barrage of constant messaging and bad salespeople trying to help themselves to their budget. 

They have problems.  And they need help solving those problems.  If they knew how to fix it, they would have done it already!  They have access to all the information they need to do so, but if your prospects haven’t made a decision, there’s a reason why.  Most likely, it’s because they just don’t know what to do and need help. 

This is where a professional, and I do not use that term lightly, a true professional salesperson comes in.  Our role is no longer to give information to our prospects.  Especially information that they most likely already have.  Our role is to help guide them and make sense of the world around them.  Filter through the noise that is thrown at them every day.  Be their consultant.  Identify their real reasons to buy and use your knowledge and expertise to help them solve the biggest challenges they face. Truly help them come to a decision that is best for them and their business goals. 

This is what you do every day.  Be the expert.  Be more than another email to delete.