1. Outsource Lead Generation to a Qualified Service
One of the smartest things you can do right off the bat is to outsource your lead generation services to an expert. This will give you a major head start when it comes to qualifying the leads that you use. It will help you to find the leads that are most likely to respond positively to your efforts. This will save you time, energy, and money.
2. It Pays to Qualify Your Leads in Advance
One of the most important things that you can teach to your sales department is to qualify all of your leads in advance. This will save you the trouble of having to grind away for hours at a time. The worst thing in the world is to be confronted with 1,000 sheets of endless cold calls. It’s a hassle no one needs.
If you have to make cold calls, you should at least have the security of knowing the leads are pre-qualified. This will make it a lot easier to break the ice and make a real connection. But if your leads are fully qualified, you won’t have to go through this struggle. You can now get straight to the heart of the matter.
3. Always Talk to the Right Person
Don’t waste time talking to someone who can’t make a decision. It’s always best to talk directly to the one that knows whether or not they can decide to buy from you. This should be the main manager of a company or the owner. You want to be sure that you aren’t spinning your wheels in an endless “maybe.”
The person you speak to needs to be the one that makes the ultimate decisions for the company. Doing so will enable you to go through your full pitch. This will include all of the main sales points you want to make. If the person you are speaking to doesn’t have this power, move forward to the one that does.
4. Know the Basic Needs of Your Customer
One of the most effective sales strategies that you can teach to your sales department is to identify the basic needs of a customer. Once you know what issues they need to solve to reach success, you can move right in with the answers. This works best when you know what their pain points are.
When you identify their basic needs, you can go straight to the meat of the matter. Your client may have trouble competing with a rival in certain areas. They may have issues with their current calling services. Whatever the problem is, suggest a solution that will quickly definitively solve the issue.
5. Always Focus on the Long Term Value
It isn’t enough to let the person know what your goods or services can do for them in the short term. This melts your pitch down to a matter of saving a few bucks. If you can make such a great offer today, someone else can make them an even better one the day after.
What you need to do is focus on the value that your services will have in the long run. The chance to save time and money over a longer period will have a stronger appeal. This is the key to gaining a long-term customer.
Don’t Be Afraid to Suggest Innovative Tactics
If you want to motivate your sales team, don’t be afraid to change things upon them. You know that they are creative minds that thrive on a new challenge from time to time. You should always be on the lookout for new tactics that make it easier to create a winning pitch. This should be your top sales strategy.
Guest Article by McKenzie Jones
McKenzie is your typical Midwestern gal. When she is not writing or reading, she can be found training for her next half-marathon, baking something sweet, playing her guitar, or cuddled up with her golden retriever, Cooper. She loves watching football, fall weather, and long road trips.