Sales is an exciting but tough job. You need the right people doing it. If you are experiencing a slow down on sales this start of the year, you may need to polish your sales team’s tactics.
Here are five ways to help them win over a client.
1. Know your client. Know who you’re dealing with. It’s the only way you can provide service that the customer wants. This information should already be available before you are dealing with a client. Let’s say you are doing account-based marketing campaigns. In order to execute an effective campaign, there should be different buyer persona’s that define your customers.
Take the time to write down the traits each of possible client has and prepare answers to questions they may have. This allows you to create more effective marketing messages that will have them saying yes to you.
PREMIUM CONTENT: US Pay rate rangefinder
2. Ask for every client’s feedback. Every client’s feedback is important. It allows you to continuously improve your procedures so you get more sales in future. Even the potential ones that request for a proposal. Whether you close the deal with them or not, make sure you ask for their honest feedback. They can give you insight on your strengths and weaknesses, so you can make changes and be much better than your competitors. Now, the next time you receive an RFP, you are sure to close the deal on that potential customers faster than before.
3. Consistently provide value. People buy from companies that provide value. Are you making the clear in your sales process? If not, you need to tweak your sales pitch. You want your clients to know what it is exactly that you provide to them. We’re not just talking products or services here. Are you prompt with your customer service? Are you knowledgeable in answering their questions? Do you show enthusiasm about their project? Again, the little things you do will matter the most.
You can also provide value in more indirect ways such as informative email newsletters, blog articles about the industry, a free product guide. You can even help the local community. Sure, it’s going to cost you some money upfront, but these are evergreen forms of value that will stay with your company for years. When potential customers see a benefit to working with you, they will not hesitate to say yes to your proposal.
4. Make them feel special. In other words, give them what they want, within reason. You want to impress your client by overdelivering. The technique to achieving this is by underpromising. Be realistic with what you can deliver in the beginning and wow them later with the perfect execution.
You can even do this in little ways such as giving them your full attention during meetings, sending them a nice personalized holiday greeting, or responding immediately to their queries. You’ll win them over with these simple gestures.
5. Be transparent. Okay, so maybe you can’t give your clients everything they want. That’s okay. Be transparent with what you can and cannot provide. As tempted as you are to close that deal, you don’t want to compromise your organization’s rules for the sake of pleasing one customer. There’s also a chance the clients later drop off when they later find out you can’t deliver.
It’s hard, but do it anyway. Be upfront with them and provide other alternatives. Smart clients will appreciate your honesty and will likely go with you anyway knowing they are not dealing with a smooth talker but a serious business owner.
We hope these tips have helped you. Just hone in on these strategies and you’ll be ending this year with more sales than you have ever had before.
Which of these tips did you find the most useful? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
