Linking through Linked In

Linking through Linked in -
While there is a popular perception that linked is a glorified place to store your CV, it could also be pursued to improve your relationships and sales. Most often it is used by sales enthusiasts who want to sell through social media  and mostly sell technology based products. It primarily serves as a research and communication tool. People started to make initial customer contact through linkedin. If you are willing to sell then you should follow a few points which could enhance your sales performance.

You should join groups and contribute to the following discussions, It is suggested that you should have your own group and start contributing to the the business as a whole. You could start to directly write emails to potential clients by inmail and get access to a larger platform.
You could share important information about the particular business economics and ask for the common challenges which the industry is facing.
You could question your clients skillfully to understand what they are looking for so you could look to parter up with them to serve better.
You should also invite the potential clients to your office for them to review how your performance has been and how you have been serving your customers.

Happy Selling!

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Sense the sales greed!

Sense the sales greed!

Most often it has been noticed that pitching and begging for a deal is given a priority rather than the focus on listening to your prospects. Your goal should be to uncover buyers needs and not to force unqualified leads in to your pipeline so you will depict your greed.

What top sales executives do it to ensure they stuck to basics and practice perfection on each call. There will be exceptions however you should not digress from extensive profiling and relating back to the needs.

Prospecting is actually a tedious process, you have to genuinely question skillfully by not letting the client loose interest, and you should be taking cues from his story and be able to paint the picture to show his the cost benefit.

Always use words like thanks and please when you dealing with gatekeepers who will be crucial in getting you an appointment, If they sense the sales greed it would be difficult for you to nurture the relationship. And please avoid the tiring question which will compel clients to reluctantly answer “ How are you doing today” instead you could use effective opening statements which will be more relevant and objective.

Also it is not wrong just to bring any hot news event or an engaging question which could help the client open up. We all have bills to pay and at the end of the day the money matters but avoid making it evident.

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Can I have your attention please?

Can I have your attention please?

Listening is an extremely important attribute while selling, You would have to pay complete attention to contemplate the prospects perspective. People who listen effectively only sell effectively. While on a sales call the sales rep is busy preparing what they need to say next rather than paying attention. This is because they are not ready to handle the objections.

The secret trait to the top successful sales people is listening effectively and question skillfully.

While on a sales call or visit it is important for the sales rep to be prepared in taking notes, while most customers say the same thing it is important you make note of key words, phrases which separates them and helps solve the purpose. Ensure that you use them and repeat the key words and phrases they used to build rapport and make your prospect feel that you have been attentive.

Always accompany and take feedback from colleague/ boss about the sales calls you have taken. Ask them to rate the call and where you could have done better. Ensure that you get a record of all your calls for evaluation and hold a calibration session where you can collate the feedback.

An average human mind cannot pay attention for not more than five minutes because your mind starts to explore. You could also practice meditation and yoga for improving attention and seeking clarity on things. You will be able to evaluate things from several perspectives.

Happy Selling!

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Firm Leadership

Firm Leadership:

While it is extremely important to achieve firm sales targets it is indeed important to exercise your authority at times. Reprimanding is an option no one likes however it is essential to unleash your authority depending upon the situation. There is always a thin line which should never be crossed. This is not taught in any MBA curriculum you have to learn live on the field.

If you adhere to the below mentioned guidelines you can command respect and also exercise your powers.

Be clear in your communication, it is quite stressful to manage ambiguous situations however providing  clarity on goals and the process of achieving them should be clear, Always be proactive in asking for feedback and clarifying the doubts so the fundamentals of managing the team is clear.

Be proactive in pushing the team members to take help from you while they run in to problems, It is always advisable that they are open and honest about the mistakes and communicated to you promptly, So you could avoid any disappointments later. This helps you improve high morale in the team.

Avoid procrastination, Jump instantly in to the problems which the team is facing and try to steer it away or fix it, for example a customer is unhappy don’t just push it off to the service team, try to take the responsibility.

It is always in the toughest times the true reflection and character of your direct reports will be displayed. You would always encourage people to take risks and try to think out of the box and give the liberties to experiment. This will help them grow professionally and increase high morale in the team.

So by following the above steps you could create strong morale in the team which will give you consistent results. You could also view my other post "fighting your quote through".

Happy Selling!

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Fighting your quotation through!

Fighting your quotation through!

It is quite frustrating when you know that your client is requesting for quotations from several other firms for the same product and you could lose the business because of the price, since the client wants it regardless of who would provide the service.

When you are stuck in bidding war it is important that you not talk about the price but also focus on the actual service and value he would be receiving, you could also ask him to show you the quotes he received and explain how it would benefit him from buying our services and the value we provide. Always insist on getting the quotation from the customer and then you could get the competitor quote reviewed and get an approval for closure.

It works because when you are investing time to help the customer and create rapport you will be personalizing the service/product as per his needs help him choose what is best for him and you would also be able to talk about loyalty, customer experience, quality, ease of doing business and reliability. Once you are able to explain how it benefits the client it will be easy for you to close.

You could also view my other article "Disqualify the lead".

Happy Selling!

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Disqualify the lead

Disqualify your lead

Sales qualification is crucial because follow up plays a vital role in your daily rigmarole. Most of us get tired when we endlessly follow up on with clients who are extremely busy and they do not care to reciprocate their disinterest firmly. This makes the pipeline more robust however it does not often results in closure.

As we are aware that the industry standard closure is about 10% to 20% depending on the industry. Every sales professional time has a cost involved to the company so he needs to choose his follow up’s carefully. The process of tailor made emails, phone calls, visits, is going to be eliminated once you identify that these clients are stealing your valuable time and resulting in disappointment.

Always try to qualify in the initial interactions where you would have a vague idea if the suspect will turn to a prospect. In order to find the non buyers you could ask questions and also evaluate the buying potential of the client. The top sales personal have always spent quality time disqualifying leads which would burden the pipeline and drain away your energies, instead focus on hunting new profiles and follow up with clients with relevant information would reap big results.

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selling while presenting!

Selling while presenting

When you are presenting your product or service to the potential client and while flipping from slide to slide you would need to consider several factors which could ensure that the audience is not only attentive but also deliver your unique selling proposition.

While presenting data, relate with laymen examples which helps the potential client to paint a picture of how he would gain advantage after using your services. When you find any one disinterested kindly pause the presentation so you could ask for their thoughts on the subject which helps voice out the reason for their resistance. You could then clarify their thoughts and then proceed with the session.

Always remember it is not only important to sell your product but also focus on why this product must be bought from you only, and why now. You could add things like your expertise in the particular domain and how you have helped customers in the similar industry overcome some common problems due to your high quality standards, etc.  Selling the product is just the first thing your focus must be about why the product must be bought from you only.

Happy Selling!

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