5 TIPS TO REMEMBER WHEN YOU DEVELOP A SALES STRATEGY

The world of sales is competitive and sometimes you have to fight for that gold medal…

One of the most important goals of any business is to develop a sales strategy that actually helps to get more sales. However, success in this area doesn’t come easily. Instead, many businesses find themselves struggling to close the deal and remain on top of their industry.

If you have found your business in this predicament, there are some things you can do to turn it around. Here are a few tips to help you develop a strategy to close deals. Make sure you put them into action in order to better your business.

1) Develop a Sense of Urgency

The first thing you should start with when attempting to close a sale is to create a sense of urgency. The client or customer you are attempting to sell to should feel as though they will miss out on something special if they don’t decide to close the deal today.

There are a few things you can do to create this type of situation. For example, setting up a special price for a limited time, may help spur your customer to make a decision. Offering better requirements for financing or providing a service agreement may peak their attention.

2) Minimize what you Say

One mistake that many sales people make is talking too much while they are attempting to make the sale. This is especially true of sales people who are fresh in the business. Instead, create a convincing speech with as little talk as possible.

By avoiding talking, you will show that you are not a pushy sales person. The customer will then have the leisure of getting to know your product or service for themselves rather than being distracted by what you have to say. Remember, if you continue to talk after you have made your offer, you are more likely to talk yourself out of the sale than to close it.

3) Know your Product

You should also make sure that you know your product, and know it well. Your customer is likely to have quite a few questions about the product and you will need to make sure you have the answers for them. If you are not familiar enough with the product, this could reflect poorly on the product itself and make the customer hesitant to buy it.

By being knowledgeable, you are much more likely to make the sale. Also, when questions come via email, text, or voicemail, you are better off answering the question as quickly as possible. If you can, try to return the customer’s call within a few minutes. This has been shown to increase the chance a salesperson has of winning the sale.

4) Learn to Overcome Any Objections to the Sale

In selling, the major obstacle that you must overcome is objections that keep customers from buying and keep you from selling. You must learn the common objections to buying and how to overcome them.

5) Ask a Final Time

While the buyer is making up their mind, you should always stay with them. When you leave them in the process of their decision, this makes them doubt the product and make them more hesitant to buy it.
Instead, attempt to stay with them as much as possible, which will help show that you are confident in the product and knowledgeable about it.
If they do say no to the sale, don’t give up immediately.
Instead, attempt to continue discussing the product with them so you can ask them for the sale again before they leave. Before you completely leave the negotiation table after a customer says they don’t want to close the deal, make sure you ask one final time. Naturally, you don’t want to ask the same question multiple times, but asking in a different manner is highly effective.

Close The Sale

These are a few ways you can improve your chances of making the sale. Building them into your business strategy will help you to have a higher success rate when making sales, which will ultimately raise the income of your company. They are definitely things to consider while you are building your sales strategy.

TARGETS AND BENCHMARKS

Almost every reader of IMPACT's knows the value of defining
and writing down your most important goals. In business,
however, I often find that we fail to break our goals into
small enough chunks. We have 5-year plans and yearly goals
or objectives, but we don’t break them down into monthly
targets and daily activities. 
As a wise man once told me, "A goal without a plan is just
a pipedream."
If your goals are important, get a calendar or a notebook,
and break them down into specific targets. An obvious
example is that if you wish to save $5000 this year, commit
to saving $417 each month.
Many of my professional clients have goals for improving
quality of care, attracting more clients, and increasing
revenues, but they fail to break their goals into weekly
action steps. What does "quality of care" mean in terms of
activities and phone calls this week? What needs to happen
this week, or this month, to attract new clients? Who is
responsible for the marketing plan? What’s the budget in
time and dollars, and what are the measurable results?
Without specific benchmarks along the way, we rarely reach
our long-term goals. Have the courage to examine your goals
in terms of daily, weekly and monthly activities, then hold
yourself accountable. Are you taking steps to market your
business? Is your level of customer satisfaction going up?
Are you cutting costs? Are you doing better work? How do
you measure your progress day by day?
The answers to these questions will determine whether or
not you reach your goals, and ultimately, whether or not
you create the business and the life you really want.

OUR HEROIC JOURNEYS

A generation ago, Joseph Campbell introduced the world to
the "the Heroes journey." He wrote about the similarities
in mythology around the world and noted that throughout
history, the hero is acknowledged for facing his own life
and doubts, for taking on forces that are larger than the
individual, and for over-coming.
Campbell believed we can each, in our own way, be heroes.
But he said that heroism requires that we must face the
reality of our own lives, including our doubts and
limitations, and find our own reasons for going bravely
forward. Individually, life requires that we must surmount
challenges that seem bigger than ourselves. And, he said,
in the end, those who endure and persevere must surely win.
This week, I read Mitchell Zuckoff's book, "13 Hours in
Benghazi." It's the story of a small team of Americans who
fought through a horrific night, first at the diplomatic
compound in Benghazi and then at the CIA Annex, a mile
away. In the end, four brave men died, including Ambassador
Christopher Stevens, and one was seriously wounded.
I found the book powerful, apparently accurate on the
important points, and moving. It is a detailed account of
the actions of one group of warriors, on one side of one
battle. It's a story of heroism.
I found only one significant short-coming. It is
unfortunate that it's a story of heroism in its narrowest,
most stereotypical sense. It's about men in battle. But
more broadly and perhaps unintentionally, it's also about
the principles that create heroes in life. It's about
tactics and communication, about trust and preparation. And
it's about endurance, faith, toughness and resolve.
It's about the making of heroes and I thought it fleshed-
out the principles and theories introduced by Campbell. It
makes Campbell practical.
Principle 1:  Follow Your Bliss. Campbell's most famous
quote is his challenge to find and follow our own path in
life. Do what brings you joy, do what seems to fulfill your
purpose or destiny in life. The men who fought in Benghazi
knew their jobs and why they did them. Many elite warriors
use the metaphor that they are "sheep-dogs." Their calling
is to protect and defend the innocent and the vulnerable.
The men Zuckoff writes about were passionate and willing to
sacrifice their lives to protect those under their care.
Principle 2:  Endless Preparation. Most of these men were
in their 40's. They were not kids. They spent years
preparing to be the best in the world at what they did.
Most invested their personal funds for the best tools and
equipment. Despite endless days, stretching into years of
inactivity, they understood the essential of being prepared
when the time came. Too many of us either get bored with
preparation, or we procrastinate until too late. Heroes
know that the time to prepare for challenges in during the
long years of waiting.
Principle 3:  Perseverance.  I love the quote from Winston
Churchill that the key to victory is, "Never, never, never,
never give up!" Despite hunger, thirst, exhaustion and
pain, this team never let down their guard. They never
surrendered to discouragement, doubt, fear or fatigue.
Heroes persist. Everyone who has ever pursued a big or
important goal understands the temptation to give up.
Success often takes a long time. There are set-backs and
failures. Heroes never, never, never, never give up.
Principle 4:  Teamwork. Benghazi is the story of teamwork
and faith in each other. Generally, the men were spread
out, one man to a rooftop or vantage point. They had radios
but were usually out of sight and alone. They had to trust
each other's fidelity, courage, skills and faithfulness.
Through three separate attacks over thirteen hours, their
lives depended on each man knowing and fulfilling their
commitments. In our own lives, too often we become "co-
dependent" on unreliable partners. Our own performance is
inconsistent or spotty. Heroes choose partners of absolute
integrity. They demand it of themselves and the people they
count on.
Some will say the book is about war. They'll say it's about
pain and hatred, and man's inhumanity, and that's true
enough. But at least for me, there is more to the story. In
my own way, in my own life, I want to be a hero. I want to
be someone of integrity, commitment, courage and
reliability. At the end of my life, I'd like to be remembered
as someone who followed his own bliss and was willing to
prepare, to persevere and to work for victory with reliable
teammates. I think that's true for most of us.

WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?

Every successful business leader has a clear answer to this
vital question: Why are you building this company? Who does
it serve and what's your greater purpose? Answering these
questions costs you very little, and it can pay huge
dividends.
For some entrepreneurs, the primary purpose is simply to
create a business that can be sold. They have a talent for
designing systems to meet a real need while making a
profit, and they love starting new businesses. Once the
company is established, they often sell it and may repeat
the process again and again through the years. 
Most business owners, however, have some other purpose in
mind, and it is often deeply personal. Some want to build a
company they can pass on to their children. Others want to
see how large and profitable they can make it, and they
dream of a vast enterprise with thousands of employees.
Still others, want a business that expresses their values
or contributes to society in some way.
I am struck that it does not seem to matter what the reason actually is. What
matters is the ability to keep it in sight at all times.
Knowing your personal vision, your purpose or mission, the
"reason we do this," is absolutely critical.
The solution is simple: Keep your eyes on the prize! Step
back, gain perspective, renew your commitment. Remember WHY
you are doing this! If the "why" is big enough, clear
enough and powerful enough, you'll figure out the "how."

THE KEY TO SALES SUCCESS

If you ask any top salesperson, they will tell you that the vital key to sales success is listening. Reflect on that for a moment. How good are your listening skills?

Learn to Listen Well

A vital key to sales success is listening. The ability to listen well is absolutely indispensable for success in all human relationships. The ability to be a good listener in a sales conversation is the foundation of the new model of selling. It leads to easier sales, higher earnings and greater enjoyment from the sales profession.

Being A Good Talker is Not Enough

Many salespeople have been brought up with the idea that, in order to be good at your profession, you must be a glad-hander and a good talker. You have even heard people say, "You have the 'gift of the gab'; you should be in sales!"

Focus On the Other Person

Nothing could be further from the truth. As many as seventy five percent of all top salespeople are defined as introverts on psychological tests. They are very easy going and other-centered. They would much rather listen than talk. They are very interested in the thoughts and feelings of other people and they are quite comfortable sitting and listening to their prospects. They would much rather listen than talk in a sales situation. Poor salespeople dominate the talking, but top salespeople dominate the listening.

Practice "White Magic" With Everyone

Listening has even been called "white magic." It is too rarely engaged in by business people. When a salesperson develops a reputation for being an excellent listener, prospects and customers feel comfortable and secure in his or her presence. They buy more readily, and more often.

Practice the 70/30 Rule

You've heard it said that God gave man two ears and one mouth, and he is supposed to use them in that proportion.

Top salespeople practice the "70/30 rule." They talk and ask questions 30 percent or less of the time while they listen intently to their customers 70 percent or more of the time. They use their ears and mouth in the right ratio.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, resolve today that, from now on, you are going to dominate the listening in every sales conversation. Become comfortable with silence.

Second, practice the 70/30 rule in every sales conversation. Listen 70% of the time and only talk and ask questions 30% of the time.