If you think nothing good happens until a salesperson closes a sale, it’s worth thinking about how you’re helping that happen. Closing more sales depends on multiple factors that go beyond the salesperson’s “ persuasion skills.”
What specific actions are you implementing as a department leader to help your salespeople achieve success? To improve B2B sales effectiveness, it is not enough to tell them to sell more.
Establishing the foundations, developing a scalable and predictable sales process , an action plan that aims for impeccable tactical execution and providing value from the different departments of the company are key factors to improve the effectiveness of the sales team .
Lay the foundation for developing a successful sales team
Closing more sales shouldn't be the product of the salesperson's magic , you can't depend on it. Of course, a salesperson can "get along" with a customer and thus close a sale, but take a few minutes to reflect, how does the salesperson manage to empathize with the prospect?
I add value, therefore I exist
We must start from two key ideas: sellers and customers have the ability to understand what the solutions you offer are and how they work, and that value is provided by people , and depending on this, they decide to give something in return.
From this perspective, the time you invest in training the sales force on your products and/or services is not enough; you must develop a sales force with the ability to sell a "why?"
“People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it” - Simon Sinek
If you don't have it clear, don't expect your salespeople to. Document the value proposition from your customer's perspective and for each of your products and/or services. In other words, how will your solutions be part of your customer's success?
If you want to see the complete Masterclass “Understand the customer’s moments of need”, click here .
Developing a value proposition not only allows the sales team to optimize their time by investing it with prospects who need your solutions, it also gives them the ability to break the status quo that lies in the prospect's world.
Why should they change their current situation? Why now and not in 6 china phone number data months? Why should you be part of that change? If you still don't have a clear idea of your value proposition, it's never too late to start developing it.
Find your market
Why chase customers who aren't ready to buy? Understanding that not all customers are for you is key to increasing sales effectiveness . A CRM and proper segmentation of your database will be two key aspects to optimize the time of the sales team.
How to focus efforts on clients who are a real opportunity? In our experience, developing a qualification matrix to measure interest and fit is essential if we want to focus our efforts on profitable clients.
matrix-measures-interest-fit-to-improve-effectiveness-in-b2b-sales
If a prospect shows a high interest, that is, has visited your catalogs, has followed up on emails, and is also a good fit due to their characteristics (company income, number of employees, etc.), they will be the first people the sales team should contact .
If the prospect shows low interest, that is, has not shown any interaction over time, but fits the description of an ideal client, you will have to evaluate whether it is worth passing these contacts on to sales, or opt to nurture them with marketing actions .
A prospect with high interest but no budget is unlikely to become a profitable customer. You may choose to focus your efforts on other outcomes that won't necessarily be closing a sale, such as increasing site visits .
They are that group of prospects that are not worth investing efforts in.
In our experience, segmenting your contact base allows you to identify the characteristics that define high-fit prospects and the interactions that define interest, in order to provide your salespeople with prospects that are worth the time they invest .
Sell with empathy
Empathy is usually defined as the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes, to understand feelings, emotions and thoughts that are not your own, you may not share them, but you can understand them. This can only be achieved by actively listening to the people you are interacting with.
In sales, it is of utmost importance to have people with the ability to sell with empathy, that is, to listen with the objective of selling, not what they believe is the best solution, but rather what is in line with the interests and motivations of their clients .
Understanding that even though you are selling to a company, the closing occurs with people with different motivators and challenges. LAER is a key methodology for managing objections with empathy.
Listen. Let the client explain their current situation, don't assume anything.
Acknowledge/Recognize. Let the customer see that you have heard and understand them.
Explore. Use open-ended questions to understand more about their key needs or challenges.
Respond/Respond. Only respond when you have a complete overview of the current situation.
laer-methodology-selling-with-empathy-improves-effectiveness-in-b2b-sales
Start developing a sales force with the ability to empathize with your customers.
Build a pipeline of constant opportunities
Closing rate is not the only or even the most important metric to say that you have an effective sales force. Working on an infrastructure that allows your salespeople to achieve success is essential.
What do top-closing salespeople do differently? How can you replicate it? How much time do salespeople spend with prospects who aren't going to buy? What about those who are?
There is little point in having a high closing rate if there are no opportunities to close. Many salespeople do not reach their sales quota because the volume of business they have in a period is insufficient.
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