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Imagination – A Vital Tool for Sales Success
What’s working for you in your sales process? Just as importantly, what isn't working? Instead of continuing down a path of frustration, perhaps it’s a good idea to sit back and rethink your sales strategy. Use your imagination. The old adage that "Sales is a numbers game," is true to an extent. Sales success also depends upon thinking from the perspective of your prospects. What is important to them and why should they want to hear from the likes of you? For example, a client I work with was calling companies to introduce a new technology that is proven to save its users millions of dollars and solve several known issues within the industry. However, they were calling purchasing agents to introduce the technology and were getting a lukewarm reception (at best). I challenged them to begin calling the CFOs of their target market. Even though the CFOs will have more gatekeepers and may be difficult to speak with initially, they are the people who are ultimately responsible for profits and losses. When they learn the "how and why" of my client’s product, they understand the impact on their company and the competitive advantage it gives them. Ultimately, the CFO may "pass the buck" to the purchasing agent, but it will be done as an internal purchase request because the CFO understands the importance of the P&L sheet. This results in more sales for my client. Now, imagine yourself on the receiving end of a sales call, letter or email from your company. What would you need to know to be interested or motivated enough to continue to the next step in your sales process? Now, imagine that you have translated that information into a conversation (not a sales pitch!) with your prospects. Write the "translated" conversation down. Use it as the basis for your sales calls this week. I imagine that you will soon see a higher response rate and more new clients.
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