“We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.” While George S. Patton’s infamous quote might ruffle a few feathers, he does have a fair point. Anyone in sales can attest to the fact that in order to close the deal, you must first move people through the sales funnel. This process can become quite arduous without the right tools and tips to guide you.
Sales Tools And Tips: Can’t Live Without Them
Don’t think online sales are important? Think again.
- There are over 268 million unique online shoppers in the United States.
- In 2023, global ecommerce sales are forecasted to total $6.3 Trillion.
- In 2022 Mobile retail in the United States surpassed $387 billion.
- Millennials age 25 to 34 are the largest group of online shoppers in the US.
The above statistics only account for business to consumer e-commerce sales. Given the nature of business to business transactions, it is a little bit harder to account for the percentage and dollar amounts that are associated with online transactions. However, one thing is certain, without using the right sales tools and tips, your company’s bottom line will suffer.
In our blog post, “What To Look For In Your Sales Tools,” we discussed at length the defining characteristics of the top sales tools. To recap, your chosen sales tools should:
- Easily integrate with existing tools.
- Provide seamless and automated email.
- Actively monitor results.
- Increase focus on the right leads.
- Connect marketing and sales departments.
- Leverage real-time data analytics.
- Be easy to use.
Leveraging the right sales tools can only be achieved when you keep a few key tips in mind that are designed to help you navigate the tricky waters between guiding people through the sales funnel and accidentally making them feel like they are cattle or sheep being herded to a pre-designated destination.
Sales Insights From The Best In The Business
Whether you are selling to a customer or another business, it isn’t what you say and it isn’t what you offer that matters; rather, it is what the person on the other end of the phone (or screen) hears and sees. Selling products or services is about connecting with people. It requires you to take a moment to step into their shoes, understand their pain points, and provide a value-driven solution that can’t be found in any other place. In other words, selling is an art. Fortunately it is an art that can be enhanced with the following tidbits of advice* from various “sales industry leaders.”
- Guy Kawasaki, Author, Venture Capitalist and Technologist — If you want to change people’s minds, actions, and hearts, then you need to enchant them. This means that you must offer a vision, or at the very least, a glimpse, into how they can do things better. The key difference between “selling” and “enchanting” is your ability to keep the other person’s best interests at heart. Enchanting leads to better relationships, repeat customers, and more sales.
- Brian Frank, Former Global Head of Sales Operations at LinkedIn — A multi-tiered sales effort will require you to understand the market. This is a concept that is ignored far too often. You must map out the competitive landscape if you are to understand where you fall amongst the varying topography. It is not enough to know what competitors are saying, you must also understand the position of your consumers. The intersection between these two entities is your “selling sweet spot.”
- Jeffrey Gitomer, Author of “21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling” — The right Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform will provide the sales tools needed to retain customers. Relationships are built between people. The problem arises when your sales point of contact leaves. You must have a CRM that details how the previous relationship was built. You never know when this relationship history will come in handy as you seek to establish a new rapport with a new person. In other words, knowledge is key and a CRM is the ledger that details your previous findings.
- Craig Elias, Creator of Trigger Event Selling — If your sales team ever hears the phrase “I’m thinking of doing something. I’ll let you know in six months, maybe you can contact me then,” they should do the exact opposite. Waiting six months to call a prospect back is the equivalent of handing over your email list to your competitors. Don’t decrease your odds of winning the sale by missing the “Window of Dissatisfaction.” Instead, increase your odds of winning the sale by up to 74 percent by creating an immediate buying vision for the decision maker.
- Dustin Grosse, Former CMO at DocuSign — Before you go too far down the road of features and functionality take a pit stop to discuss what really matters to your intended customer. If you can’t see the forest for the trees, then you are approaching sales with the wrong attitude. You must understand both the general and the personalized needs of your intended customer. By positioning your products or services from the perspective of your intended customers, you can walk a mile in their shoes and discover when, why, and how often they will need to purchase your company’s wares.
The goal of these insider sales insights is to highlight the personable aspects of the sales journey. In a corporate environment that seeks to replicate successes it is far too easy to forget that sales are personal journeys that differ from day to day and interaction to interaction. However, by leveraging the right tools, detailing your relationships, and understanding the intricacies of your customer’s buying preferences, you can and will increase your ability to close the deal.
* Editor’s note: These are paraphrased insights from industry professionals, not direct quotes.
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