It’s amazing how many sales and business development professionals, managers and executives, still think sales is a numbers game. And, it’s still a popular belief Today.
I understand. I understand that If you believe sales is a numbers game, you’re wrong.
While there are slight variations, according to this archaic theory ~ all you need to do (to be successful in sales) is call, call, call. Go to every lead, quasi-qualified or unqualified. Pitch! Pitch! Pitch to Someday! Demo! Demo! Demo to Anybody! You must be committed to the numbers. Fill your pipeline with a zillion suspects who’ll turn into X number of prospects, sales opportunities, and ultimately customers or clients.
The song remains the same, the message passed on from one sales generation to the next. We’ve been conditioned to accept that going after every prospect is essential to our success.
What if it isn’t? What if the numbers game isn’t a success factor anymore?
What if trying to work all those prospects infects our thinking, causes our sales performance, individual and team, to become ineffectual? What if we could generate more sales with fewer prospects?
Most sales and business development people would consider these questions heresy against the sales gods and gurus.
Thinking and Acting as a Sales Strategist
In the long run, Top Sellers, the Best of the Best Closers, pursue fewer prospects. Top Sellers spend more time thinking and acting as a Sales Strategist about:
- The goals and objectives of their target market, customers/clients.
- Linking marketing to sales process.
- Connecting and networking for mutual benefit.
- Pre-Qualify/Qualify potential customers/clients.
- Being more Consultative and Solution-centric.
- Guiding prospects through the sales cycle.
- Increasing Market Value.
By slowing down, focusing on quality not quantity, we can develop the rapport, relationship, and credibility we need to get the business. We can go deeper, learn more, and support the client/customer with the right solutions.
Nurturing any kind of relationship requires an investment of time. Are you spending enough time with clients/customers throughout the sales process? Are you committed to a Sales Closing Process? Conditioning? Gaining commitments every step of the way? Pre-closing? Or, are you pitching and running? Are you just a visitor?
Being Sales Strategists, our clients/customers trust our recommendations. We become their Strategic Advisors creating even more opportunities to succeed.
Our goal is to help prospects understand the business value of the solution. More importantly, how changing the status quo can impact organizational culture, sustaining business growth and profitability.
Be Bold. What would you do differently this month if you rejected the numbers game?Do you think it would make a difference in your sales performance?
That’s the challenge. Reject the #1 Sales Myth! Think fewer, not more. Compel yourself (and your sales team) to shift sales behavior with a fresh mind-set and sales strategies.
Being a Sales Strategist means sales isn’t a numbers game anymore, it’s an effectiveness game. Be yourself. Make the right connections. Make human connections.
Connecting and Networking for Mutual Benefit.
Always Be Engaging.
Marc Ortiz de Candia | Vitalia Consulting | The Enlightened Leadership Leader