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There’s a lot of sales advice out there. Tips on how to find leads, build relationships, close deals, meet your quota, and so on and so forth, are everywhere. But who should you really listen to? We’ve cut through the noise to offer you words of wisdom from eleven true sales experts.
Here’s a sampling of what they have to say in response to some of the toughest sales questions we could throw at them:
“Empathy and servant leadership. It means truly listening to customers and uncovering pain so you can provide a fitting solution, making commitments and following through so you can earn your buyer’s trust. It means asking the hard and uncomfortable questions so you can provide the best service to your customers, researching and understanding your buyer at the highest level so you can make their lives better, and never waste their time. It's about loving customers and serving them with the right intent. I personally call it ‘selling with sincerity.’“ - Kyle Porter, Founder of SalesLoft
“If I had to pick one tactic, it would have to do with that supposed antiquated piece of equipment that still sits on most desks today: the telephone. The telephone was invented way back in 1876 and until the past ten years or so, it was regarded and respected as an incredibly effective tool of the sales trade. In spite of what many of the loud voices, false teachers, and Kool-Aid peddlers of today’s ‘Inbound Marketing Only’ crowd are preaching, the old-fashioned proactive telephone call still works quite well when executed properly. Pick up the phone. You’d be amazed what you can do with it – and what it can do for you!“ - Mike Weinberg, Author, Founder of The New Sales Coach
“Be crystal clear about your objective for the call. What do you want to accomplish when you leave the meeting? Quickly re-check the prospect’s company website, LinkedIn updates, and Twitter feed. You just may find something new to talk about. (Do not check your e-mail or voicemail. This is your time to focus on the call without distractions.) Prepare specific questions that are relevant to the prospect’s business, industry, and needs. Be ready to listen and comment on what the customer says. Do not throw a battery of questions at the customer. If he wants to go a different direction, follow his lead. He may have a different agenda than you. Top salespeople listen, ask good questions, and leave with action steps for both the customer and themselves.“ - Joanne Black, Founder of No More Cold Calling
“Winning salespeople do a thorough post-mortem analysis immediately after a call. They play back the call and determine where they could have done better a job to help the prospect make forward progress in their buying process and arrive at a decision. Of course, it is always best practice to capture a complete summary of a call in your CRM record, but the situation demands more analysis than that. It is important for salespeople to take a few moments after a call and dispassionately and objectively analyze what really transpired and honestly assess whether they accomplished the objectives and outcomes that they had planned for the call. If these were not met, then it is important to determine the strategy for the next call and the next steps while this call is still fresh in your mind as the facts and emotions of the moment will only diminish and become less accurate guides for future actions as time passes.“ - Andy Paul, Sales Process Expert, Speaker, & Author
For much more from our panel of sales experts, download the free ebook Sales Experts Answer Your Toughest Sales Success Questions.
