Selling is not a solo activity. It requires collaboration and communication with your colleagues, prospects, and customers. In this article, you will learn how to work with others to sell better, by following these six tips:
Before you reach out to any prospect, make sure you are on the same page with your sales team. This means understanding your team's goals, roles, processes, and tools. You should also communicate regularly with your team members, share feedback, and celebrate wins. By aligning with your team, you can avoid duplication, confusion, and conflict, and increase your efficiency and effectiveness.
Collaborate efficiently by sharing insights, skills, and customer feedback. Foster a team culture where everyone's strengths are leveraged to create compelling pitches and address prospects’ pain points. Brainstorm together to craft creative solutions. Develop a unified voice, so the customer hears a consistent message. Provide support and encouragement; celebrate each other's wins and learn from setbacks. Cross-train to fill knowledge gaps and create versatility. Foster open communication to be agile in strategy. Remember, when a team is aligned in vision and execution, it becomes an unstoppable force in sales. Together, you can accomplish much more than alone!
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It's absolutely essential to have yourself and the team of one mind. Not only do you need to know the goal and what needs to be achieved you have to gain the teams buy in by explaining the "How" and the "Why" to drive the right buy in and investiture of your people, this is the difference between managing your people and leading them, Peter Drucker once said "management is doing things right , leadership is doing the right things ". The above is essential to delivering on any KPI
A big part of aligning with your team is knowing what each team member's role is. Don't steal the shine off any of your team mates, by doing their job/function. As the Sales Executive, you will be the main interface with the prospect. Do your best to understand the prospect's current situation/workflow, what business issue your solution will address, the future state sought and other facets of moving forward. Bring the information gathered from the discovery and discuss with your team members and collaborate to decide on the best solution and orchestration of events and who is responsible for each action step along with anticipated results.
One thing I would add is that. Although sales teams are reliable for generating customers. Other departments are necessary for the delivery aspect. Always maintain communication with other departments that are essential for your customers product delivery.
alignment within the sales team is crucial for a streamlined and effective outreach process. Understanding team goals and roles ensures that everyone is working toward the same objectives, while regular communication helps to keep everyone updated and in sync. Sharing feedback and celebrating wins not only boosts morale but also provides valuable insights for improvement. This team cohesion prevents duplication of efforts, reduces confusion, and ultimately leads to a more efficient and effective sales process. Teamwork, in this context, truly makes the dream work.
To sell better, you need to know who you are selling to. This means doing your research, asking the right questions, and listening to your prospects' needs, challenges, and goals. You should also use sales qualification and discovery techniques to identify the best fit, value, and urgency for your solution. By understanding your prospects, you can tailor your pitch, overcome objections, and build trust and rapport .
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This is where strong key stakeholder relationships are paramount. You can do all the research you want yourself, but cross team and departmental collaboration allows you to expand your vision and pick up on areas of opportunity and focus that others may be expert in, attaining the right insight to support the delivery of your own, the team, and the businesses objectives.
understanding your prospects is foundational to effective selling. Doing your homework allows you to ask insightful questions and listen actively, which in turn helps you tailor your pitch to address specific needs and challenges. Sales qualification and discovery techniques further refine this process, helping you identify prospects who are not just interested but also ready to buy. This nuanced approach not only increases the likelihood of a successful sale but also builds a relationship of trust and rapport, setting the stage for long-term customer engagement.
Selling is not a one-way street. It is a dialogue that involves your prospects in the decision-making process. This means engaging your prospects with relevant content, stories, and examples, and asking for their feedback, opinions, and preferences. You should also use active listening, empathy, and mirroring to show that you care and understand. By involving your prospects, you can create a positive and memorable experience, and increase their commitment and loyalty.
This is once again leadership, your people only understand what they truly require to make the campaign and goal a success if you allow them to understand the "How" and "Why" peice. Being democratic and supporting your team by allowing them to support the success of what's being achieved bringing forward their own experiences and expertise allowing a diverse and innovative approach to overcoming any barriers, drives job satisfaction loyalty towards the business and lowers attendance and attrition risks which supports brilliant experiences for the team and the customer base they serve.
Selling is not only about you and your prospects. It is also about the people who can influence, support, or refer you. This means building and maintaining relationships with your network, such as your existing customers, partners, mentors, and peers. You should also seek referrals, introductions, testimonials, and endorsements from your network, and reciprocate the value. By leveraging your network, you can expand your reach, credibility, and authority, and generate more leads and opportunities .
The age-old adage of "doing business with people you know, like and trust" still holds true. Having someone you already trust guide a cold lead or referral into a warm lead eases the process significantly.
Selling does not end when you close the deal. It continues when you deliver on your promises , and ensure your customers' success and satisfaction. This means working closely with your customers, providing them with training, support, and guidance, and helping them achieve their desired outcomes. You should also solicit feedback, reviews, and referrals from your customers, and identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities . By collaborating with your customers, you can retain and grow your accounts, and turn them into advocates and fans.
No conversations with clients/prospects, no sales. Period. You can be the smartest, best researcher, and presenter, but still be bad at selling if you don't listen and pick up their agenda, not yours.
Seth Godin advocates for the practice of having one person share your message with ten others. To further foster strong relationships with clients, taking time to check in via phone call simply can significantly enhance their perception of your brand and open the door for an upsell.
Collaborating with customers after the sale is key. Not only are you able to get case studies/use cases developed and obtain solid references, it is the greatest area of exponential growth for any sales organization. At this juncture, you want to ensure you are delivering on the value promised.
Schedule regular follow-ups to assess how the customer is doing and whether they have any new needs or challenges. These check-ins show that you care about their success beyond the sale
This is the key to all B2B sales. Helping clients improve their business by collaborating on exact solutions, at a mutually agreed-up price.
Selling is a continuous learning process. It requires you to constantly improve your skills, knowledge, and performance. This means seeking feedback, coaching, and mentoring from others, such as your manager, team members, or industry experts. You should also observe, emulate, and learn from the best practices and successes of others, and avoid their mistakes and failures. By learning from others, you can sharpen your competitive edge, and achieve your sales goals and potential.
Observe Best Practices to learn from the successes of top performers in your field. Learn from the failures and mistakes of others to avoid similar issues. Stay updated on industry trends and new selling techniques.
Having been an educator at one point, the value of continual learning and improvement is understated. So often, you read something that you learned long ago and realize it is applicable in your current situation. This learn from others tip is very valuable in that if you are only reading and observing, but not applying or making those changes, then all of the effort is not doing what you want (improving). Learning from the best and best practices, with feedback and reflection built-in, whether it’s reading, audiobooks, or in-person mentoring, helps you avoid the the pitfalls and increase your rate of success dramatically.