Sales 101 in 2019

Recently, I was talking with a senior executive who told me what their company had put in place as they realized their new sales levels were far too low and not meeting targets.

They came to realize their appointment levels were too low and their pipeline was dwindling. They had been so busy for the last couple of years that they forgot one of the cardinal rules of sales and business in general. This rule simply outlines you have to maintain a consistent level of sales activity in order to maintain and grow your business and sales pipeline.

So what was their solution? They decided they would hold cold calling marathons with their sales teams in order to generate appointments.

So what's the problem with this you might ask, as this is a very common response with many organizations we meet and speak with today.

I tried to explain to this executive that this kind of methodology and process is badly outdated. Not to mention an extremely poor use of time and resources. Why would anyone want to use such a low return process when there is a proven method that will provide a much higher quality and volume of leads - appointments in much less time? Further, this methodology and process will keep the pipeline full and growing in a more productive and positive way all while steadily increasing key relationships in their industry.

The answer is simple, most sales managers and executives still don't understand what social is and how it can be properly used with an actual methodology to get these results. They still hold the opinion that playing on LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram is something they can hire an intern to do so why would they want their best people wasting their time? So, from this outdated thinking, they do what is easiest, they go back to what they had learned 20 years earlier when they started. Just like a bad version of “Groundhog Day”, they decide to hold cold calling marathons!

I cringe every time I hear it, but incredibly I still hear it far too often. I told this executive what I tell every owner, executive and sales manager and frankly everybody I speak to.

Why would you jump on a bicycle to go a great distance if you had a beautiful new Tesla sitting in the driveway?

The answer of course is you wouldn’t! You would jump in that Tesla in a heartbeat and prove just how quickly you can get where you want to go. You'd also enjoy doing it!

Social sales is no less disruptive then the Tesla the difference is the Tesla isn't that hard to understand and still looks like what we're all used to in the form of a car.

Social sales not only requires you to understand how your customers buy today but it also demands the understanding that there's a real process and methodology required. Social is not just about sharing pictures of your lunch or sharing your company’s latest news update on one social platform or another.

Social is about providing valuable important information for your customers and buyers to help them make decisions they make every day.

Your prospective customers are not anxiously waiting for your cold call!

In fact, most do not answer calls or even receive them from unknown sources, that’s the simple truth. Blocking technology is one of the best-selling application categories today whether for phones, emails, TV etc…

Your customers are doing exactly what you do. They go online, often directly through their social networks and they look up the information they want. This without pushy sales messages. From there they reach out to those people who provide the best information and are perceived as being experts in their industries. Then they do something really amazing. They buy the solution or product they're interested in!!

So…if your teams and information are not right there online where your customers are, you’re not even in contention because you have not shown up yet.

We all do this everyday so why would you not realize that your customers do this with the type of services and products you provide as well? As my daughter has said to me so many times..."Duh!"

Change is hard and we're so used to doing things the way we've always done them that even when we're hit over the head with the obvious we still find it easier to go back to what we've always done.

If it sounds a bit like I'm scolding you, well maybe I am, it's time to wake up and realize this is not 1995 anymore! People communicate online 24/7. Your either there or you're not. If you want to learn how to use social selling to vastly improve how you develop new customers reach out connect with people who know how to do it.

Social sales is a real process and requires skills gained through a regimented methodology. If it's not done properly like anything else the results will be poor.

Both you and your teams need to understand what Social truly is and how to use the most powerful and cost-effective tool available to you today.

Every one of our clients has experienced an immediate increase in sales results, online presence, better hiring results, amazing employee advocacy, lower costs, etc, etc

What are you waiting for?

Right, you have that cold calling Marathon to run!!

** An overwhelming number of companies are still stuck in the mindset that social media is the domain of marketing rather than sales. As buying patterns continue to evolve this is an increasingly dangerous position to take. More and more every day, buyers are reaching out via social channels rather than phone or email, and your sales team needs to be equipped to properly follow-up with these leads. **

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@TRsocialselling || @ExpoSalesLtd