Win in the New Game of Sales
The days of betting everything on your quarterly quota are over.
And if recent research is anything to go by, that might not actually be a bad thing. You may have already heard that a whopping 57% of Salespeople don't expect to hit quota this year.
It's a sobering statistic, to say the least.
If you want to outlast the competition and claim your position at the topic of your industry, you need to be ready to outthink the disruptors and build a steady stream of loyal long-term business. It's a challenge, for sure. But not an impossible one. Here are some forward-focused approaches to help you stay ahead of the game.
1. Become an influencer.
Don't worry. We're not talking about the kind of influencer that spends hours posing for Instagram pictures and wears T-shirts with the word "influencer" printed on them.
But what if you were the kind of person your prospects could count on to deliver the best insights on what's happening in their market? What if you were the go-to source of info and yes, even inspiration about how to win in their industry?
2. Become the person leads can go to for consistent advice and motivation — and you can bet they'll keep coming back.
Remember that 92% of buyers trust referrals from people they know. The reason influencers are effective in the first place is because they know how to deliver the kind of insightful intel you'd expect from a true expert using an authentic communication style like that of a trusted coach or friend.
3. Lead a rock star team.
Transformative times call for adaptive strategies. You may find you need to pivot your team faster and more dramatically than ever before. But the harsh reality is, most change management programs fail.
According to a Towers Watson survey, only 25% of employers succeed in implementing long-term changes, with the biggest gap in the system being the connection and communication between the leadership team and ground-level players. While 87% of employers feel they do a good job training their managers for change, only 22% of managers feel they were properly prepped for change.
That's just not good enough. Your team needs regular hits of empowerment, backed by a solid system for accountability in order to not only keep them on track but also keep them engaged when you need to shift gears.
4. Outsmart automation.
The thing about technology is that if you don't run it, it runs you.
We're facing the biggest wave of disruption, maybe ever, and the sales reps with the best chance of making it out the other side will be those who find a way to use these tools to their advantage.
We know you're busy with your day-to-day grind. But if you change just one thing, make sure you carve out some time to sit down and really think about what your prospects need from you. Then, set up your tech tools to deliver on those expectations better than anyone else.
5. Choose your strategy wisely.
As technology continues to change the game, the question of which tools you're using matters less and less.
What matters more than anything else in the new game of sales is how you use those tools. And in our opinion, when others go hard on the tech side, it's a good time go hard on the human side. Line up your tech stack to help you save time on the things that take you away from your customers. Transaction management, lead warm-up and admin are all things that should no longer be on your plate in this day and age.
The question is, how will you reinvest that time to get more business?
The answer to that will always vary based on your unique strengths and industry niche, but despite the hype, the answers are out there for those who are brave enough to seek them.
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