Peady’s Selling Engagement

 
Sales as a profession is going through a period of extraordinary change. Are you struggling or are you ahead of the curve? Do you want some ideas?
Welcome to this week’s post on sales and selling success.

1. According to Salesforce 57%of sales people anticipate that they will not hit their numbers this year. 
2. Sandler Training says that many salespeople are finding they don’t have all the resources to compete and keep upin rapidly-changing markets. 
3. Sales Hero says the great challenge for 2019 is becoming more productiveas too many salespeople are tied up in non-sales activity.

Do these three points resonate with you? What’s your plan? 
The starting point
To become the sales professional, you aspire to be here are some important things you need to address (or at least consider):

• Know your metrics – you can’t manage what you can’t measure. What I mean by metrics is your performance across a number of areas and activities. Such as prospect conversion rate from qualification to a meeting; how many meetings end up with a proposal; close rates and YoY customer churn.
• Read voraciously. Sales is no different than any other profession. To improve, you must consume information that you can apply to your craft, knowledge is the key to success. That’s why sales leaders read – they want to be at the forefront of sales and selling trends.
• Nurture your business relationships. Customers don’t want to feel like they are just a number otherwise they leave. Relationship selling is one of the most important tactics you can master and with sales cycles becoming longer networking and the relationships you build at the various decision-making levels are a necessity.
• Have a strong online presence. This creates your personal brand, drives your market awareness and is a critical asset for the 2019 sales pro! Your LinkedIn profile, the written and video blogs you post, and your other social activity define you and allow prospective customers to gain a snapshot of who they are dealing with.
• Continually grow your skillset. Ambition and self-motivation are at the core of every successful salesperson that’s why those at the top are constantly searching for ways they can improve their skills. It’s important to constantly “sharpen your sword” by participating in online, offline training courses and activities.
• Set goals with a clear and achievable outcome. If your only goal is to achieve budget or quota you’re selling yourself short. By setting personal and professional gaols you give yourself the competitive edge. Reps who stick to a goal-oriented plan perform on average 30% better than those who don’t. 
• Make your CRM a friend. After the initial “pain” your CRM system can make you more successful across four main areas: Better search, sort and qualification of prospects, managing your pipeline, follow up opportunities systematically and measure your metrics to achieve or exceed target.
• Create a more personalised and consultative customer engagement. The most effective salespeople show a deep understanding of what customers need and position themselves as a solutions provider and expert they can trust. This understanding builds trust and ultimately more business over time. 

What works best for you? Take the advice, use it and make 2019 your year to be truly great!
 

About the author 

Stephen Pead is a media industry veteran of 30 years with significant experience in direct sales, sales management and general management. He is based in Sydney and specialises in helping SME’s market their businesses more effectively and providing training for salespeople and sales managers.

He can be contacted at [email protected]