I am often asked this question and I think it should be changed to “what does an effective sales team sound like?” That’s easier to answer. I’m in a sales office at 08:00 in the morning and it’s noisy. Sales executives are making sales calls, they’re on headsets and waving arms in the air as they walk around.
Others are enthusiastically planning the morning’s calls and discussing the goals for today. Another group are reviewing yesterday’s objections and how they intend to respond. I can hear the usual banter, gossip and jokes mixed in with professional sales conversations. I can feel motivation and self-belief in the air and hear loud applause when sales figures are marked up on the whiteboard.
Recently, one of my clients was complaining about how difficult it is to get hold of the prospect again after sending them a written proposal. He told me that this happens often; he has a good sales meeting, the prospect seems eager to proceed and invites him to follow-up with an email. Then nothing.
I asked if I could have a look at one of his proposals. When I’d read it, I phoned him and asked him to tell me what he thought the prospect would gain by working with him. I wanted him to tell me why the prospect should say yes. So he did. In fact, he spent three to four minutes on the phone explaining the benefits and outlining the value for the prospect in a very persuasive manner.
I’m playing the prospect in a roleplay with a salesperson who is currently handling my objections. The sales exec is delivering rebuttals in response to my concerns and he’s doing well. But he shouldn’t be having to do this in the first place…
When we finish the session, I applaud his determination and tenacity in addressing the issues. Then I point out that the reason he’s good at handling objections is because he isn’t good at questioning. In fact he found out very little about the prospect before he launched into his sales pitch. He thinks he was selling but I think he was telling.
The sales community is very fortunate. We have a universe of experienced sales professionals constantly posting information and advice about how to be a better sales person. I find this hugely informative and immensely useful and it made me think that perhaps I should contribute as well. So here’s some observations on getting started. Hope you find them helpful.