Many sales people start the year with, if not quite a blank, well a challenging sales pipeline. Particularly in the sectors that are deeply affected with the economic downturn. If you analyse every sale you got last year, in order to get the sales and deliver the product and solution to customer, you fulfilled a number of sales phases well and continually advanced from one phase to the next in an effective manner.

Without Phase 1, Forget It.
The first phase was actually your first meeting or your first call with the client or a phone call to a gatekeeper maybe.  So, without the first meeting or first call, there is NO sales. It is not rocket science, but what is required in early 2011 is a combination of motivation, a passion to sell or to help a prospective customer and focus on your own and the sales reward. It is also vital that your sales process is very tight and that you follow it to the letter.

This impacts your sales pipeline and to keep the sales flow coming. It includes pre-call plans and your own debrief after each call, self coaching. Calls and appointments are therefore crucial. But don’t make the same mistake over and over. Try different approaches.

Don’t Be A Pest.
Let me emphasise one key point right away. if You Want To Get More Sales Appointment, Stop Selling The Product !  Stop chasing people about your great new product. The person isn’t interested in your product, they’re interested in them self, their problems, their career and their world.

If you want them to buy from you, they need to see benefits offered by you and your company. These must be clearly related to their world, and the more you are addressing the top problems they are experiencing, the more they are interested in you. Many people locally have just experienced sever water shortages in their homes and business premises, including restaurants who may go out of business. Do you think that a sales person calling to a restaurant on the last two weeks trying to sell a new range of foods was well received. Well, most likely not. Restaurateurs have been pre-occupied about how they can keep going when they have NO water to cook with and hence lowered revenues.

Where’s Your Focus?
Focus on the client always !!!. Don’t be just another boring self centred sales person. Become a strategic partner where they clearly see
the advantages and benefits and the value that you offer, and that it’s not just a product you are selling. Don’t be a proverbial pest ! If you’re a professional sales person, you actually do know a lot, you can help the customer a lot and understand the customer’s potential problems. Clarify what you think with the customer and share your insights and ideas as an equal partner, and show you are committed to help to increase their productivity, to reduce their costs or to solve some of their other problems. Demonstrate that you don’t just want to make commission from a sale.

How do you comunicate that you are the expert that you are. This is how to get them interested to meet you and to get more sales appointments.

Use your clearly demonstrated knowledge about their world, their competitors and their hassles to get your sales appointments. This is your most powerful ability.

Yes, you must follow a process, have good lists, get referrals and tee up opportunities, but don’t ruin your chances by reverting to out of date stock sales techniques.

Happy customer relationship building in 2011 and I wish you a happy and sucssessful new year and keep developing your selling skills !.