To be a successful marketer, you need to close sales, but that can be difficult even for the most experienced in their field. Closing isn’t usually the source of the problem; there is likely a broken link in the sales process that needs your attention if you want to secure clients. Follow these guidelines to avoid missed sales opportunities and build a strong customer network.
Use Software for Sale Engagement
Remembering every detail of an interaction isn’t always easy, especially if you have multiple meetings per day with different clients. Researching the client and creating a script is one of the surest ways to close a sale, so it’s essential that you stay organized. Sales engagement software can help you with this vital task by optimizing interactions with buyers. Sales engagement software helps sellers understand which activities were the most effective, increase productivity, and organizes their cadence with various sales intelligent tools.
Always Measure Sales Activity
Knowing where your faults are as a salesperson can help you improve on them, but if you’re unsure what metrics are the lowest, it will be difficult to buckle down and study. There’s also the possibility that you’re increasing your sales numbers slightly without knowing why. Start monitoring your sales activities in real-time, ideally with a program, to see how many new contracts, new companies, and new deals you proposed. Compare those numbers with your closing numbers to see how bad pitches can improve or how good pitches can close faster.
Set Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Goals
It’s hard to be productive if you don’t know what you’re working towards. Something as simple as “speaking to one client” as a daily goal can put your sales team in a position of reaching new heights. You can separate daily goals into smaller, more achievable ones like calls made, emails sent, meeting booked, and notes logged. Setting daily goals can also make weekly projects feel more attainable and monthly campaigns a breeze. If you’re noticing a salesperson doing better than what you asked, offer extra vacation days or a monetary bonus as a thank you present.
Don’t Focus on the Wrong Activity
Since the issue here is closing, it would make sense to set a goal related to closing, right? Wrong. Default sales advice is to put more sales in the top of your funnel, but that may not work for your team if you have finite prospects. It’s better to focus on the activity that leads to the sale, not the sale itself. Sales is a numbers game, and the more people you speak to, the more likely you are to close multiple sales per month. As an alternative, you could set goals related to your product or pitch that worked in the past, like always meeting at a cafe, for example.
Have Weekly Team Meetings
Having one meeting per day can halt progress significantly because it pulls your sales team out of their work to discuss something that could have been left to a single discussion. You should always follow up expectations with a meeting, but only if the meeting needs to happen. Combine a sales figure meeting with other helpful topics on a Monday to motivate your team for the rest of the week. To make these meetings effective, ask everyone to share their plan and goals. If they keep missing these targets, there needs to be a goal adjustment or a coaching session.
Ask Team Members to Hold Each Other Accountable
Every member of the sales team will have individual goals, but if one person keeps falling short, usually another person has to make up for lost time. It’s a great idea to section off team members into a “buddy system” so each person can motivate each other to reach their goals. Make sure not to make the process too competitive because it could foster resentment. Instead, state that everybody wins if each person achieves their targets. Rotate buddies if someone isn’t hitting their goals to see if they perform better or are motivated by a more experienced member.
Follow By Example
“Do as I say, not as I do” doesn’t even work for children. Your sales team isn’t going to stay disciplined if their leader has bad habits that they pass on to their workforce. It’s vital that you show the effort you’re putting in to reach out to clients and close sales by reaching sales metrics. The famous Glengarry Glen Ross quote “coffee’s for closers” should ring true here, but switch it up to a more maintainable goal to motivate others. You should also hold yourself to the same standard and withhold rewards until a team or personal plan is completed.
Praise Your Sales Team Often
There is nothing more motivating and being praised by your superiors. Your sales team wants to feel like they’re contributing to the company, but if their high-ups don’t say they’re great employees, they may not believe it themselves. Congratulate individual salespeople at team meetings, and explain why their commitment is inspiring. However, if a team member is falling behind, don’t make them feel embarrassed in front of their coworkers. Speak to them in private about how you can help them eliminate blind spots and excel in their chosen profession.
