Research Shows Your Team Could Be Approaching Sales All Wrong – Here’s What To Do Instead - Forbes

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In the media and in our board rooms, charismatic men and women in flashy suits, cold calling leads and constantly closing has permeated global culture for decades. While it may seem that these portrayals and generalizations have taken a backseat – especially in tech startups and new organizations – many habits and traits have kept a stronghold. From presentation-style sales demos to overly-pushy verbiage, the vestiges of traditional sales teams have remained. Thanks to technology, the world is changing more rapidly than ever though, and holding onto outdated sales techniques could lead to companies falling behind their competitors. 

What Has Changed? 

Today, we live in a digital world where consumers, particularly millennials and Gen Z, are looking to the internet to answer their customer-related questions at an increasing rate. In fact, one study by the Corporate Executive Board surveyed 1,400 B2B customers, and found that consumers typically complete 60% of the purchasing decision (researching solutions, weighing options, ranking alternatives, etc.) prior to speaking with a sales representative. Another report by Forrester found that 84% of millennials would prefer conducting the discovery phase of the sales cycle themselves versus speaking with a sales rep. 

As evidenced by these findings, it’s become clear consumers no longer need a salesperson to push them to make a purchase. Instead, they need a trustworthy, reliable individual hyper-focused on personalizing their customer experience as opposed to presenting canned pitches. Let’s look at four key ways to capitalize on this trend and keep your sales team well-equipped for the future.

Be Ultra-Selective

Across today’s sales landscape, being ultra-selective about who you work with can be an enormous asset for your company – particularly in the B2B environment. This doesn’t mean your prospects need to submit a rigorous application before they hand over their money, but it does mean your sales department should be confident that a client’s needs can be unequivocally solved with your company’s product or service. This way, the chances of a dissatisfied customer will drop dramatically, saving your business from poor reviews, high churn rates and more.

This is where the principle of scarcity comes into play. “Scarcity is the perception that products are more attractive when their availability is limited,” as written by sales expert, Robert Cialdini, in his book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. By letting your prospects know your business is choosy when it comes to who they take on as clients, your services essentially become scarce, naturally increasing the value of your services as a result. 

Transparency Is Everything

According to a 1000-person study by Sprout Social, 85% of respondents claimed they would stop buying from a brand if it lacked transparency. When it comes to conjuring transparency in your company, no half measures can be made – full, unfettered honesty needs to become standard across all aspects of your organization, from product to marketing to sales. With the sales department usually being the first human touchpoint for prospects, transparency is especially important for sales reps.

If your product lacks a specific feature a consumer is looking for, it’s important to be upfront about that and explain why your product doesn’t include that feature. If you discover that a prospect’s needs don’t align with your solution, don’t hesitate to point that lead in a different direction. By doing so, you’ll gain the customer’s trust, which is much more valuable than a single sale. Building trust could result in them coming back to do business with your company in the future when the timing is right.

Invest In Online Content

In 2017, Microsoft found that over half of US customers believe the main reason they can’t resolve a product-related issue on their own is because there isn’t enough information online surrounding the problem. If this is the case for paying customers, then the same pain point applies to prospects as well. Modern-day consumers educate themselves on a solution online prior to buying a product – weighing the pros and cons and determining whether or not the product will solve their particular problems.

To better inform prospects about your solution, the next step is simple: publish more content. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways – a resource center, an FAQ page, product-focused blog posts, white papers, ebooks, video tutorials and more. Investing in written content, whether by hiring an in-house copywriter or an agency, can lead to more qualified prospects and higher close rates for your sales department. Lastly, consider leveraging tools like Zendesk to fill any “content gaps” you might have and provide curious leads with fast responses.

Focus On Coaching And Personalization

Thanks to the internet, in today’s marketplace, it’s likely that leads who reach out to your sales reps will be much more informed on your product than in previous decades. Because of this, it’s important to become more of a coach and less of a traditional salesperson. Customers probably won’t need you to pitch or present – they’ll need you to walk them through your offering and personalize the experience based on their specific needs. 

Personalization can really take your sales and marketing to the next level, and the numbers back up this approach – with one study finding that 63% of consumers today expect a personalized approach to sales and support.

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Research Shows Your Team Could Be Approaching Sales All Wrong – Here’s What To Do Instead - Forbes
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