I often use my analogy about landing a plane at an airport (I have actually flown a plane) says Julian. Every attempt to reach out is about looking to land a sale, the same as in landing a plane. You need to firstly make sure you are flying into the right airport, the same as selling/aiming at the right client so not to waste time. If you fail to land the plane, the same as when the person says no, you then have up to three attempts to circle round and try again. As with all flights, you will get some turbulence, the same applies when selling, but if you remain focussed you will succeed.

Often people close far too early, without working on the relationship and building up a picture of their client. Taking the time to understand a potential lead will result in trust and long term business, by going in too early you run the risk of the client refusing to sign up straight away, without listening to the benefits.

Saying No! Often many people are too afraid to close for fear of being told no! They will have a great meeting and come out of it without winning the business. They never asked a closing question! Julian calls it throwing the ball. Just imagine you are throwing a ball across the table, the person opposite will have to react! Never be pushy but you are allowed to ask for business. People don’t often come to you, they are waiting for you to ask them as it means you actually want their business. If you don’t ask it implies you have no interest in them! It is like a child that keeps asking their parent for an ice cream, you know the parent will eventually give in and allow the child to have the ice cream! You must always be closing “AbC’’ (Always be Closing).

Lead Generation – The successful sales person will know that everything is a potential lead, but knowing where your businesses core target lies, will save you time and maximise the potential for results. Understand the type of client you are looking for and how you could benefit their business. Never assume and always be on the look out for new clients all the time says Julian. Generating leads can be as a result of watching TV, bill boards, driving round your local area and spotting businesses, friends, social media, magazines or even products you have at home, if you see the name of a company, look them up, pick up the phone and try to speak with the decision maker, a keen sales person will constantly be on the lookout for leads. Julian compares it to walking along a beach and picking up each and every stone that you come across and turning it over. You have to throw the bad ones into the sea and keep looking for the gold nuggets!. You will know best what you do and the services or products you can provide to these business, so target those companies.

Having the ability to recognise what a good leads look like is key. Avoid time wasting, know which leads are warm and take priority, these are usually referrals. This will become easier the more you know about your business and what your potential clients needs are, so do your research. Julian describes leads as sand dunes, they will change and some bad leads actually turn out to be good leads as times change and needs develop suddenly overnight. You must keep reaching out and keep trying to think about what your ideal target looks like, then you will find yourself good leads and the conversion rate will be much higher.

Always be thinking from the day you come across the lead as to how you can close it, then build a strategy. Have a meeting with the client, learn what type of company they are and gain an insight on their budgets and deadlines. How often have you had a builder or electrician come round to your house and they get an idea of what to charge depending on your house, cars, etc! If you are confident enough you can trial close at any time, this will allow you to find out what is needed for them to become a client, when you know what is required you can then offer it, then make another attempt at sealing the deal. Closing should be a small part of your sales process, as by this point you would have met all the needs of the client and done the hard work, so it should be easy for them to say yes. Remember you are building a bridge and asking your client to come over it with you so you need to be building trust and value as to why they should make that move.

Research Runner offers guidance and advice to all companies that are looking to increase their sales pipelines and improve productivity. For all your sales and lead generation requirements please visit our website www.research-runner.com and contact us for a quote.

16/11/2017 – Heidi Bryant