Summer is a time for family adventures, some outdoor fun and perhaps even some downtime and relaxation for both salespeople and their prospects and clients. But there are plenty of sales strategies that you and your team can still focus on and implement. Here are six that we recommend:
1. Enjoy the journey
As you think about your sales strategies this summer, you must understand that the journey may take longer, and you will likely run into detours, accidents, and slowdowns.
If you do not slow down and enjoy each stop along the way, you will become irritable and frustrated. This will cause you to move things along faster and, when you do, you will miss steps and sights along the way, and potentially damage relationships. Slow down and enjoy the ride!
2. Have a process and follow the process
What we know thanks to our sales evaluation partner, Objective Management Group, is that 95% of top producers (roughly only 25% of all 3 million salespeople assessed) follow a consistent sales process. What is important to note today, though, is that the process is more of an approach to help the salesperson focus on the buyer's process.
Have a milestone-centric system within your CRM so that you can check off each step along the way. This is the best way to make sure that you are following a sales strategy that fully qualifies a prospect, for their sake and yours.
3. Sales growth requires nurturing
No matter where you are in your career, you need nurturing. You must replenish yourself with new information, be reminded of what you've done in the past that led to success, and receive coaching to improve skills and change behaviors.
Find time this summer to search and find new resources to help you refine your sales strategies. Here is our list of recommended reading from our sales experts, and listen to some of the top sales podcasts. Summer is a great time to nurture yourself!
4. Do your homework
It makes sense to do some homework before you call on someone, especially when cold calling. You must get a feel for their business, challenges, organizational structure, and find out anything you can about their current business state. This helps you frame your questions so that you sound well-informed about them and their industry. This knowledge and understanding help you more quickly establish credibility.
Understand that what you think you know might not be true. Not that a company would intentionally lie or be misleading, but understand that they are looking to put their best foot forward. So be cautious, ask more questions, and work to validate what you think you know and inquire about what you don't.
5. Record the adventure
Record your notes in your CRM. Check off steps as you complete them. Any documents you send, make sure you upload them to the prospect's file. One of the best sales strategies of all time is to be willing to discuss your opportunities with others so you can learn, and they can learn.
Go back and look at your notes as you progress through the process, so that you do not have to remember everything. It's DOCUMENTED! This will free you up to pay closer attention when you are meeting with your prospect.
6. Someone always needs help
There are plenty of people in your marketplace that need help. Not just any help but specialized help. To be that specialized resource, you cannot look, act, and sound like everyone else. You must have a different approach, have different conversations, and focus on pressing issues and business solutions instead of your products and services. Summer is a great time to refine your unique selling advantage!
Summer will keep moving whether you slow down or not. The salespeople who come out ahead aren't the ones who push harder through July and August. They're the ones who stay in the process, take care of themselves, and keep showing up for the people who need them. Enjoy the season, but don't check out on your sales strategies. Your pipeline will thank you in the fall.
