Are you doing things right?
Aug 04, 2023“My team think they are perfect and won't accept they make mistakes”
Orange Hat series - Sales Director Dilemmas
Sales is a tough gig
We often develop a facade to protect ourselves
However it's most likely they will be making some of these mistakes
1. Waste time and effort
2. Don't know customer well enough
3. Talk about themselves too much
4. Out of date tactics
5. Poor use of process
Of course they aren't deliberate
🔸It might be falling into bad habits
🔸It might be not keeping up with the pace of change
🔸It might be that they've never been shown the right way
Time for some self-reflection
Use questions
As sales professionals we know these help people think... time to put them to good use
A few might be
🔶 Wasted time and effort
- How do you currently prioritise your tasks and activities?
- Can you identify any specific instances where you feel you may have invested too much time without yielding substantial results?
- What strategies or tools do you use to track and measure the effectiveness of your efforts?
🔶 Don't know customer well enough
- How do you approach gathering information about your potential customers before engaging with them?
- Can you recall a recent sales interaction where a lack of customer knowledge impacted the conversation negatively?
- What steps can you take to enhance your understanding of your customers' needs, challenges, and preferences?
🔶 Talk about themselves too much
- During your sales conversations, how much time do you typically spend discussing your products/services versus understanding the customer's requirements?
- Have you received any feedback from customers regarding the balance between your presentation and discussions about them?
- What techniques or strategies can you implement to ensure the focus remains on the customer's needs throughout the meeting?
🔶 Out of date tactics
- How often do you evaluate and update your sales techniques and approaches to align with the current market trends?
- Can you identify any specific instances where you felt your sales tactics were outdated or ineffective in securing a deal?
- What resources or industry-related information do you regularly access to stay informed about the latest sales thinking?
🔶 Poor use of process
- Do you have a defined sales process in place, and if so, how well do you adhere to it during your sales interactions?
- Can you think of any recent instances where you may have deviated from the sales process and encountered challenges as a result?
- How can you ensure consistent and effective utilisation of the sales process to optimise your sales outcomes?
Alternatively feel free to use this scorecard with 35 questions designed to stimulate thinking
https://lnkd.in/eav5yY-i
It will also give a tailored report and some extra resources to explore the shifts they might need to make
(It takes 5 minutes to complete)
Some small adjustments could be all it needs
Are you ready to increase your sales?
The Collaborative Selling Scorecard has been designed to show sales professionals their blind spots and provide instant, actionable steps on how to improve
It’s free and only takes 5 minutes