We get this question a lot–and have for the last year. What people are really saying is that their current sales strategy isn’t working so well–and do we need to change it?
Yes.
Not sure how more direct to be. The reason I know your sales strategy is off-track is your closing percentage. It’s rare for a closing / conversion percentage (deals proposed to deals closed) to be higher than 20%.
Doesn’t that seem absurd to you? That 80% of people who care enough about your product to entertain a proposal–don’t see anything of value–and either don’t buy at all, or buy from another vendor?
That should tell you you’ve got a problem with your sales strategy.
So What Should Sales Strategy Be?
Simple. Rather than tell you what it should be, let me do you a favor and give you a bigger lesson–what should it revolve around?
Your sales strategy should revolve around client pain and possibility. That is, your features and benefits shouldn’t enter into the strategy until you first hear the prospect MUST change how they’re doing things to survive. And your sales training should as well.
If they don’t tell you that, then you don’t have a prospect.
So, the next time you lose a piece of business, ask yourself if your strategy really revolved around your prospect. Or, if you wimped out on them and focused too much on yourself. The answer’s real easy if you have the courage to look.
