The three sales essentials that make for effective selling

When we meet with leaders to discuss their sales challenges in achieving sales effectiveness we find that the source of their problems often stem from three key areas: sales planning, sales prospecting and effective sales communication with clients.

Whatever our vocation, we all need to make contact with and communicate effectively to secure the ongoing custom of members, supporters, sponsors or clients to make a living. Yet too many people still leave selling to chance. They do not have a robust sales process in place that works for them or their business, product or service.

Because this optimal process is not internally articulated, sales managers are often left unable to teach and transfer the necessary thinking, skills, knowledge and frameworks needed for effective and sustained sales performance. These processes have not been mapped in a logical and easy to follow process. Instead, they often rely on experienced and successful sales people who sell by intuition and cannot explain what they do that makes them good at what they do.

For 16 years we have been putting selling under the microscope and have been mapping the knowledge, skills and insights needed for successful selling into three essential processes that set the foundations of much of the work we do with clients:

1. A Sales Planning process – to create an actionable go-to-market sales plan.

2. A Sales Prospecting process – to prospect successfully.

3. A Sales Communication process – to have productive dialogues with clients and prospects.

When sales people and their managers are provided with these documented processes and taught how to use them competently and confidently, we find a dramatic shift in sales capability and sales performance. These three essential sales processes are the foundations to an effective sales team. They are not everything a sales team must know to be effective, but without these three sales essentials in place sales, success is left to chance. Delivered to sales teams in an interactive way where they can learn the processes while applying them to their business is the best way to get traction. Then reinforcing these processes with follow up sessions and targeted coaching means that these sales essentials have a chance of becoming a ‘way of life’ rather than a fad.

At the very least your sales people should be able to:

• Develop a co-to-market sales action plan that tells you: Who you need to be in front of, how you need to get in front of them and how often you need to do it to make it all worthwhile.
• Know how to make an effective prospecting call and prospect on a daily basis. It’s the first thing that has to happen if you want to make a sale.
• Communicate effectively by asking people about their priorities, problems and objectives before you talk about yourself and what you have to offer.

When you give people what they need they start to get traction and grow. Do yourself a favour and make sure you and your sales people are well equipped with the three sales essentials.

Remember, everybody lives by selling something.

Sue Barrett practices as a coach, advisor, speaker, facilitator, consultant and writer and works across all market segments with her skilful team at BARRETT. Sue and her team take the guess work out of selling and help people from many different careers become aware of their sales capabilities and enable them to take the steps to becoming effective and productive when it comes to selling, sales coaching or sales leadership.To hone your sales skills or learn how to sell go to www.barrett.com.au.