Making Sales Work

Today many salespeople are struggling to make sales work. We see it because as strategists, we work with them every day to improve their sales effectiveness. A common theme we hear is, “It used to work.”

A Simple Statement of Reality

What used to work in the past is no longer effective. We are all able to tune out unwanted messages. If we don’t want junk mail, easy, just register not to receive junk mail. If we don’t want to take a call, simple, screen the call and let it roll to voice mail. If we don’t like the email messages we receive, we can mark them as spam. We can pretty much avoid salespeople altogether and not even have to talk to them.

Why should we?

The new reality is we have all the information we need via the Internet with a simple Google search. There’s no need to talk to a salesperson which only eats up our valuable time. I can find what I want within seconds most of the time. If I want a book I can go to Amazon. If I want to locate a restaurant in the vicinity of where I am at that moment I can use Yelp from my mobile phone. If I want to read Sports Illustrated, I don’t open a magazine anymore, I use my weekly online version. It’s more engaging and provides me with video clips and latest twitter feeds right with the magazine! They created an experience that supersedes a boring magazine all from the convenience of my mobile phone, KindleFire, or iPad.

Times have changed

Yes, times have changed! Salespeople had better learn the new ways to getting their foot in the door and getting the attention of their customer. In the past two years, here’s what’s become blatantly obvious to me:

1. Traditional methods of prospecting don’t work.
2. New strategies are required to shorten sales cycles and improve seller productivity.
3. You are behind if you are not embracing inbound marketing and a thought-leadership mindset.

Today companies can transform their sales results and drive lead-generation with an inbound marketing strategy that attracts online seekers, provides them with high-quality information that addresses the challenges and problems they are trying to solve, and nurtures the relationship until the prospects were ready to meet with a salesperson.

No more of the “same old stuff” will work. Today there is a new price of admission if you want to win new business.