Are you looking for ways to make your sales strategy more effective and efficient? You can get better sales results when you practice more of these strategies. See which ones you can implement and notice the results you get.
Sales Efficient Strategy #1. Good enough is good enough.
Be aware the next time you are planning your sales strategy and it seems to go on and on. What are you thinking? Is it that you can make the plan better? Maybe you can. But, maybe your plan is good enough to move forward.There is a mistake that many sales professionals make when they formulate their sales strategies. They think that perfection is the goal of their sales strategy. Perfection is not the goal. Moving the sale forward to the eventual sale is the goal.
Remember what the marines do while you are preparing your sales strategy. The Marine Corps refers to the concept of an 80/20 solution. This means that in urgent situations, one must move quickly to implement the solution. As marines, they can probably address most of the problem with an 80 percent perfected solution. They accept an imperfect solution and plan to improve the solution as they move forward.
The reason this 80/20 strategy is so effective for sales is that you will gain additional, new information after you implement your strategy. You move from what you think might happen to your sale to what actually does happen. Real-world information in sales is more valuable than what you think might happen.
Sales Efficient Strategy #2. Do it right the first time.
This strategy is the opposite extreme of the first strategy. While perfection is what you think you want in the first strategy (and it’s not), this strategy stops you from launching too soon. Pay attention to your gut as you develop your sales strategy. What causes you to think something isn’t quite ready or right? The areas you identify are where you need to dig a little deeper and do more preparation.Rework is what happens when you execute in the ready-fire-aim mode and then your strategy fails. Think about a sales strategy that implements a telemarketing campaign when you know you don’t have the manpower to follow up. You might be making the contacts and reaching your prospects. Then you don’t have the manpower to follow up and the initial contact loses momentum. How can you pick up 6 months later and say to that prospect, “Remember we spoke 6 months ago about your urgent need to reduce costs?” You’ve lost credibility. Maybe even the prospect doesn’t have the need at the later time or worse solved his problem with a purchase from your competitor.
Address the must have parts of your strategy before you execute. Of course, these must have components will be part of the 80 percent of what you need before you implement your strategy.
Sales Efficient Strategy #3. Make your selling easier.
Sales is hard enough without you making it harder. I’m a firm believer in paying attention to everything you can simplify. Simple tends to make things easier. Here’s an example. Notice when you find yourself doing the same task twice. Now it’s time to simplify what you did.Create templates for the same types of letters or reports you write. You should certainly customize the content. Just start with a temple of the repeated information. That way you’re not repeating the same information again and again. Create groups of email recipients for those you regularly email. Be aware of the repeat tasks you do. Simplify them so that the next time they’re easier to do.
Walt Disney once said, “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” Just be sure you’re doing the things that make your selling more efficient.