With the impending threat of AI, and the fact that buying organisations have often completed 70 – 80% of their buying process before a supplier is even contacted, now may be a good time to consider the role of the modern salesperson, and the sales best practices they need to employ.

But first a bold and perhaps for some, a surprising statement. Extensive and comprehensive research confirms time and time again, “the single most important factor influencing the outcome of a sales process, is the salesperson”. Not the product, not the company, the salesperson!

So, what are some of these sales best practices?

The first is “help the buyer to buy”.

In this day and age, buyers have access to a wealth of information and knowledge, without even needing to contact the supplier, and these buyers are experienced and professional. (unlike when I started in sales in the late 1980s!!). What they need assistance with is covered in this article.

Which leads onto the topic of the business case for “change”. Not “investment”, but “change”. There are very few greenfield sites. Most technology solutions are replacing an existing system, which will impact operations, technology and so on. So a solution and pricing needs to factor this in.

This in turn, requires a stronger and more compelling Return on Investment, so the salesperson needs to be able to support and assist the buyer to construct this business case.

As someone who has specialised in new business sales, an additional hurdle to winning new business with a new client is the on boarding of a new vendor. Once again, organisations are more informed of the implications, both in terms of cost, time and risk, and they will build this into their decision making.

This is why the majority of engagements result in a “No Decision”. The status quo is a salesperson’s biggest competitor, alongside other internal competing projects, all vying for the same budget and scarcity of resources. Research finds that No Decision falls by 20% when the salesperson builds a compelling business case, and negotiates creatively.

A salesperson also needs to keep front of mind the following 4 “Whys”: Why Change, Why You, Why Invest, Why Now?

When engaging with the buying organisation, the salesperson needs to aspire to be a trusted advisor, adopting a consultative sales approach. The book The Challenger Sale first published in 2011, is quite deservedly, a top seller and hugely influential. You need to understand the business issues facing the organisation, and be able to explain them in the context of your offering.

Engaging with senior executives early in the process, and mapping out a vision, is scientifically proven to improve the chances of a positive outcome, which aligns with consultative selling, being a trusted advisor and fostering a partnership with the prospect.

Identifying “unconsidered need” is the holy grail. This is a need that the prospect had not considered, but then realised they do. This is an example of a salesperson or organisation really “adding value”. This is invaluable to the prospect. This requires good market knowledge, good product knowledge aligned with good questioning and listening skills.

Getting noticed in the first place is increasingly difficult. Buyers are overwhelmed by emails, phone calls, invites to events, requests for meetings and so on. Research demonstrates that more than six approaches, across multiple mediums is a minimum number of touch points before you are likely to get a response. So the need for tenacity is paramount.

Getting noticed requires piquing the buyer's interest, which in turn requires sharpening up messaging, value propositions and USPs, so you stand out from the crowd. Digital marketing can of course play an important role here, alongside items such as white papers, blogs, and research reports.

To assist with the above, become an expert storyteller. Everyone loves stories, and they are more likely to make an impact. Why? Because they can trigger emotions, and science has proven that people remember more and for longer, anything that triggered emotions.

Which leads me onto behavioural analysis and neuroscience. This continues to advance and be invaluable to the “fine margins” required to be effective and succeed in sales.

One of my biggest bugbears are sales presentations. As a consultant, working with a range of FinTechs, it still astonishes me that the quality continues to be so mixed. A great many are too detailed, and fail to carry a consistent message and theme. “The content fails to help the buyer to buy!!”

My book incorporates a great deal of advanced, neurological insight and research. For example, prospects attending a presentation will only retain 10% of the content presented to them within 48 hours. It is therefore critically important the selling organisation influences the 10% they want the buyer to remember. This can be achieved with meaningful graphics, consistent messaging, and an underlying theme and value proposition.

The probability of developing an opportunity and closing business is substantially improved if the entry into the organisation is by referral. As a salesperson, use your network to provide these referred introductions. Not referrals, but introductions. There is a subtle but important difference.

Developing the theme of the buying process further, the levels of due diligence, governance and consensus decision making has changed substantially over recent times, and this is a good thing. What this means, is that the vast majority of buying processes follow a similar path. Cutting corners rarely pays dividends, and in fact, trying to rush a prospect typically results in a process actually slowing down!

During each step, it is important that the salesperson knows what the buyer needs.

If a proactive approach has piqued the interest of a prospect, then at the outset, it may be information that addresses questions such as: Should I even be considering this type of solution or service? Why do I need it? What are my peers doing? What are the industry trends?

Ideally this should be with a Senior Executive.

Once this stage is complete, then the buying organisation will need to evaluate how does this particular solution potentially address my needs, and how does it compare with other options, namely competition or an in-house development? What impact will it have on the organisation, and how disruptive will it be operationally, technically and culturally.

During the final stages, there’s a need to support the buyer to put together a compelling business case for change.

END

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If you enjoyed reading the above article then be sure to buy Michael’s book Sales Unplugged: The Invaluable “Go To Guide” For Busy B2B Salespeople.

It’s available for pre order from all popular book retailers such as Waterstones here.

Whilst you’re here why not browse some of the content published by Excelsior Search, in our blog section Hiring & Career Insights.

Sales Unplugged: So What Are The Needs of Modern Day B2B Salespeople?