I have worked in Sales for over 25 years!  During that time, I have worked throughout several different industries and been set a variety of challenges.  Whilst in comparison my life as an Interim Manager for Sales is short there is a lot that I have learned throughout these years which feeds into my sales philosophy.

Over these years I have found that Sales as a rule is generic, every company has its own products, services, aims and aspirations.  Here are some general ideas that I have followed and instilled in successful teams that I have managed.

Always be Prospecting

Many salespeople will hear the term ‘always be selling’.  I personally hate this term. For me selling should be a bi-product of a combination of well-constructed and targeted conversations.   As an Interim Sales Manager I would rather my team were ‘always prospecting’.  Prospecting these days is no longer pick up the phone and call as many people as you can. A successful salesperson and Sales Manager will understand there are many resources out there to help. You will need time and you can find out why here.

Always Be Prepared

Knowledge is essential.  Over the years I have sold products across multiple industries.  From day one I always took the additional time required to learn the products and services I was selling.  When I was selling software, I always had a reputation for breaking it.  That is because I spent my own time using the software. Going through training videos, and even reading the user guides and white papers.  When it came to talking to prospects, I could then tailor my conversations to fit their needs.  It is essential for me in Interim Sales Manager roles to ensure that I leave teams with the ability to continue the work I have put in.  So, I will always advocate period for learning and research.  Find out more about being prepared here.

Know How To Approach Your Prospects

My previous points were, if you would like to think of them this way, background work.  Things that a good salesperson will do prior to making an approach to their prospect.  As a Sales Manager, at this point I will know who to contact at your target company. I should have a good idea of the pressures they are under and how your product can help.  Now I need to approach your target. In many instances’ there are multiple stakeholders within a single business.  There are a variety of different ways to approach this initial contact and ultimately it depends on what you are selling. In a B2B world, I will always advocate creating the circumstances for a warm introduction and then calling your prospects on the phone.  Some different techniques for creating a warm introduction can be found here.

Presenting to Your Prospects

Halfway through our sales process and we are finally presenting to our prospects.  This can be done in several different ways, depending on industry.  Personally, I try to make sure that this happens in a face-to-face environment. That could be delivering samples, or actively undertaking a product presentation.  Here is the key for me though, make everything relevant to the discussions that you have been having with your prospects up until this point.  Do not simply drone your way through a Powerpoint presentation. Use it to form the basis of your conversation but talk around it ‘Add Value’ show your knowledge.

Handling Objections

No doubt prospects will have objections, handling those objections is probably the most underrated part of sales.  As a Sales Manager I am always looking for people who can solve problems, why?  Because these are the people who can think of a way to successfully handle a customer’s objections are, inherently good salesperson.  During this stage you will also need to be persistent.  It’s a fact that most unsuccessful salespeople drop out of the process.  44% will stop their pursuit of a prospect after a single objection, 22% after two and so on.  Ultimately the knowledge that 80% of sales require at least 5 follow ups to convert.  Objections will often be one of the following, ‘Contract with Another Company’, ‘Cost’, ‘Fear of Change’, ‘Required Features’ or ‘Timing’.  Here is how to handle these objections.

Closing

The single point in the process where, as a successful Sales Manager I try to close my prospects and turn them into customers.  Despite my prospects never having spent any money with me, by this stage I should be a trusted partner, offering value in every conversation.  Somebody they can rely on and trust, this means that my close is not pressure based and it is not about badgering the customer.  For them I have made been able to position them to make an emotional decision (which is the overpowering factor in decision making) whilst being able to justify it logically.  Do not forget to ask for the order, there are some techniques that you can use to close, you can find them here.

Follow Up

Now I have a customer, yippie, time to move on to the next.  NO!  As I have taken so long to position myself in such a way that I am trusted by the customer, I want to continue conversations.  Make sure they are continuing to be happy and ensuring that we retain their business.   Being a successful Sales Manager and retaining these key relationships also ensures that I have references for prospects to talk to and potentially generates me revenue from referrals.

Conclusion

There is a lot of work that goes into successful sales and a lot of knowledge that fits around being successful.  It is a virtual conveyor belt and as a successful salesperson you will need to make sure that you manage your time very efficiently.  Great time management is essential for success and you can find out more about how I manage my time here.

There are also a number of resources throughout the Wyndham Software website and on our YouTube Channel.