A look behind the scenes of major buying decisions to identify what differentiates the more successful sales approach from the less effective. Do sales of business critical solutions require smarter methods?
There is a science to effective sales and it has very little to do with “the numbers game”. If you bid on large or complex opportunities you will certainly have experienced the frustration of some or all of the following symptoms:
Common Symptoms
• Considerable time and effort courting prospects that fail to convert.
• Proposals, trials, demonstrations, free consultancy give poor returns.
• Becoming “preferred supplier” for projects that fail to gain funding.
• Forecast opportunities slip from month to month and finally vaporise.
Common Causes
• More focus on “selling to” than “listening to” the prospect.
• Qualification not deep enough to uncover the full picture.
• Insufficient understanding of a prospects’ true “buying status”.
• A tendency to give commitment without gaining commitment.
The true buying status of any organisation can only be determined by identifying and engaging effectively with all key players. It involves asking enough of the right questions of the right people at the right time.
Despite the preaching’s of traditional sales training techniques, selling and closing should only ever be attempted when the prospect is truly primed and only then in appropriate response to their genuine buying signals.
Attempts at premature selling (prior to gaining a true understanding of prospect needs and constraints) and closing (prior to earning enough credibility) have a very high failure rate and damage any overall chances you might have.
A Time To Sell? - To learn more about this author, visit Harry Hayden's Website.
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Dr. John Oda
John Oda Ph.D NLP is a business peak performance expert, an author, and speaker frequently called upon to provide corporate training, workshops and seminars for many companies in the United States. He is an expert in coaching sales and business professionals in overcoming the behaviors and obstacles that may impede their sales results and affect their bottom line. Since 1995, John has created a speaking bureau such topics, which include: time management, sales training, human diversity, leadership programs and etc. He provides companies with a strategic plan to increase their bottom line by over 25 percent yearly. - Visit Dr. John Oda's Website |
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Dianne Crampton
Dianne Crampton is an Executive Leadership Coach and Team Building Consultant and creator of the TIGERS team development model. For the past twenty years she has helped leaders and teams achieve goals with high levels of collaboration and teamwork.
Crampton is a published author. Her contribution to Working Together: Diversity As Opportunity was endorsed by Stephen Covey. She has written for trade magazines. Merrill Lynch nominated her business for Inc. Magazine’s regional small business and entrepreneurial awards. Her work with Native Americans was recognized at a United Nations sponsored conference in 1994.
The TIGERS model passed two rigorous validation studies in 1992 and 1994. The TIGERS Survey is able to measure and track team development over time.
Dianne is also the creator and distributor of the TIGERS Team Wheel game. This game helps groups identify behaviors that build collaborative groups and behaviors that cause conflict, morale problems, production failures, and misunderstandings.
For more information, or to subscribe to TigerTracks, a free monthly leadership and team newsletter go to http://www.corevalues.com - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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Harry Hayden
(Visit Harry's Website)
Harry is a results driven sales coach and
sales management trainer. He has a very
creative analytical mind and has long
nurtured an intensive interest in the
psychology and human dynamics behind major
buying decisions. He has coached and
mentored many companies, helping them
break through barriers to accelerate their
growth. His approach is consultative,
always working closely with client
management.
Harry has a 24 year history of success in
business solutions sales, working at
senior level for several multinationals
where he led high performing European
teams selling complex solutions at
director level. He has also served on the
boards of smaller companies, introducing
successful selling strategies that
resulted in significant sustained business
growth.
See www.performcoaching.com/bio.asp
for more
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