With technology advancing at an exponential rate, we often hear from tech experts and business gurus foretelling a future where so many of the basic things that are currently integral to our daily lives at work will eventually become obsolete. But the exact moment when the glorious vision of “the future” arrives can be hard to predict. We’re now fourteen years past the year 2000, with numerous failures to launch of that science fiction turn-of-the-millennium benchmark. We still have no flying cars, no jet packs, and — can you believe it? — people in the sales industry are still cold calling!
The truth is, some “old fashioned” elements of the sales business are not going away anytime soon. Despite all the great technology that makes sales more efficient, there is still a role for the simple, low-tech activity of picking up the phone and starting a conversation. Customer relationship management (CRM) systems are wonderful, but someone still needs to build relationships with customers and align solutions with customer needs. And no matter how prevalent tech gadgets become, buyers still need the human element of sales people to help make complex deals happen.
Let’s cut through the hype and take a closer look at a few of the most effective methods of sales that have been with us for decades, and that should still have many productive years remaining in our economy.
Cold Calling
Some sales people resist the word “cold calling” because it sounds intrusive or automated, but whatever you want to call it, there’s no denying that getting on the phone and proactively reaching out to prospective customers can be a highly effective inbound strategy for lead generation. And cold calling is not an “either/or” proposition; many of the same companies who use cold calling also have social platforms and are engaging with prospects online. These companies demonstrate that diverse lead generation strategies are required to sustain a robust sales pipeline. Even the best social media prospecting advertising professionals rely on generating a portion of their leads from old-school methods like cold calling. Do not throw the baby out with the bathwater – keep this method churning to crank out more high quality leads.
Are you hearing grumbling from your sales staff about cold calls? Do they doubt its effectiveness? Analyze their performance to find out if they are poisoning the well of leads from this source through mishandled, rushed, or otherwise bungled customer interactions. Invest in the training and coaching of your sales team to improve their cold-calling satisfaction and results.
Solution Selling
Some experts in marketing are suggesting that we are entering into a new age of the ultra-informed buyer that will not be easily swayed by a solution selling marketing strategy. The customer knows what they need, the experts say, and with the higher levels of transparency and online research, the customer requires less help to make a purchase decision.
I disagree with this idea. In B2B sales, even though customers might be better informed, they still need help from the seller’s side of the table. Identifying the bottlenecks, pains, and frustrations of a customer (which they may not fully be able to self-identify) remains highly effective in getting a sale. Sure, there will be a small percentage of the market that knows exactly what they need and requires no help finding solutions, but the majority of consumers are just as in need of consultative, supportive solution selling as they were before the past decade of technology gains. With the right salesperson at work, solution selling is still good opportunity to add value and get deals done.
Salespeople
With information accessible from a smartphone, tablet, computer, and soon from wearable devices like smartwatches or Google Glass, why would we need living, breathing, human salespeople to get between the buyer and seller? According to recent research from the Information Technology Sales and Marketing Association, 70 percent of B2B buyers want to engage with salespeople early in the sales process. This higher value, higher risk sale tends to demand more personal contact that only a salesperson can provide.
Salespeople help customers understand their choices, play out scenarios of a purchase decision, identify priority solutions needed by the customer, and set a timeline for implementation of a complex solution. By understanding the full picture of the customer’s business needs, and sharing empathy for the challenges faced, a great salesperson can show the value they bring throughout the sale, even given the technology of today.
Be careful to balance out the optimism of the technological efficiency gains promised in our future with real-world applications today. You will be prepared to adopt new sales tools while still churning out effective lead generation results with proven systems.
The post Whatever You Call It, Its Still ‘Cold Calling’ appeared first on AllBusiness.com
The post Whatever You Call It, Its Still ‘Cold Calling’ appeared first on AllBusiness.com.