Improve your sales strategy: 6 essential sales tips

In the dynamic world of sales, it is important to continuously refine your strategies and adapt them to changing market conditions. Whether you are a seasoned sales professional or just starting out in sales, there is always room for improvement and growth. In this blog, we share six sales tips to help you improve your skills. From building strong customer relationships to handling objections effectively. Read on and discover how to take your sales strategy to the next level!

Tip 1: Look for "good fit prospects"

Look for companies you want to work with. Based on the ideal industry, revenue and geographic location, you search for your ideal customer. Make sure these are customers to whom you can genuinely add value through the work you will do for that company. Only this way do you create satisfied customers who can go on to serve as evangelists for your business.

Tip 2: Helping instead of closing

Make sure you help people rather than just close deals. By showing that you want to help people without expecting anything in return, you win their trust that you genuinely want to be of value to them without earning money from it right away. "Always be closing" is so 2019. "Always be helping" is the future. It is much more personal, which helps you build a relationship with your potential customers.

Tip 3: research the company and the contact person

No two customers or companies are the same. Make sure you research the company you would like to get in touch with and get to know the person you will be speaking to on the phone, using a number of handy tools you can use for this. Find an angle to get the person's attention during a phone call or email. Below are a few of our favourite tools:

1. CrystalKnows.com - This tool analyses millions of data points and validated assessments to accurately identify someone's personality. Accurately predict someone's personality via their LinkedIn profile or CV.

2. Hunter.io - With this tool you can find email addresses of people within a company within seconds. This lets you reach that "decision maker" faster.

3. ColdCRM.com - Find phone numbers and email addresses of contacts within a company. ColdCRM gives you access to the largest B2B database in the world, with contacts at 43 million companies.

Tip 4: NO script, but active listening

Do not use a call script, but create a playbook with the key points you want to cover and the direction you want the conversation to take. Also make sure you actively listen to what is being said to you. By listening actively, taking notes and pausing occasionally before moving straight on with the conversation, you make sure you do not miss important topics during a call. It looks simple, but it is not. Practise this and make sure you master it properly. Also ask enough questions to find out where a company's particular pain points lie and how you can help.

Tip 5: do not give up

45% of salespeople often give up on approaching a lead after the first call, but do not give up! Make sure you apply the rule of 4. A combination of 4 calls and emails can still get you in touch with the person you want to speak to. By also sending an email after each attempt with some important information (for example, the reason you are calling), you also have a better chance of being called back. Below is an example of how this could be done:

Attempt 1: call and email, first (intro) conversation
Attempt 2: call and email, second message 2 days after the first call
Attempt 3: call and email, third attempt 3 days after the second call
Attempt 4: call and email, stay in touch or move on 2 days after the third call.

In the end, you make four attempts to approach this person over 10 to 12 days. This shows professionalism and perseverance. Also always make sure you leave a voicemail briefly stating why you are calling.

Tip 6: video emails

With sometimes as many as 100 emails a day, it is hard to stand out. So try using video emails. With a tool such as Vidyard, for example, you can quickly and easily record videos of yourself, your screen, or both. This helps you stand out among all the dull emails and increases the chance that your email will be read sooner. You can also use the videos for, for example, a summary after a phone call. It takes a bit of time, but the more often you do it, the easier it gets.

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