Any sales methodology used in your business underpins the process, the steps your people follow and ultimately their performance. It is important for sales leaders to develop a qualifying methodology to determine a lead’s purchasing capacity, needs and process.
Implementing a methodology that doesn’t align with your buyer personas, customer needs and business objectives may have a negative impact. I’ve lost count of the amount of business leaders that have suggested they have a ‘closing’ problem when in fact they have an issue with their qualification methods.
The methodology you choose will depend on your product (or service) along with it’s complexity and price point. Another consideration is your customers buying preference. But ultimately, it should provide both your sales resources and your prospects to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome. Look for methodologies that provide prospects with value. Education and providing information is one of the best ways to establish trust and improve performance – ‘don’t sell me tell me’.
Perhaps using a standardised qualifying template for your sales team to follow to achieve continuity in customer experience and irradicate unnecessary activity and wasted time is one component to apply.
However, an overarching factor, no matter what sales methodology you use, is consistency. Ensuring everyone in the sales team is speaking the same language, following the same steps to consistently closing deals and achieving sales success. Identify what you are trying to accomplish in the overall sales cycle and build your playbook around it. Frame conversations around buyer needs and sales opportunities to establish a proposed solution, always leveraging your most compelling sales material.
Consistent sales success depends on sizing up opportunities and focussing on the ones with the greatest potential. Once your methodology is in place, don’t get hoodwinked into letting your sales people tell you how busy they are and how many deals they’re following up – be rigorous and ask questions of them to ensure they are qualifying their opportunities. Asking the right questions may lead to them not being as busy as they think they are!