Sales Process – Next year, the best story wins

Posted on December 20, 2008 by Karl Goldfield.
Categories: Building a sales plan, Sales Process.

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Sales discount anyone? Sales Training alert! beep squawk beep beep, this is a sales training alert for the global sales community. This is a real emergency, do not try and change your web browser as this sales training alert is essential to your survival as a super star. Whether you are at a fortune 500, a startup tech company, or a retail outlet, the is your sales training alert.

Do you find yourself giving 40% discounts in the second week of March, in July? if the answer is yes, then by all means drop your pants next week. If not, you may find that all it did was force you to give obscene discounts no the second of January.

If it is too late and you are forced to show some heiny to hot your numbers to adjust for a faulty sales process and sales plan, then it is time to retool. Come January things are going to have to change. The problems many face financially will tempt us to enlist in price gouging as a means to maintaining sales, but it is the worst procedure in any process. The budgeting process most executives will instruct their employees to undertake this year will not involve getting finding products on the cheap. The buying process that wise executives will enlist their subordinates in during this year will not change. They will look for solutions to problems and ways to improve the bottom line.

This is the time to look at how you present your value. If the company you are working for does not have a strong story board for you to follow, if they focus on features, functions, and price, then it is time to take matters into your own hands. Call some of those custmers you sold to last year and get some referencable quotes. Write some great copy that talks about results. If you are not a great writer, talk to the wordsmiths in your company and have them help.

The simple fast is that in 2009, more than ever in the history in sales, the most compelling story wins. You will have to back it up with facts and customer experiences, but if you cannot start the telling and get people drawn in, you will be part of the bad news.

That concludes our Sales Training alert!

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5 comments.

Happy Christmahanukwanzakah and festivus for the rest of us! »« Success comes to those that make it

Danielle

Comment on December 20th, 2008.

What an excellent and timely post. I think it is time people start looking to the future. If you know you have the possibility of needing to lower the prices, then it is time to build product value to your customers.

Top Sales Blog

Comment on December 21st, 2008.

For salespeople, one thing that is rarely discussed with massive price discounting is that you have to sell more using this strategy! If you have a quota, do you want to reach it? The lower your prices are, the more you simply have to sell in volume to make it there.

Glenn Carver

Comment on December 22nd, 2008.

Your “story” is everything in sales! For many sales professionals their biggest story (or racket) is why they aren’t selling enough. The biggest story that we tell every day is the story that our “Little Voice” tells us. The hardest sale of the day can be the sale we make to ourselves about the market and our abilities.

2009 WILL be a great year………if that’s your story!

Nance Rosen

Comment on February 10th, 2009.

Social proof: success stories, demonstrations at current clients live or via the web, and even third party endorsements often trigger full price sales. Always work in content that provides social proof for prospects. Typical steps: 1. Get in front of a decision-maker (with buying power). 2.Help him/her articulate the company’s problem, unmet needs and the consequences faced by your prospect and the company if he/she delays the purchase. 3. Deliver social proof. 4. Pause so the prospect can ask you what the next step is. 5. Have a pen on hand to sign the contract.

Adam

Comment on February 26th, 2009.

Excessive discounting nothing more than an attempt to create an artificial compelling event. The problem is everyone involved knows the game. I look at it this way… if I am going to spend my precious time building a truly valuable solution for a prospect, I am darn well not going to throw all that effort out the door because I caved under the pressure of wanting a deal. Keep your pipeline full and this won’t happen!

-Adam