As a salesperson how you manage your business can communicate volumes about how you perceive your role and the solutions you offer. Ideally, a salesperson should be perceived as having a strong conviction that they are offering something of value to clients. Also, they should be viewed as a trusted peer with your sales prospects and clients. Unfortunately, we may be communicating something very different because of the way we are managing our time and relationships. This could impact our earning potential.
As a seasoned sales professional, I’ve learned that it’s possible that a salesperson could come across as less confident about their solution than they are, and that they could be communicating in a very subtle way that they don’t see themselves as their prospects’ equal.
Let’s look at how this could happen.
Is everyone a serious prospect for you?
It’s important to recognize that not everyone will or should be your customer. The most important part of the lead qualification process is to determine if there is a need and a fit. This is an acknowledgment that not everyone needs your solution immediately and even those who have a need may not be a fit for your specific solution. When you implement a strong lead qualification process, you must take a step back and understand the value that the solution offers a prospect and assess whether the prospect is an ideal candidate for your solution. Doing this assessment with your prospect communicates that you recognize the value your solution provides, and you are not someone who works with everybody. When your prospect recognizes this, you might become more attractive to them as someone to do business with.
Are you always available?
When you connect with a new prospect are you attempting to meet with them immediately – looking for the first moment that they have available time? Or are you sharing that you have a set time each week that you have allocated to meet with new clients and proposing one of those timeslots? Seeking the first available timeslot might cast you as more “needy” than you might like. In addition, it makes sense to allow time to research your prospect before you meet. Having certain days of the week that you meet with clients suggests that your time is in demand and that you have a business process that is well-organized and thoughtful.
Are you working all the time?
We all need personal time. And with all the discussion around work-life balance, there is increasing awareness of the need for it. In fact, by placing limitations on your own time, and creating set work hours, once again, you are demonstrating that you proactively managing your business, not scrambling to meet every need. Of course, there are emergencies that we need to handle, but those should be exceptional. We all need to recharge – and that not only includes taking time for relaxation and family but for engaging in ongoing learning in our field. Placing limits on our time creates the opportunity to recharge, learn, and interact with our clients and customers when we are at our best.
In my experience, salespeople give themselves the best chance for success when they strive for these strong sales management traits.
- They realize that not everyone is their ideal customer and use a robust lead qualification process.
- They organize their time well, including when and how they meet with prospects.
- They work to balance their work activities with their non-work life.
I know that achieving this consistently can be a struggle for some of us, but there is real value in working towards this for our well-being and for how our business is perceived by others.
If you need help bringing out the best in your sales team, reach out to us at One of a Kind Sales. We love cold calling, and we understand the systems that need to be in place to do it effectively. Give us a call at 908-879-2911.
