Being successful in sales requires flexibility. Without a willingness to adapt to new trends, changing customer preferences, and growing markets, you’re bound to fall behind your competition. With new products and processes popping up every other week, change isn’t just welcomed in sales, it’s expected. But even the best prepared reps weren’t ready for the changes we saw in 2021.
You've put in the work, you know your solution is a good fit for your prospect, and you’re eager to get the project off the ground. But before you can sign, seal, and deliver the deal, one final obstacle stands in the way: the dreaded closing conversation where you ask for the sale. In this post, I’ll walk through the 10 top takeaways from my conversation with sales legend and master closer, John Barrows.
Sales is a bit like fishing. There’s nothing stopping you from going out and casting your line into the open water; if you’re lucky, you might even catch a couple. But after enough time chasing nibbles and pulling up a few boots, you’ll come to realize that this approach isn’t so effective.
The problem is, it’s tough to bring home the big ones when you can’t see what’s under the surface. Without visibility, you have no way of knowing what’s working, what’s not, or what you need to do to reel in your catch.
Like fishing, technology is the key to getting a deeper look. Many fishers use fish finders to gain an advantage, but in the sales world, there’s sales tracking software.
Of all of the recent sales opportunities you’ve had, how many of them did you close?
Whether you’re on a hot streak or stuck in a sales slump, most reps can agree that closing is a pivotal moment that almost every deal rides on. It’s the one point that can make or break any deal, and unless you can somehow manage to sell your prospect before delivering your closing/final pitch, it’s unavoidable.
So if you want to crush your quota, you’ll need to learn how to master the close. We’ve rounded up 8 of our best sales closing tips to help you get prospects on board and win more business.
When it comes to proposals, it’s no secret that automation is the way of the future. Why spend time putting together docs manually when you can automate the process to skip the hassle, reduce room for error, and get proposals out the door sooner? In this post, we make the infographic argument that proposal automation is the only way to go if you and your team are serious about sending impressive proposals that get deals done—without the agonizing admin.
As the head of your squad, you already know that sales is a battlefield when your reps are unprepared. Whether they’re new and unfamiliar with your processes, eager to try out an approach they saw on LinkedIn, or just disconnected from the rest of your team, the outcome is rarely a positive one. In order to set your reps up for sales success, you need to arm your troops with a sales playbook. If you’re wondering where to start, take a deep dive into our 8-step sales playbook template to learn how to create one. If you’re still not convinced, or you just want to understand why a playbook is key to success in sales, keep reading.
Business proposals are your reps’ best, and sometimes final, chance to seal the deal. They help prospects see the value in your offering, explain why your solution is the best one, and lay down a clear path towards a successful working relationship. With so much hinging on getting them right, sending proposals manually is no longer sufficient. In 2021, there’s no excuse not to be using proposal software.
Sales is all about helping people solve problems. No matter how you sell, the key to closing deals is showing your prospects how the value you add can solve their business challenges. And the best way to show value is to ask the right questions. The next time your prospect is on the fence at closing time, try these battle-tested sales closing questions designed to bring it home.
From software to analytics and beyond, many companies spend significant resources measuring and tracking their top-of-funnel activities. And that’s great, because the top of the funnel is essential for generating quality leads and it only becomes more effective when decisions are backed by data. But it’s not so great when they neglect the bottom of the funnel — you know, the part that’s crucial for generating revenue.
Your business proposal can be one of the most valuable assets to help you get deals over the line. But even at this late stage in the sales cycle, you’re probably not the only one competing for your prospect’s business. If you want to stand out in a crowded business deal, your proposal needs to shine. These data-backed proposal best practices will help take yours from average to ace.
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