In the past few decades, sales have changed significantly. Desperate door-to-door salespeople and boiler rooms have transformed into strategy-minded teams using technology and research to learn who their potential customers are and what they are looking for.  In the light of the current pandemic this has simply been magnified.

However, the prospects they are targeting also have access to research and technology. These individuals are using resources to help them make better and smarter buying decisions.

This results in customers being much more likely to make a purchase based on value, rather than the “smooth-talking” sale rep or impressive ad. In fact, most prospects will completely ignore calls, skip commercials, install ad blocking software on their computer, and post “no soliciting” signs on their door.

Now is the time for sales reps to adjust to this new climate if they want to continue being successful. People do not want to feel like they are being “sold to,” instead, they want someone to help them make more informed decisions. To do this, embracing the latest technology, such as route planning software, is a must, but it may not be enough. It is also necessary to learn about the challenges sales teams face today, which provides more insight regarding how to overcome them and ensure sales numbers remain high.

Finding Qualified Leads

If your company relies on sales reps for sale, issues with ignored emails and failed cold calls are a significant problem. There are some tips that reps can use to ensure a prospect is interested in what is being offered.

Take time to have sales reps do research ahead of time and to create customer personas. This is a good way to ensure the sales rep is coming to the prospective customer with a specific solution to the problem they have. At this point, the sales rep should get in touch with the prospect to present the solution they offer. The sales rep needs to understand how a problem occurred and if they are because of changes in the customer’s industry or something else.

 

At this point, offering a free trial, demo, or even scheduling a follow-up sales call can be beneficial. Be sure to suspend all phone calls or emails related to the product or sales efforts until the customer responds. It is also beneficial for a sales rep to send helpful and informative content that will establish their sales team as a credible leader that the customer can trust and eventually make a purchase from.

Know When It Is Time to Move on From Cold Sales

Each sales rep usually finds a few leads that agree to one or several meetings, and then the deal stalls and fails without any real explanation. Just waiting around for a turnaround on these types of cold deals is often a huge waste of time. It can also result in the sales rep missing out on much better opportunities.

There is a right and wrong way to handle cold sales. For example, if the sales rep believes there is some hope, they should reach out to potential customers with timely and related events. These include things like earnings reports, office openings, and product lines. The goal is to find legitimate excuses to help re-engage these prospects.

It is also necessary for sales reps to show a prospect they have done their research and engage them with helpful resources and content. If things seem to have failed altogether, sales reps should try to figure out or find out why this happened – it may include asking the prospect for information.

In many cases, just adjusting the sales process will be enough to ensure the same does not happen with future sales.

Overcoming Sales Related Issues 

The sales industry is changing. Modern sales reps must take steps to keep up with these changes, or they may discover their efforts are failing while their competition is gaining traction and finding success. Being informed and knowing what challenges face this industry is a good first step.