Geoffrey James recently posted in the bNet Sales Machine blog about some of the qualities a “salesperson of the future” should possess. The post is a compilation of the best answers he received from CEOs and sales experts, some of which are right on track with our thinking.
One particular trait he highlights is the ability to be a collaborator rather than a communicator. The article states that both sales reps and customers are generally very familiar with each others’ business. Because of this, the process of selling should be more about hammering out the details in order to come to a deeper understanding and mutually beneficial agreement – rather than the sales rep just, well, selling (aka only providing information and not working with the prospect).
To that point, you can never be too prepared. If you’re a salesperson of the future (and I’m sure you are), the more information you have about your customers and prospects the better.
“In general, sales professionals who exceed expectations do so because they are more informed and have better prepared themselves than their counterparts.” Says Bill Murphy, Director of Channel Sales, OneSource. “Using external resources to keep yourself current as well as using information services to gain insight into each call are essential tactics for staying on top in sales.”
Make sure you’re leveraging a data source that can provide you with accurate, up-to-date information. This information will not only arm you for a discussion with your client, but provide you with enough information about what they might be looking for – the holes they might be trying to fill- to help them achieve their goals.