How To Sell Strategically
Today's sales pros are drowning in information. They can mine CRM databases, contact databases, news databases, social networks, and so forth, in order to learn mountains of data about competitors, prospects, and customers. Sales professionals now have so much "information at their fingertips" that they can't find out what's really important.
The solution, according to Ryan Kubacki, president of the sales consulting firm Holden International, is to stop using information tactically and start using it strategically. Here are some quick pointers:
- Step #1: Adopt a strategic selling mentality. Rather than worrying about tactical matters, like your sales pitch, presentation, and closing technique, focus on strategic skills like how to ask successful questions and how to diagnose and clarify customer needs. Do that stuff right, and the tactical stuff won't matter that much. More importantly, it will help you sort through what data is important and what's not.
- Step #2: Create a strategic account plan. Rather than throwing everything you learn about an opportunity into a massive account plan that is dozens of pages long, create an easily-updated account plan (two pages or less) that covers only the information that is key to the development of the account. If you need more background about a particular item, you can always find it on the Web.
- Step #3: Implement an analytical software capability. Rather than letting technology overwhelm you with data, have your manager or IT group provide software that provides at least a basic level of automatic analysis of data - extracting and comparing what's likely to be important and hiding what's likely to be irrelevant.
- Step #4: Schedule time to think strategically. Many sales pros have pro-active sales model that emphasizes direct and frequent contact with the prospect. However, it requires time and effort for a sales professional to digest relevant information, perceive patterns, and determine the unique approach that will work in each unique selling situation.
- Step #5: Measure what's important and strategic. It's now possible to measure sales processes and activities in a myriad of ways. However, this often floods the sales team will be flooded with meaningless metrics. Rather than just measuring lagging indicators (like revenue), measure the leading indicators (like time spent research, coaching and planning) that are most likely to create strategic thinking.
READERS: Any other suggestions?
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