Posted on 16 March , 2017 by Ana da Silva
According to Sam Sebastian, Managing Director at Google Canada,
71% of consumers consulted the internet before making a definitive purchasing
decision. Now factor in the exponential growth, development and sophistication
that has taken place online over the last 4 years, and you start to see its
importance.
This all maybe well and good you ask, but what does this have to
with salespeople?
People are taking on the research element themselves. Gone are
the days of picking up the phone and calling a trusted vendor. The wealth of
resources now available online in the form of customer reviews, blog posts,
social media and even your company’s very own marketing materials provide them
with enough of an overview, rightly or wrongly, of what your product can offer.
This inherently transforms the relationship between salesperson and consumer
from one of “provider” to “educator”. It is now up to you to guide them,
educate and inform them of the real value your product has relative to their
specific situation, not just slap them with an age-old PowerPoint presentation.
Where do I start?
A good place would be right alongside your potential customers,
online. As a salesperson, what’s your online presence? Do you have a personal
profile on the company website? Is it linked to your social media accounts?
What do you truly know about your product’s presence on the internet?
Establishing a transparent line of communication with your marketing team here
is key; you need to be aware of what content is out there. The questions
consumers are asking and the perceptions built surrounding your product
originate here. By updating yourself with what’s going on online, you’ll be
better prepared for the potential obstacles in the meeting room.
Build good relationships. This point seems so obvious that I
almost left it out, but you must now more than ever take care of your existing
customers and their entire experience through the sales cycle. Why? Because
more and more prospective clients are engaging through their own social
networks, chat rooms and review sites. The people who write these reviews, are
as you’ve probably guessed, those customers we’ve just mentioned. There is
still no better referral than word of mouth, so ensure those words are
positive.
Time is of the essence. According to a study by Harvard Research, lead conversion is
7x higher if contact is made within the hour. This means an effective system
for monitoring your CRM is needed to filter out those that come under this
magic timeframe. If they’ve downloaded an eBook, filled out a price quota,
signed up to a contact form or submitted an information request, then their
interest has been piqued. By not acting during this critical phase you’re
shooting yourself in the foot, losing out on a large chunk of potential
revenue.
Challenge the prospect. Remember, if they’ve chosen to meet you,
they already know a fair deal about your product and importantly, the value it
adds their company. What you need to do is now challenge them, offer solutions
to unforeseen pitfalls that are lurking around the corner. Through their
research they’ll be aware to some extent of the issues they could currently
face, but it’s your job to walk them around the pot holes.
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