When selling B2B (business to business), there truly aren’t any real shortcuts to success. Sure, some sales reps, managers and coaches may claim there are ways to shorten sales cycles however we do not believe there are shortcuts to accelerating your sales funnel.
On top of this, we believe that, if trained in the right way, B2B sales professionals should have the humility and authority to accept when things don’t work out, and when they should detach themselves from the deal, as sometimes, this means that focus can be better spent on those prospects with a higher chance of converting.
Similar to pruning a rose bush in certain areas to allow for more flourish growth elsewhere.
Over the years, I have had the pleasure of working with and alongside some of the best B2B sales teams in the world and I have put together my list of traps that some sales people fall into, and how these could hold you back.
- Not Asking The Right Questions
Some B2B sales people I have worked with become quite tunnel-visioned in their demo calls, consultancy calls or general meetings. They have ticked a box, and forget that their real motive is to see if the prospect is interested in what they are selling.
Alongside this, to avoid rejections, some sales people will ask lighter questions that do not reveal much about how the conversation will go. Sometimes however, you have to go for the throat and act more like a hard-nosed journalist to get what you want. Try using questions such as:
- How badly do you need a product like ours?
- What problems are you trying to solve?
- Do you have a budget and a timeline?
- Who would make the final decision in this?
- Rushing Prospects
A lot of the sales training I deliver focusses around following up with prospects, and keeping many touch points in place so that you are always on their mind and to also develop a relationship. However sometimes over doing this in short periods of time can either make you look desperate, or can also scare or chase your prospect away.
Try to go for quality over quantity. Instead of sending an automated email to your prospect every 24 hours – try picking up the phone once a week, or evening sending a hand written letter 3 weeks after the initial contact.
- Overselling Your Products and/or Services
Everything we sell will have a whole list of features and benefits that of course we want to shout about (or sometimes our sales managers DEMAND we talk about them), but trust me, your prospect doesn’t want to hear about all of these bells and whistles; especially not early on into the relationship.
Remember to keep your selling pitch simple. Instead of overwhelming your prospect with too much information, simply ask them what they need and what they are looking for, and talk them through the features and benefits that cover these pains. Once these have been covered and the prospects requirements been sorted, then, and only then, should you continue to pitch everything else.
- Not Asking for the Sale
Finally, the biggest mistake I see any B2B sales professional make is to not ask for the sale. They work hard for weeks and months in prospecting, qualifying, developing relationships, understanding needs, and demoing products or services – but they then forget to simply ask for the sale.
In fact, 36% of salespeople say that closing is the most difficult part of their job.
As we always say; if you don’t ask, you don’t get!
No matter what product or service you sell, here at C3 Sales and Consulting, we are here to help you and your sales team to make more sales and to fine-tune your sales processes. If you need any help with your sales, be sure to contact us through our contact page.
