Being in sales is tough. While the idea is to sell products, your role goes beyond that. You also need to manage your team and potential customers.
But, while your career comes with challenges, it also introduces you to promising benefits. You can solve problems, fulfill needs, and exercise your creativity. It also lets you achieve an incomparable sense of empowerment.
So, avoid giving in to the slightest hint of demotivation. And instead, think of measures you can take to overcome the hardships of your job.
This article will discuss the obstacles that prevent you from making sales. If you learn how to work around them, you will inch your way to outbound sales success.
Finding the Right Leads
Closing deals is impossible without attracting the right leads. Some people may express interest in your offer. But, these people may not want to buy from you in the end.
Instead of consuming energy on unqualified leads, straighten your strategy. Focus on those leads that fit your demographics and psychographics—they are easier to turn into customers.
Here are ways to find the right leads:
- Maximize your selling platform – Leverage the best features of your platform. For example, if you sell on LinkedIn, use its filter options for better prospecting.
- Use different channels – Spread your marketing messages and interact with prospects across multiple networks—social media, email, display ads, and more. It can dramatically raise engagement rates.
- Attract your target audience – Grab the attention of your target. For example, if you are using print material as part of your marketing campaign, generate a dynamic QR code and include it in the brochure or flyer. People who take the time to scan it and visit your website are highly qualified leads.
Hiring and Training the Best Salespeople
Find salespeople to execute your plan for you. Salespeople do not magically become the best at what they do—not without your help.
You need to guide and train them to unlock their true potential. Groom your sales team the right way, and they can help you increase your company’s close rate.
Here are ways to train them properly:
- Set up a peer-mentoring program – Ask their colleagues to teach them the ropes. Better yet, have them shadow an experienced and skilled salesperson.
- Personalize and simplify training systems – Design a training program that vibes with their personality. Also, break down your training system into digestible chunks.
- Use live call coaching – Even after preparing new salespeople for live selling scenarios, you still need to oversee them during calls. Coaching them during live calls allows you to intervene in situations that new salespeople aren’t prepared to handle. You can talk only to your agent directly during calls, or barge in during calls to provide additional information to the prospect on the line.
Engaging with Qualified Prospects
Once you have collected your leads, develop a strategy for engagement. With a sales process that allows your sales team to excel, you can succeed and even consider scale-up efforts. If not, your sales team may incorrectly approach prospects.
Consequently, they may lose near-closing deals. They may also sever relationships for good.
Here are ways you can engage with them properly:
- Address concerns – Answer questions and talk about issues. The objective is to erase doubt and increase the confidence of your prospects. Also, let every member of your sales team accept criticism from leads.
- Follow up with them – Reach out to prospects. Use the most effective (CTA) Call-to-Action—at the right time.
- Respect prospects who reject you – Be comfortable with rejections. If you try selling your product to someone who refused your offer, accept their decision, and move on.
Closing the Deal
Prospects can be hard to handle when you are on the verge of sealing the deal. They might even reject you outright.
If you do not finetune your technique of handling the final stage of sales calls, you may lose your composure and lash out at them—the last thing you want.
Here are ways to make great sales calls that close deals:
- Research – Advise salespeople to coordinate with your marketing team. Then, tell them to perform due diligence on their prospects and sharpen their pre-call rituals.
- Start strong – Establish rapport with your prospects. Start with a compelling opening statement and with an enthusiastic voice. When you converse with them, make the interactions warm and friendly. Be sure to show respect, too.
- Focus on your goal – Draw attention to your prospects. To do that, emphasize the benefits of your product and convey the message that it can make their lives easier. The idea is to adopt the mindset of prioritizing their needs during the sales call.
Finding Time to Get Everything Done
You may already have a lot on your plate—qualifying leads, training salespeople, closing deals, and more as part of your sales playbook. But, avoid making it an excuse for a mediocre sales performance.
Anyone in sales knows how important it is to sharpen your mettle and hone yourself to be as valuable as ever. If you do not have incredible time management skills, you may not get to do it all.
Here are ways you can manage time effectively:
- Align sales and marketing teams – Centralize data to get everyone on the same page. If not, the result is a waste of resources. It may also lead to confusion—demotivating everyone involved in your operations.
- Use automation – Automate entry-level and repetitive work. Not only does it make you work faster. But, it also lets you focus on improving the quality of your sales.
- Organize tasks – Review every aspect of your sales process and clean up. Whenever possible, eliminate unnecessary work to streamline your operations.
Conclusion
Be aware of the obstacles that obstruct the path to outbound sales success. They plague many salespeople worldwide. So, it should not surprise you they can also adversely affect your performance.
Once you identify the definite obstacles that stand in your way, refer to the actionable ways mentioned above. If you prefer, you can also figure out a solution.
While obstacles can temporarily derail your success, having the right mindset can render them powerless. With a resilient attitude and a forward-thinking approach, you have the potential to lead your team to victory!
This is a guest post from Christopher Jan Benitez. Christopher is a freelance writer for hire who specializes in the digital marketing field. His work has been published on SEO and affiliate marketing-specific niches like Monitor Backlinks, Niche Pursuits, Nichehacks, Web Hosting Secret Revealed, and others.
