If you’ve been in sales for a while, you know much has changed in the digital world, though the fundamentals haven’t. While many still consider word-of-mouth and referrals to be the best source of new customers, at some point there’s a ceiling for growth as your circle of contacts ends. But, it doesn’t have to be that way.
Whether you are a seasoned expert or a complete newbie, we can all use a little advice to help us level up. Here are a few quick tips you can add to your sales toolkit.
1. Invest in CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
If you trying to manage existing accounts, sales, marketing, opportunities, quotes, and proposals by relying on emails, spreadsheets, and post-it-notes, you’re missing out on strategies you can’t execute without a centralized platform. A CRM will organize, automate, and optimize your processes, enabling you to do more without manual intervention.
2. Make cold calls
Most salespeople find cold calling to be grueling, because it takes time and results vary. But the fact is, even with various digital tools available today, many industries still require a phone call for the introduction and discovery. Today’s cold call could be tomorrow’s next big customer. Try to dedicate at least an hour per day calling on new prospects. This is still a great way to connect with people and shows you’re willing to put in the hard work to get the deal done.
3. Ask for referrals from lost opportunities
This may sound crazy, but it works in some scenarios. If your prospect wasn’t a good fit based on price, turnaround time, or capabilities, you may be able to get a referral. You might find out that they’d be happy to give you a few names since they liked you and your offering, but couldn’t proceed for reasons outside their control. Plus, not only is it the best form of both prospecting and advertising — it’s free!
4. Follow up…ALWAYS
If there’s something all sales experts agree on, it’s the importance of follow-up. Do you know the top reason why a prospect doesn’t get back to you? It’s not because they are not interested, it’s because they are busy. Decision makers have many responsibilities and demands to juggle, day in and day out. According to Harvard Business Review, professionals have on average over 200 emails in their inbox at any one time. In other words, they are not ignoring you because they don’t want what you have to offer, they just don’t have time. Stay in their inbox or voicemail to get their attention.
5. Leverage existing tools with Microsoft 365
In all likelihood, you’re already using some of the Microsoft 365 tools like Excel, Word, and Outlook. But there are many underutilized tools in the suite that can add efficiency. Microsoft Teams is great for video conferencing and collaborating. Microsoft Planner can help you manage tasks, follow-ups, and due dates. And lesser known tools such as FindTime allow you to propose a meeting time with a poll, thereby eliminating scheduling conflicts.
SYNACT can help you leverage and maximize adoption of these tools along with the others in the ecosystem. If you’d like make the most of the Microsoft tools you are already paying for, SYNACT is happy to help! Contact us or email us directly at jordyn.woods@synact.net to hear about our training offerings.