How do you define sales smarts?
Some people might point toward financial analyst types as the ones with the most smarts, data-driven demigods who have a spreadsheet for every occasion.
Others might look to a Steve Jobs type, a guy who could sell Girl Scout cookies to Girl Scouts. (Wait, that’s understating his abilities: every year, Jobs sold new iPhones to people who already had new iPhones — amazing!)
We define it thusly: SIMPLICITY. In your language, in your offer, and in your proposals.
There’s not much technology can do to help with the first two — how you pitch clients and frame your products/services is in your court — but one of the best quoting software benefits is how it can @@simplify the building, delivery, tracking, and even closing of sales quotes.@@
K.I.S.S.S.S.
(keep it simple, super successful salesperson)
(We know: it’s usually just K.I.S.S., with another S-word completing that acronym. But this article is about sales smarts, so we’re avoiding saying anything stupid.)
In an ideal world, there’s nothing complex about sales: you have it, they want it, you sell it , they buy it. What makes sales complicated is O.P.P. No offense to Naughty by Nature, but the last P is for pitching. Other people pitching. Because if you had no competition, every sale would be breezy.
Since you do — and always will — have competition, your proposal has to stand apart from the crowd, and immediately. That doesn’t mean bells and whistles, but it does mean a polished proposal, with clarity and simplicity at its core.
Here are a few tips:
Infographics
Pictures always tell the story better than words. Help your prospect visualize the data and they’ll better understand it. Images are a simple way to communicate value and make it stick.
D.D.I.D.
Some folks think the secret to effectively communicating an offer is to Dumb It Down, or D.I.D. (let’s just call this “the post with unending acronyms”). We’ve added a “D” as we Don’t want you to Dumb It Down — and neither does your prospect.
Simple communication is not always about simple language, but it is always about RELEVANT language. If you’re selling e-commerce business consulting services, then by all means talk about “disintermediating cross-vortal synergies.” But if you’re selling bagpipes, there’s no need to be long-winded (unless you’re doing a demo).
Let the tech do the grunt work.
Here’s where quoting software does its best work in simplifying each sale.
Store your products and pricing in the cloud: just and point and click to populate a quote for a prospects.
Use a proven proposal template: chances are most prospects you encounter share traits with existing customers — re-use what you can from previous quotes, and refine every time you send.
Automate replies/check-ins: you can send automated reminders (both to yourself and your prospect) to keep that pipeline moving… without lifting a finger.
Track, report, analyze, repeat. Your proposal solution should have sales tracking and reporting tools built-in that allow you gather both real-time and historical data, enabling you to identify and expand on efficiencies (and vice-versa).
One last thing to remember: all of the above is only half of the equation in closing a sale, because simplicity is always in the eye of the beholder.
Before you send anything to any prospect, put yourself in their shoes, understand that they know a lot less about your business than you do, and never forget that your main job is to keep it simple (successful salesperson!).
If you'd like to learn more about this topic or see IQX for yourself with a free demo, contact us.
