It isn’t easy.
People who have the energy in selling are naturally good salespeople. There is no shortcut to selling – there is no hack! The top people work hard to craft great deals.
They need energy to show up every day. They need energy in selling to keep reaching out to find people who match their ideal customer profile, to explore whether they can start a process, to ask the right questions – and to listen to the answers. To have a conversation – not just to pitch. They also need energy to suffer the inevitable rejection that they will face when doing their work. It is hard work trying to build relationships, build credibility and provide navigation to complicated situations. Listening to others all day is tiring as well as rewarding.
In this age, good salespeople are the ones who look to build meaningful relationships between them and their customers. They want these deals to work and to yield success in partnership for all parties involved. To have disproportionate value. This requires a lot of energy, as well as persistence.
Energy in buying.
Most people don’t have unlimited energy. Most people will follow the path of least resistance. What energy they have, they will use to do their job and make themselves look good to those around them. It is understandable if there is an element of cynicism. It requires risk and energy to change relationships so why do it now? What is in it for me?
It is up to the salespeople and the organization around them to have that energy. To focus on introducing value into the process of engagement, which helps craft the deals that make sense for them and the customer. To show that change is necessary for the future – a future that needs to begin now.
Sign the deals that work for you too
To be able to walk away when it doesn’t make sense can also take a lot of energy – it would be much easier just to sign with every customer that comes along. But that isn’t always the right way. Not through a position of arrogance, but a focus on crafting deals that work and discarding the ones that don’t. Being able to explain to your colleagues why it is worth their energy to deliver as part of the team.
Management energy
Focus is need on that last 10% – energy here is very important for management, as much as the sales people themselves. Sounds obvious but it amazing the amount of time this focus gets blurred. If you can’t finish the deals that will work for your company then the whole process is meaningless and it isn’t really sales!
Signing is the beginning.
Energy is needed to deliver once the deal is done. Say thank you and get on with adding the value you know your company will deliver – you will build great relationships and this is just the start.
This post is supports advice in Build Your Sales Tribe – Sales in the Information Age Book. If you own the book, thanks for visiting. If you don’t own the book, find out more here: www.salestribe.co.uk
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