Selling is a profession in itself! What makes a successful salesperson? In our view, experience plays a very important role. Having a passion for your profession, the drive to work with people and genuinely help people (your customers) are also decisive. As a sales professional you can learn a lot from others. Other sellers. Being inspired by experienced and successful professionals will undoubtedly make you a better salesperson. In this blog we would like to fuel your passion even more by providing a number of inspiring tips that you can put into practice. If you are missing any crucial (own) tips, please let us know.

1. Preparation down to the last detail

We have discussed it several times on our Kenneth Smit blog, but we cannot emphasize enough how important preparation is. In today's digital age, your prospect has all the resources at his or her disposal to read up on you and your company. In short, make sure you are optimally prepared yourself. Read up on your prospect's company, their background, position, interests and of course any shared contacts/relationships. Good preparation enables you to break the ice during sales conversations.

 “Your prospects today are increasingly informed about you company. It's therefor more imperative than ever that you understand your prospect's background, role, and company. Never reach out until you know all the mutual connections you have in common, and ask those mutual connections for context or an intro to your prospect”

 

2. Use technology for its intended purpose

Technology is of course indispensable in a digital age. Yet the possibilities are often poorly understood or used and technology is often used 'because others do it too' or because people think it is part of our modern economy. Use technology for its intended purpose. To work faster, smarter and, above all, more effectively and efficiently. Physically, for example, you can only plan a limited number of conversations with your customers in a day, especially in a Netherlands full of traffic jams. The increasingly better conference call techniques can offer a solution.

“Tech for tech's sake doesn't help you win deals. Tech that makes you faster, smarter, more effective, more efficient, that's the tech you need.”

 

3. Use the power of video

Sales pitches are often deadly boring: long slide decks with many bullits and long texts. However, your story will be much more effective if you approach it differently. For example, use video in your sales pitch. How? For example, by walking through your company with your smartphone or a simple camera and introducing the people who would (could) work for the prospect. A nice spontaneous way to introduce your company. Or show the most important assets of your company in a short video, for example the high-tech machines with which you will help the customer.

 “Incorporate video into your sales pitch. Try not to go slide by slide in a monotonous fashion. Instead, walk around the room and engage your audience, then interject videos to explain valid points. Consider making a video about how you can help the company you're pitching and interview multiple team members.”

 

4. Never give up

Did you lose the pitch, but still had a great connection with your prospect? Then never give up. Maintain a relationship, keep feeding your relationship with relevant information, keep updating them on those interesting blogs you publish. And continue to inquire regularly about progress. It may seem like a lot of work, but maintaining a good relationship with former prospects proves to be rewarded time and time again in the long term.

“Are losing customers dead to you? They shouldn't be. Within three months of losing a deal, follow up to see how things are going. You'll be surprised by how much business you can win back simply by being friendly and helpful. And when your contact takes a new job somewhere else, they'll remember your steadfastness.”

 

5. Value and helpfulness are decisive

A topic that has also been discussed many times in our blog is that adding value is a crucial success factor in our current consultancy economy. Especially in B2B, adding value, knowledge and experience are decisive. In addition, helpfulness and simply friendliness also play an important role.

“B2B sales is about offering value and being helpful, not pitching products against an aggressive timeline. If you make your primary mission one of discovery, with the goal of determining whether your product can actually help, you won't just win their business, you'll also earn a referral partner than will send more customers your way.”