Sales training is the way to get more leads.
Right now, there is an overwhelming focus on getting new leads. Businesses spend tens of thousands of dollars every year, trying to get new customers. And, rightly so. But, why with dollars being spent might this not work?
The simple truth is that many businesses don't have a plan in place to nurture these leads further down the funnel.
Your expensive marketing efforts are generating leads – but are they being fully explored, nurtured and converted?
Companies spend an inordinate amount of time focused on getting new sales opportunities. For this reason, it is vital to ensure this time is well spent.
If you are a business working on getting more sales leads, it is time to ask yourself these 3 questions:
-
How much effort does your business invest trying to get more leads?
-
How much investment are you putting into converting the leads?
-
Is your sales team a magical lead converting machine?
Do your answers show that your work-to-reward effort is out of balance? It is time to do something to fix this.
Are you doing enough Sales Training?
With the constant focus on lead generation, we are missing one big thing: the sales training that ensures your leads are converted in the first place.
Are you spending as much time and money on sales training as you are on getting the leads in the first place? Without a plan in place to convert them, leads are just contacts in the company address book. So many businesses forget about training their salespeople on how to turn these contacts into sales opportunities.
Are your sales skills ready for business in 2020?
How much investment are you putting into sales training in your organisation? Importantly, is your sales training up to date with the modern challenges presented by the Internet?
Are you sales team's skills in tune with the power that consumers now have because of the cyber platforms of the world?
Welcome to the 2020 Sales Training Program.
Sales have changed dramatically. Consumers now have all of the power.
With the Internet, they can research everything they want to know about the market before they even consider contacting your business.
Nowadays, consumers start with all the power in a sales negotiation. They have all the information at their fingertips. The sales skills from 20 years ago no longer apply, and your sales team needs to have vastly different skills to deal with the new, powerful consumer.
Many sales trainers and sales managers were educated in the sales methods of the 80s and 90s when sellers had the power, not the consumers. This is a huge problem.
That era is gone for good. Now, technology is driving the world and giving customers the advantage. It’s a challenging world for salespeople, and impossible if they don't adapt to the new reality. It's no longer Buyer Beware; it's all about Seller Beware.
But has your sales team adjusted to this seismic shift?
Is your sales force using Internet tools to nurture prospects successfully and provide the information consumers need to trust you, then buy from you?
Regular, innovative, new age sales training is critical to advance your sales skills and get your conversions on those valuable leads.
I've worked as a professional, modern day sales trainer for over 20 years, and during that time, there have been lessons that I've learned time and time again. Here are action points you can take away and get working with right now to improve your sales team immediately.
1. You need to be training daily, and I bet you are not.
Training is an expensive exercise, right? Isn't it more costly to be losing potential deals that are coming in because of a lack of skill?
Remarkably, there is no sales university degree. It is up to your enterprise to train your sales force to be awesome. Are you?
Olympic athletes train daily to hone their skills, why not your sales teams? Given the investment in the supporting infrastructure, an hour a day makes sense. At the very least, your sales training needs to be weekly.
Your action: Book in a Wednesday morning sales training session. Every week. Start on time to the second, no exceptions (you will get lots of excuses). If you are struggling for topics, kick it off with a Q and A about all the key points that are of concern for your team members.
2. You need a software innovation guru.
Do you have an innovation officer? A person that is embedded in the sales process that is researching and understanding all of the new software programs can make a difference to your sales team.
This guru should be studying cloud software and looking for productivity tools that give you an advantage. There is a minimum of two platforms you need to deal with, as you have Mac and iOS or Windows and Android.
There are apps on all platforms that require specialised knowledge but give significant productivity gains and sales advantage.
Using technology is how the modern-day salespeople can counter the all-powerful knowledge filled consumers.
Software gets productivity gains. Productivity gains speed up your sales process and allow you to manage data better. Time is the most critical commodity in your day, and better software tools give you more time.
Intelligent data is power. Remarkable salespeople should have the capacity to have hundreds of deal touch points on the go; productivity-improving tools are vital and in abundance.
Your action: Pick the geekiest person on your sales team and expect that they present the feature of the app of the week to your new sales meeting.
3. Does your team fully understand and use your CRM?
If you don't have a CRM, that is a simple fix. Get one. Right now. No debate.
If you have a CRM but are struggling to see a benefit, it all comes down to one thing; sales training, or lack of. Chances are, you and your team were shown the system once, on the day it was deployed, and now you have been left to your own devices to learn (and forget) the main advantages.
The chances are high that the hurly-burly of trying to meet stretch targets and unreasonable KPI’s has taken its toll on education.
Your action: Appoint a person to become the guru of your CRM. Have them read the manual, then have them run a series of training and drilling sessions in quick succession to get your team back up to speed with your CRM.
4. Are you using social media platforms as a sales tool?
Are you using social media correctly? As a salesperson, there are outstanding tools that you need to have set up correctly to maximise your internet impact. These include LinkedIn Personal and Company Pages, a Facebook Company Page, LinkedIn Groups, and a Google+ page with the business profile.
Your action: Appoint an auditor for your company website assets. Determine if your social media tools are up to scratch.
5. What happens if your sales team members are Googled?
Are you worried about what might be found? Consumers will do all kinds of research as they look for the differentiating points between competing businesses. Your Google presence should be something to be proud of.
Are you a thought leader, or merely frightened?
No longer is it acceptable to think your Google presence does not matter. It matters. Burying your head in the IT shifting sands is fine, but you will be losing deals 24/7 to businesses around the globe that are far more innovative and switched on than you are.
Unless you are counting down the days to your retirement, there is no avoiding the technology revolution.
It is here, and it is a massive weapon for those that embrace it and a weapon of mass destruction against those salespeople that ignore it.
Your action: Audit your sales team by searching for them on Google. Immediately fix the glitches, the blank bios, the terrible photos. Dress your Google results to impress.
6. Add a team page to your website
In just about every HubSpot portal that we manage, this is the second most clicked page after the home page. The team pages get attention. They are critical.
Importantly, set up your pages, so they are talking about the skills you have, but say it in a way that demonstrates how what they know helps the customer. It’s great to have the team member write their own to start with, but then you need a copywriting wizard to bring the best out of the team profiles.
Your action: Get your staff pages built for each team members. This is a point of pride for the team, and they are giving you a free swing at search engine optimisation.
7. Make sure you have a great business photo done professionally.
I use my professional business photo at least once a week. The abundance of profiles on the Internet means that you are always uploading for your profile photo. Photos are a great investment as they are durable and quickly tell a story.
Of all the marketing dollars you should spend, a professional photo is top of the list. Make sure you get one done, with high quality taken by a professional. You will be surprised how often you use it.
Your action: Book in a professional photographer; ignore the price, and get it done. It's a fantastic investment.
Your Takeaway
All these actions are needed as a bare minimum to make sure you are converting the leads your advertising and marketing investment demands. Conversion rates are a bloodsport; treat it like one and train your team to be a striking force that is unbeatable.
Ordinary is sliding into the cyber-mud. It's time for your sales force to be extraordinary.
Most of all, your team needs training – proper, cutting edge digital training. New age training can give you the tools for selling in the digital world. Here and now, social media dominates and the web provides a significant advantage to the consumer.
Would you like to discover how we can help with sales training?
We offer a quick 15-minute free chat to help you understand how our sales training programs can be customised to your company.
Get in touch for a chat today.
If you would like help with your website, we are offering a free audit. We spend three hours on your site and give you plenty of tips to improve your lead generation.
If you would like a free audit, feel welcome to sign up.
Author - Adam Steinhardt - CEO
Discover more about Digital Marketing
How do you score in our 5 Step Digital Marketing Health Check?
The Bad Blood Cast of Digital Marketing Super Weapons
Episode 43 Discover Why Your Website Should Be The Centre Of Your Digital Marketing.
The Kingdom Live: How to Spend $1000 on Digital Marketing
Digital Just Made Dating a Celebrity Even Easier
The 18 Point Sales and Marketing Digital Eco System Health Check
8 Must Have Apps to Power Up Your Digital Marketing
About The Kingdom | HubSpot Partner | Digital Marketing Experts
Grow Sales Fast Podcast Series 1 Episode 1 - Digital Marketing
How To Give Your Sales Team A Digital Renovation
Digital vs Traditional Advertising Media - Which is Better?
11 Reasons Why You Should Outsource Your Digital Marketing
Are you Overloaded Trying To Do Digital Marketing?
Discover The Most Powerful Digital Tool of All
What is Ecwid and How Does It Work With HubSpot | HubSpot Partner | Digital Marketing Experts
12 Ways To Convert More Sales Using Digital Tools
8 Ways HubSpot Automated Marketing Platform Has an Immediate Impact on Your Digital Marketing
HubnSpoke - The Digital Marketing Podcast for HubSpotters
Spend-less Shoes Cinderella Shoesday digital marketing contest takes off
Digital Vs Traditional Media: Which is better for your business?
7 Digital Marketing Tips For Black Friday Success
A free Digital Marketing Seminar by The Kingdom. Discover HubSpot
The Kingdom Digital Services Online Store
Email Is the Aircraft Carrier of Your Digital Marketing Navy
