August 14th, 2017

9 Elements of a Winning Sales Proposal

Every proposal represents an opportunity to grow your business! After spending years in business and sales, I have seen how the ability to put together a well-crafted proposal is crucial to achieving advancement for yourself and your business.

Expectationssetting-expectations

Let your audience know what to expect. People generally don’t like surprises, so a brief overview of your key points will be a good start. Remember to keep it simple. It is your job to make it easy for the person reading the proposal to understand the proposal. Don’t put them to the test of doing the work for you, they won’t.

Persuasive Elements

The purpose of a proposal is to persuade your prospect to buy your product or service. To persuade them that your product or service is something they will benefit from and is something they should not live without. Develop material that supports your final objective of getting them to buy your product/service by including statistics, testimonials, references or quotes.

Understanding of the Customer

A winning proposal will overwhelmingly serve the customer. Your proposals message and benefits should be orientated to the audience, company, and industry it addresses. The best way to sell a winning sales proposal is to inform the client of how the benefits would be suitable for them.

Recognize Customer Needs

Whenever you write a proposal, ask yourself: What are the best ways to address the issues and present your solutions? What audience will be reading your proposal and who is the decision, maker? What is important to my customer?

Highly Tailored

Now that you know your customer, make sure your proposal is tailored to that unique customer and their unique business goals. Also, always address your proposal to the correct individual(s). People love hearing/reading their names and it makes the experience that more personal.

 

Create Positive Perceptions

Proposals that create positive perceptions of the product, service, and brand drive results. You have the unique ability to design your proposal for each customer to make your solution and company look positive. Taking time to examine competitors and demonstrate how your product/service is better than theirs can create a positive perception you will want your prospect to think about while making their decision.

 

Interactive Dimension (Communication)interactive-setting-of-people

Every proposal is interactive. They can either be proactive or interactive. In the proactive mode, the prospect may seem to be just sitting there reading/listening to the proposal, however, they are forming their decision of whether or not to buy from you. In the interactive mode, the proposal may seem more dominant and will elicit participation from the prospect. Participation can come in the form of approval on price points, approvals on features and asking questions such as: Does the list of features and benefits satisfy your business needs through quarter one as requested in the RFP? Communicating always involves 2 parties. In the most effective communication, the listener is mentally active even if not vocally so.

 

Call to Action (To Do)

Make sure you ask your prospect what you want them to do. Give them a reminder that they can choose to purchase today or request their approval to move forward with invoicing. This element of a winning sales proposal can easily be overlooked and assumed to be the only logical next step, so why ask? Asking your customer (in writing or vocally), personally by name can be the single greatest way to quickly move from prospect to customer. You can say, “Mr. Johnson, after reviewing this proposal would you please provide me with your approval to move forward by signing your name on the indicated areas?”

 

Review & Edit

Your audience is more likely to respond affirmatively to your proposed solution (Call to Action) if the points you have made steer them in the right direction. Make sure you review your proposal and make any necessary edits so that your proposal includes sufficient substance that provides them a reason or reasons to take action. Ask yourself: Will the contents of this proposal create the desired action that I am asking for?

By taking into account the above elements of a winning sales proposal before writing your next proposal you have already improved your chances of winning the business!

July 21st, 2017

Selling Big – How to Find Your Mission, Message & Purpose in Sales!

Knowing your purpose in your career is almost just as important as knowing your purpose in life and if you are on the right track they should go hand in hand. You spend a lot of time working so having a purpose behind what you do at work is extremely important. Having a WHY gives you a reason to work harder, longer and with more passion than anyone else!

You may think your sales mission is obvious: Make the sale. Despite “making the sale” being the base mission of a sales department, that mission isn’t compelling and doesn’t reflect the real purpose of your business. A clear mission, message, and purpose in sales can help create your desired company culture and set goals that improve your career and your customer’s business. Here are some tips for how to find your true mission in sales.

Understand the Producthead-puzzle-understanding

Take some time to get to know your product inside and out. Try using your product for a few weeks or months and understand exactly how it works. You may know you’re selling software to engineering firms, for example, but do you understand what the product does inside and out? Do you understand exactly what your customers use it for? Having a better understanding of what you’re selling can help you understand why you’re selling it.

Another great way to learn more about your product is to ask your friends and colleagues to brainstorm with you about how your product/service works exactly. This way, you get a range of opinions and really have a 360-degree view of what your product represents and how it is used by other people.

Related Article: How To Brainstorm with a Group

Find Your Purpose

Why are you selling the product? The answer here is not “to make sales revenue.” Think about how it improves the operations of the business you’re pitching it to. If you aim for household consumers, how does your product improve their lives? It takes time to find your purpose in sales and in any other endeavor. Take the time to think about why you’re selling your product or service and the purpose it serves for your customer. A clear purpose for your product is compelling for your sales team and your customers.

strategy-understanding-success

Strategy

How do you sell the product or service? You want your sales department to know what you’re selling and why. You also want them to come into the job knowing how your department makes the sale. What specific actionable items are taken every hour, every day, every week, every month and every quarter to make the sale?

Having a Structured Sales Process can help you develop a more sound selling strategy. Structured Sales Process Example.

 

Mission Statement

our-mission-chalkboardYou know the mission of the product and your purpose for selling it. Combine this information with your strategy into a clear message to create a killer sales mission statement. A sales mission statement should wrap up what you sell, why you sell it, and how you sell it into one compelling statement. Write your mission statement down and print a huge poster of it so that everyone can see it, every day. Include your mission statement at the end of beginning and end of brainstorming/strategy sessions and make sure it is aligned with not only what you are trying to accomplish but how you are going to accomplish it. That statement serves as a guide to your sales team, so you attract the team you envisioned and they do what you envisioned. Your mission statement is a reminder of the ultimate goal you are working to achieve.

 

Related Articles:

5 Steps to Understanding the Sales Cycle

Motivation in Sales: The Basics

July 10th, 2017

5 Innovative Sales Strategies to Drive More Revenue

If your sales revenue has been stagnant lately, you might need to incorporate some new sales strategies. New strategies can successfully drive more revenue for you and your organization. Here are five innovative sales strategies to drive more revenue for your business. We encourage you to look for some new sales strategies outside of this article and give them a try as well.

 

Requesting Referralsreferral-program-image

This may not sound innovative, but it’s something that often gets forgotten about. You already know how crucial referrals can be for pulling in new business, but expecting them to happen isn’t enough. Perfect your strategy for asking for referrals by trying new methods or tweaking your existing referral program.

Don’t take short cuts and just rely on offering benefits to those who make a referral. Come up with a compelling speech to ask for referrals without being too pushy, create a video, create a convincing email or send an actual postcard to your clients.

 

Related Article: Why Getting Out of Your Sales Comfort Zone Will Help You Make More Sales

 

Use More Social MediaSocial-Media-Icons-Keyboard

You might already tweet or have a Facebook page, but that’s not enough these days. Consider creating a YouTube channel for your product or service on which you can display detailed instructional videos. Take some eye-catching photographs for Instagram. Maximize your presence on all outlets, and don’t forget about influencers. YouTube and Instagram personalities are amassing huge followings that buy any product recommended to them.

 

Point Out a Problem & Solve The Problem

solve-client-problems-sales-idea-image

Don’t rely on expressing your product’s purpose(s) and features. Do the research to point out a problem your customers might not be aware of that your product can fix. Put a detailed document together that shows them what exactly needs to be fixed, how you can help them fix it and what it will cost them to fix that particular problem or set of problems. Evaluating the concerns and needs of the customer builds trust, improves your knowledge of a targeted consumer base, and improves the overall experience.

 

This will set you apart from your competitors who all have similar stories and products but just aren’t putting forth the time and effort to bring them to their client’s attention. This requires discipline so you need to go to work and start pointing out and solving client problems.

Related Article: Stop Pitching & Start Solving Client Problems

 

Simplify Your Messagesimplify-apple-quote

Do you have a company mission statement or a sales mission statement? If not, create one and keep it simple. Consumers are hit with hundreds of advertisements a day, so they don’t search through long, rambling messages to figure out what you do. Keep it short, simple and attractive.

If your goal is to collect more email addresses via your website, make sure that you have a compelling reason for people to provide their email address. This compelling call to action could be an exclusive White Paper or a $500 give away to someone that signs up for your newsletter this month.

 

Content Marketingcontent-strategy

Many businesses underestimate the power of content marketing. People spend hours every day on the Internet, so online content is a valuable resource. Many companies and freelance writers can create short articles using search engine optimization practices. These articles can pull online traffic to your site that can turn into sales. Ensure your content marketing has a Killer Content Strategy.

 

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June 26th, 2017

5 Steps To Run A Productive Sales Meeting

While the world of business is fast paced and frantic there are times when the entire staff comes together for the purposes of making succinct plans for the future. These conferences, or sales meetings, are important to the employees as well as the employer. It is during these meetings that goals are set and techniques are refined. If you are responsible for setting up sales meetings in your company, then there are several things that you need to remember at all times.

The following information is meant to serve as a guide to help you lead a more productive and professional sales meeting.

 

 

Agenda-ChecklistMake An Agenda

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that you need to have a specific agenda for the materials that will be covered in your meeting. Having a plan is the first step in making your business meeting more productive. If you fail to have a proper agenda, it will become obvious to the other employees that you have not devoted adequate time to your craft. This is the breeding ground for sloppiness and for apathy. Make a plan and stick with it.

 

 

Get Everyone InvolvedPartnership-Text-Image

Every sales meeting needs to embody the salespeople. This means your meeting needs to hold information that can be beneficial to the people who are actually doing the selling. This is a great time to inject new people and new ideas into the conversation. Encourage your people to share and bounce ideas off of each other. This meeting is about making them more productive. Allow them to learn.

 

Related Article: How To Brainstorm With A Group

 

Collaboration

This meeting is not about hearing you lecture. The number one mistake in many sales meetings is the dominance of one person. It is important that this meeting is a time of collaboration. Make sure that you are not the only one speaking. This is not the time to monopolize the conversation. On the flip side, it is important that you do not allow another individual to dominate the conversation as well. In order to foster a good environment, it is important that everyone have a chance to share. It is equally important that everyone feel his or her opinions are being listened to.

 

Related Article: Stop Pitching and Start Solving Client Problems

 

measure-resultsMeasure Results

It is important that your meeting has measurable results. This does not mean you should take a poll of the people immediately following the meeting. What it does mean is that a sales meeting is meant to offer encouragement as well as fine details.Recognizing the individual performances during meetings promotes improvements throughout the sales force. A properly run sales meeting can energize your team and set your week on the right path. A poorly operated sales meeting could undermine your leadership.

Make A Comfortable Environment

Perhaps the most obvious aspect of a sales meeting is that it should be fun. This is not the time for carnival rides or balloon animals but it is a time to make your employees comfortable and loose. Allow for creativity in both the atmosphere and the tone of your meetings.

 

The Sales Coaching Institute offers effective instruction when you want to learn more about how to run a sales meeting efficiently. Get more great tips by visiting SalesCoach.us today.

June 20th, 2017

Why Creating Great Memories & Experiences During the Sales Process Will Engender Greater Client Engagement

Often sales representatives forget that their customers, even the C-suite clients, are people and have the same basic needs as everyone else. Finding ways in a sales meeting to create positive relationships, experiences and memories are essential to engaging those clients during the meeting and during critical future interactions.

In order to develop these positive experiences, there are several things that any sales rep can do. These should be considered in advance of your sales meeting, but can also occur based on what is occurring in the room if you can think on your feet. The best sales professionals are able to highlight these moments as part of the sales presentation, not impeding the flow of the meeting but rather enhancing the engagement by creating a personal interest for the customer.

 

Prior to the Salepresale-access

The key to being able to create positive memories and experiences during the sales process is to know about the person or people across the table. What do they enjoy, what recognition do they value, are they passionate about an organization or an event in their community? Today, it is easier than ever to find out what people show interest in by looking at their social media accounts. There is bound to be something about them online that you can use to open a conversation and build rapport.

Being able to recognize these unique attributes, interests or recognition given to the various individuals in the room in a natural and authentic way during the initial introductions creates increased engagement.

 

Don’t Be the Expert All The Time

Selling to anyone means respecting their experience and expertise in their industry. A sales rep that comes across as an “expert” is a good thing. However, if you always come across as knowing everything you are going to turn off more clients than you will engage during the sales process. This will also create negative memories of the event if they felt “upstaged” by the sales rep in their own area of expertise.

Instead, be collaborative with the buyer or the buying team. Ask an open-ended question, get their opinions and be seen as someone coming alongside to help to solve a problem or a challenge. Show interest in their business and ask them questions about their business. After you ask questions, make sure to listen! Most hard working business owners treat their businesses like their children. If you show interest in their business, you are building rapport and an emotional connection which is key to developing a trusting relationship with your prospect.

 

Related Article: The Power of Positive Sales Habits

 

Be Authenticget-real

Being authentic is also critical for any positive meeting. Avoid being robotic and respond to the people in the room in a way that adds to the shared experience and generates a feeling of similar goals and interests. Staying true to yourself by showcasing your genuine personality will create a comfortable environment. The more people feel “alike,” the more engaged they are in discussions, and the more open they are to considering your product as a viable solution.

 

The science behind sales and the sales process is the focus of training, courses, and workshops offered at The Sales Coaching Institute. To find out more, click here.

 

ronald-reagan-top-5-quotes-videoNeed Some Sales Motivation?

RONALD REAGANS TOP 5 MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES FOR SALES PROFESSIONALS