Luke Monterosso
Whether you’re a manager handling an exceptional sales team, an executive looking after a whole sales organisation or a sales rep looking to hit your numbers, 2019 is a fresh start. However, it may not be wise to leave 2018 completely behind you.
We’ll discuss 5 goals you can set to help exceed your targets and excite your customers.
Get in touch with ‘Lost Clients’
Yes, you heard it right.
Have a look through your CRM system, dig out those contacts from 2018, 2017 or even further back. Maybe you lost them to another competitor or perhaps the timing wasn’t right?
- How has your company changed since then?
- How have they changed?
- What were their pain points?
- Have your clients’ needs changed?
There’s a good chance Andy the architect won’t remember you, there’s also a chance he’s not there anymore. This is an opportunity to dig out those notes from your CRM system. Are you better suited to meet their needs now?
Assess fit earlier on
As a salesperson’s time is precious, it is far better to spend it on a handful of your best fit prospects rather than spreading yourself thin across dozens of leads.
Qualifying your prospect from early on is important. Do they fit your buyer persona?
A poor fit prospect will lead to to either to a dead end or an unhappy customer, neither of which is good for you or your client’s company.
Here are a few questions you can answer early on using the BANT framework:
(Budget) Do they have the budget?
(Authority) Does your contact have the authority to make a purchasing decision?
(Need) Can we solve their problem?
(Time) Is solving the problem a priority for them right now?
Share Your Content
Buyers expect to be educated.
Showcasing your expertise through content can help establish credibility and authority with your leads.
Sales reps are sitting on a pool of knowledge. Have a look through your email sent box, you’ll likely find dozens of questions you’ve answered repeatedly.
How much time would you save if your prospects knew these answers before speaking to you?
Not only this, but architects are searching for answers to specific questions. Equipping your website with the answers, leads potential customers to you over a competitor.
Your sales reps are in contact with your customers daily. Scheduling meetings between marketing and sales to share insights will benefit your customers and your team by focusing your marketing on the subjects and topics your marketplace is talking about.
Update Your Buyer Persona
The buyer persona is a semi-fictional description of your ideal customer, as in the actual people you will be trying to attract and engage with.
Customers aren’t static. We’d recommend updating your buyer personas every 3-4 months. For example, more millennials (21-35-year olds) will become architects each year.
Emotional triggers change and how they prefer to be contacted does too.
Ensuring your sales team fully understands your audience allows your reps to personalise the buying experience.
Monitor Goal Progression
It’s likely you’ve already defined your goals for 2019. They may include activity, training or revenue targets.
Keeping track of where you and your team is at is essential to hitting your targets. Perhaps you’re using an Excel spreadsheet? Maybe you’re using dashboards in your CRM?
The ability to monitor the numbers allows you to address issues early on. You can evaluate where drop-off points in your sales funnel may be, mentor under-performing reps and determine where training need to be concentrated.
Conclusion
3 things you can do today:
- Give the customers you didn’t win a call. How has your business has changed in 2018? Determine if you’re a better fit for them in 2019.
- Update your buyer personas! If you haven’t created them already, sit down with your team, interview your customers and centre what you do around these personas. Need help with this? We specialise in buyer persona development.
- Track your progress, setting up dashboards in your CRM system is an easy way to save time and monitor your advancement. Book a free consultation and see how dashboards can help your business grow.