Archives des Méthodes commerciales

1- What qualities should your sales representatives develop to improve their results?

Sales is a profession in which there is no medal for second place. That's why, beyond the sales techniques themselves, it is essential to apply a sales method in order to limit the risk of failure and optimize results. Several recent studies have proven that applying a sales method – whatever it may be – improves the results of sales efforts by 20%!

Without a clear roadmap, you end up constantly reinventing your approach for each deal, focusing on short-term tactics and reactions. This is exhausting and inefficient.

Beyond methodology, certain personal qualities are essential for this highly relational and demanding role. You need to be tenacious, organized, and mentally strong, possess a strong work ethic, and be people-oriented. Today, successful selling requires listening more than talking!

Finally, a good salesperson who wants to multiply their performance must be able to make good use of the tools and technologies at their disposal: first and foremost, CRM tools, but also the various means and media of communication (PowerPoint presentations, remote exchange platforms such as Skype, etc.) and, above all, the essential social networks!

2- How can salespeople take advantage of these new tools?

New means of communication, especially professional social networks (e.g., LinkedIn), have profoundly changed the landscape of sales prospecting.

Firstly, they facilitate research on three essential topics: the company, its latest news, and its executive committee (COMEX). But above all, they provide access to valuable information that was previously difficult to obtain: now, your contacts' network is publicly displayed, allowing you to systematically check the connections between your respective networks!

Sales representatives absolutely must activate this lever of networking and recommendation, the impact of which can be decisive!

Discover KESTIO webinars, where we discuss

All topics related to sales performance with our experts:

Fabien Comtet, CEO

Dominique Seguin, CEO

Nicolas Boissard, Marketing Director

3- How to stand out and make a difference during a sales meeting?

As everyone knows, the first 20 seconds are crucial!

The primary goal of the sales meeting is to discover your contact, their personality, and their "territory." It should also allow you to establish a relationship of trust and demonstrate your expertise.

A challenge, given how much buyers are over-solicited and have very little availability: the challenge is therefore to quickly convince them of the value of this exchange for them.

First, you need to establish a climate of trust. To do this, analyze your interlocutor's non-verbal language (eye contact, posture, tone of voice...) to synchronize with them and gradually take control of the interview.

Next, the effectiveness of your pitch (regarding your company, and then your own role/experience) will be crucial! It must establish the legitimacy of the meeting for your contact and immediately dispel their main concern: is this salesperson going to waste my time?

Beyond the key moment of opening, what will really make the difference during the interview is your ability to focus on your client's objectives, not your own! Today, there are a huge number of tools that enable a client to know what a supplier is doing without having to receive their salesperson!

It is now known that 70% of buyers do most of their information gathering online before contacting a potential supplier.

The salesperson's role is no longer to present their company's offerings but to provide advice and expertise to build a solution with the client that will solve their problem or meet their objectives.

From the salesperson's perspective, this requires a significant mental effort: to forget about closing and the desire to "land an order." To do this, you have to stop classifying the information transmitted by the customer between "favorable" and "unfavorable" signals.

Your sole objective should be to understand the client's environment and their reality and to build a quality relationship. This is a sine qua non condition for initiating a co-construction approach with them.

4- What does this co-construction approach consist of and how does it materialize for the sales representative?

The interview should evolve interactively towards achieving the client's objectives or resolving their problems (much like the client is experiencing a coaching session!).

Gradually, your contact must become involved, and therefore make an effort (provide information, connect you with a key contact within the company, etc.) which will commit them to collaborating with you.

The best salespeople, therefore, do not look for the purchase order; they focus on the next step that allows the customer to advance in the realization of their objectives.

The level of effort provided by the client in this process is the best indicator of their level of commitment to you.

You should never leave your contact without first building a shared action plan with them. This action plan will be the subject of a report from you, the completion of which will lead to the organization of a new exchange (for feedback), ideally in the presence of other key contacts on this account.

The next step will depend on the quality of your follow-up process, which can sometimes take up to several months...

The advent of new technologies has enabled the evolution of business in many areas, especially in communication and prospecting. To optimize business activity, it is essential to integrate these new prospecting methods into your strategy. Find out how with this webinar:

Les sessions de refresh trimestrielles sont l’occasion de pratiquer de manière intensive et continue pour consolider les acquis et favoriser le succès de tous les commerciaux. Comme dans l’apprentissage d’une langue, c’est la pratique régulière et récurrente dans la durée qui donne l’aisance. C’est notre vision chez KESTIO, et la raison pour laquelle Wall Street English a choisi de nous faire confiance !

Découvrez la solution Kestio et nos différentes formules permettant, comme pour Wall Street English de vous aider dans l’amélioration de votre performance commerciale :

La méthode de l’Echiquier – créée par Anne-Tania Desmettre après plus de 15 années d’expérience en tant que Directrice Commerciale Internationale, et distribuée de façon exclusive par Kestio – est articulée autour de la connaissance client et de la construction d’une stratégie. Elle permet de décider des meilleures actions en fonction d’un contexte donné pour emporter un marché.

The main characteristic of complex sales lies in the multiplicity of variables (number of players, specifications, decision-making process, timing, etc.) and in the difficulty for sales representatives to take these numerous factors into account. It is difficult to blame them: the comfort zone is generally limited by the more easily controlled direct relationship: one prospect/one contact.

By definition, what is complex cannot be modeled, because it is composed of different, changing, and evolving elements, combined in a way that is not immediately graspable. However, the challenge is worth taking up from all points of view: development of know-how, managerial challenge, and above all, increase in turnover…

In complex sales situations, the challenge lies in the ability of sales representatives to define a strategy (the overall plan) and adopt a tactic (adapting to the field, to unforeseen events). This requires identifying and understanding the interplay of actors (based on behavioral and relational aspects).

Thus, improving results will rely on 4 key points:

- Firstly, regarding the quality of the information collected: without reliable data, we're flying blind. It's essential to ensure a volume of quality information upon which to base your strategy.
- Next, regarding in-depth knowledge of the client: their history, their organization, their objectives, their partners, the general context, their way of working, their particularities, and all the unspoken things... It is from this body of knowledge that an effective strategy can be established, that we can differentiate ourselves. On this point, internal communication and information sharing become fundamental.
- Then the relevant analysis of this data, that is, the ability to combine them to generate new knowledge of the prospect and be in a position to define the path that will achieve the objective.
- Finally, determining the actions to take, developing the roadmap, which specifies the team's action plan, everyone's role, and the control points.

The question then arises: how to operate to structure such an approach and converge everyone's efforts?

Kestio apporte une réponse avec la Méthode de l’Echiquier. Construite sur les repères du jeu d’échecs, elle associe les règles comportementales (déplacements sur l’échiquier) et les méthodes d’analyse pour prendre les bonnes décisions.

- It promotes learning analysis (to understand and master one's account), strategy (to build one's conquest plan), and tactics (to prepare one's moves in advance).
- It brings a fresh perspective by placing strategic and tactical intelligence at the heart of the sales profession.
- It is unique: faced with the many possibilities that a salesperson encounters to evolve, only one action is truly relevant. The key is to have the means to identify it!

By combining theory and practice, reflection and action, this method also allows for better memorization and promotes rapid implementation. To stay one step ahead, the Chessboard method is a real eye-opener!

Are you facing a crisis situation? Have you considered repositioning your commercial action? To find out how, watch this webinar:

Information intéressante montrant la pertinence des solutions Kestio SYSTEM qui permettent de travailler sur la qualité de la communication commerciale et l’écoute active en entraînement intensif (Training).

http://infogrow.typepad.com/ voir billet August 02, 2011