The business of sales has changed a lot in recent decades, away from ‘traditional’ sales and toward more personal sales. One of the greatest inhibitors to sales today is the use of outdated sales techniques. In an article by Ryan Hadfield, he outlines a few of these outdated sales techniques and how to replace them.
First, overselling the product is an outdated technique which can cost a salesperson their productivity. Since prospects can now get information about products from the internet, the burden of information is no longer solely on the salesperson. By letting the prospect take the lead, a salesperson can pinpoint how much they know, and which concerns they still have.
Next, spending too much time on unqualified leads and prospects can waste valuable sales time with better prospects. When sales and marketing departments work more closely to align their definitions of a sales qualified lead, the salesperson can spend their valuable time on the more qualified leads.
The universal sales pitch is another outdated sales technique which has no place in the repertoire of today’s salespeople. Prospects today not only prefer personalization but demand it. As we discussed in class, by listening to the prospect and getting to the root of their pain, salespeople can individually tailor their sales to meet the needs of each client.
These are just a few ways that the salesperson can improve their sales yield and productivity in the business world today.
BoweryJE22
This is a very interesting post. I agree that spending too much time overselling to prospects that are not a good fit can waste time. It is always better to sell to people that are a good fit. This can lead to more business and increase your credibility.
I think that is one of the biggest things to realize in sales today – the sales conversation is not this same old structured question and answer session. True sales are made when true relationships with clients are made.
This post very much interested me. I feel that the more we look into and consider which techniques are outdated and why they are, the better we can understand which techniques are helpful and why we should use them. Great post!
Just like with everything things eventually become outdated, even styles of sales conversations. I think this is important to remember and to be able to adapt to the times so to speak even when selling. Great post by the way.