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There is a significant disconnect in how people buy versus how people sell. Have you ever noticed? Think about the first time you purchased a car. I am willing to bet it was a completely different experience from the last time you purchased a car.
The first time you purchased a car, you traveled from lot to lot, speaking with eager sales people, who were excited to tell you about the features and benefit of the cars on their lots. You most likely spent days, week, or even months gathering information before making your decision. This was when sales people were the resource for information. These salespeople had the knowledge that we needed, and we sought them out for that knowledge.
The last time you purchased a car… you “Googled it”. You jumped online and researched your ideal make & model, safety features, blue book values, upgrades, colors, etc. You didn’t travel from lot to lot… you did this sitting on your couch after dinner a few nights. It’s safe to say that you were about 70% through the sales process before you ever walked onto a lot… agreed? That 70% happened at the tips of your fingers, on your couch after dinner. Now that you made the decision, all you have left is to go to the sales person on the lot, and make your purchase. At this point, it’s just about finding the right sales person that can guide you through the hassle-free process you desire.
What about the car lots that weren’t online? Doesn’t really matter, right? After all, you were able to find exactly what you wanted and made the decision that would lead you to the purchase of your new car. Car lots are a dime a dozen, which means that the lots that were not online for you to research were simply ruled out.
If you take your current sales process and apply it to these buying processes, which one is more compatible? Are you running a sales team the outdated way? Is your team still cold calling and foot canvassing, interrupting the momentum of the decision maker because it happens to be convenient for your sales team? Are you the “car lot” that is simply omitted for not being available when your prospect searched for a company with your capabilities? Are you obsolete, outdated, and on your way to extinction? Evolve or dissolve.
Do you sell or do you influence? Today’s buying process is about influencing. Shouldn’t your sales process match today’s buying process? Shouldn’t your team be influencing the purchase?
Did your sales team hit quota last year?
Social Selling is not a fad… it’s an evolution. The sales process has evolved.
As leaders, it is our responsibility to invest in the training and programs available for sales teams today. Social Selling is going to have more scalable results as we go into the next decade. It’s time to make the investment.
Does this sound like your sales team?
If you said no, then perhaps this is why they didn’t hit quota last year…