Sales isn’t always about the numbers

When it comes to the measurement of sales activities, whether it be calls, messages, meetings, or revenue, it all happens through numbers. It’s easy to get lost in the numbers, feel pressured, and rush through each sale as you just look for the close. After all, you have monthly, quarterly, and even annual targets that you need to meet, and everything you do gets you a little be closer.

Prospects don’t feel the same urgency to hit your quota. They want to make their own decision and don’t want to be rushed. Prospects certainly don’t want to feel like just another number or a check on a list. Instead, they want to be cared for, helped, and advised. CSO Insights found that prospects want sales reps who understand them, listen, provide insights, follow through and solve their problem. Prospects want a relationship, and that’s why sales isn’t always about the numbers. In fact, once you focus on helping your prospects and put your numbers in the back seat, you may find that your sales performance actually increases.

It’s not about you, it’s about your prospect

You have goals to meet, but your leads and prospects don’t care about those. Instead, they expect you to be a consultant, provide information, and give insights that guide them toward the best solution for their needs. Rather than pushing them to close so you can meet your numbers, work with your prospects in the role that they need you to be. This will actually increase your odds of winning the deal, as pressure to purchase will likely push them away, or result in a customer who is more likely to churn at renewal.

Differentiate yourself from other reps

Focus on quality interactions, not quantity, by making the effort to do research and have a true understanding of each prospect. Learn all you can about the individual, their position, their company and their industry before each discovery call so you can ask better questions. Disqualify the prospects where your product or service simply won’t solve their problems and focus on the prospects more likely to buy. The result is a lower percentage of opportunities in the pipeline compared to discovery calls and a higher percentage of them closing.

Quality interactions throughout the sales process resulting in better relationships that contribute to a successful sale. Exercise listening skills and empathy while building trust. Take a non-traditional sales approach and build rapport to gain a better picture of their needs, where they are in the buying process, who else is involved in the decision, and when they expect to select a solution. When it’s time to purchase, you will be the best choice. Not only because of the relationship you developed, but because yours is tailor-made to address their specific needs.

Provide value at every turn

Building a relationship with prospects requires value at each and every point of contact. This can be done with the right contact, insights, and answers they need to help them move forward. By doing so, you become the rep they actually want to talk to and stand out compared to other reps they may speak with.

Part of building a relationship with prospects means providing value at each point of contact by supplying them with the precise content, insights and answers they need to help them move forward. This may be accomplished through social media, SMS, email and phone. And by doing so, Giving them what they need, when they need it, attracts them to you because you’re making their decision-making process easier and, as a result, you develop a connection with them.

Strong relationships increase lifetime value

It’s a known fact that it costs five times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one. So, once you’ve developed a relationship with your prospects and they become customers, maintaining that relationship increases the lifetime value of that deal. It also leads to more revenue through retention and referrals. Referrals require less effort to close since they came from a happy customer.

Focus on building relationships with prospects and customers. Sales may be based on a numbers game, but in the end its all about relationships. Remember that you’re a human selling to another one, so put the relationship first. You’ll be far more successful in the long run if you keep that in mind.