Technology such as email, social media and search engine optimization have changed the way we implement marketing and sales plans; but the six-step sales process remains the same: planning, prospecting, qualifying, proving, proposing and closing are the core pieces of the sales puzzle. If you put them together in the right way, you can develop a system that can consistently produce sales for your company.
Sales is often viewed as an art form; some think it is personality based. However, if sales is treated as a science – a repeatable series of steps designed to achieve a desired result – the process can be successful for whomever is executing the task. If you set a proven regimen of work for your team, success that endures is no longer a matter of chance, but now just becomes a matter of hard work.
In The Selling Machine, sales veterans Mike Cannon, Michael Pace and Landy Wingard outline those six steps that, if followed, can move your sales team from artistic to productive. One of the least utilized yet most effective steps is the first – planning: “a foundational activity that identifies your destination and the equipment needed to get you there.” Once the road map is set, your team can attack the work in a systemic and deliberate manner.
They move on to the other five parts of the equation in which they emphasize not just the steps of work, but the personal (not personality) involvement imperative to selling. Even with today’s electronic bells and whistles, human reasoning, intuition and questioning still play an integral part in closing a sale. Personal credibility, mutual understanding and a collegial relationship are also keys to making the sale.
If you’d like a free copy of The Selling Machine, email [email protected], subject line: free book. And let us know what your biggest selling challenge is! We look forward to hearing from you.
