Page 26 - INSIGHT MAGAZINE_July2024

BUSINESS TIPS

Effective sales techniques: 7 tips for more

consistent sales

Does your business go through feast or
famine when it comes to sales?
If the answer is yes, you're not alone. Many
businesses are vulnerable to the same dramatic
swings.
Yet, simple changes can often reduce or even
solve the problem. From the time you generate
a lead to the moment you close your sale, you
have to be rigorous about your sales processes.
Here are tips on how you can drive more
consistent sales.

1. Be systematic about generating leads
The first step is to ensure that your company
systematically generates sufficient leads to
keep enough business in the pipeline. Too many
entrepreneurs get caught up in daily firefighting
and forget to think about future business. Once you identify a potential client If you're not prepared with clear replies,
Generating leads is not necessarily the easiest during a conversation, you could say: you'll lose the prospect's interest.
part of your job, but it's a necessity if you want “Would it be alright if I gave Tom a Practice exactly what you're going
to drive consistent sales. call and mentioned that we spoke?” to say in response. It's important to
Upon reaching that client, you can say acknowledge their objections and then
2. Know your sales cycle something like: “My name is John, and I try to reframe them in a positive light.
The type of business you're in will determine was speaking with Robert who thought 7. Follow up and listen
it would be a good idea for us to get
your sales cycle, which is the amount of time together. How about next Tuesday?”
that elapses between an initial meeting with a Building a strong relationship with
prospective client and the closing of a deal. This 5. Focus on securing appointments clients is crucial to maintaining
can vary greatly from one company to the next. consistent sales. You have to show
But you need to understand exactly how much Unless totally necessary, refrain from them that they’re not just a business
time it takes you on average, measured in days, making a sales pitch on the phone. Try transaction. Always take a proactive
weeks, or months. to secure a meeting instead and be approach in meetings with clients and
prompt about it. Prospects are turned take notes. Prospects will open up when
Using Customer Relationship Management off if you take too much time on the they see that you're taking the time to
(CRM) technology can also give you a better telephone, especially on the initial call. listen and write down what they are
picture of your sales pipeline, help identify top saying.
clients and target specific groups. Equally important is getting that second
meeting once you've met for a first time.
3. Know your numbers You want that client to have you in their
Look at the number of closed transactions you calendar. Always securing a next step
advances you ever closer to a closed
want every month as well as the average sales sale.
cycle. You should also know what proportion
of prospects contacted ended up buying. 6. Get ready for objections
These figures will help you set targets for your
company. You should be prepared for common
objections, particularly when making
4. Actively seek referrals cold calls. Typical negative responses
A rule of thumb for any business is to get include:
referrals from satisfied clients. One way to avoid • I'm dealing with somebody else
the awkward moment of actually asking for a • I'm too busy
referral directly is by encouraging clients to talk
about their customers and suppliers. • This isn't a good time
• Send me material first and we'll talk
later

26 Summer 2024 www.cambridgechamber.com