Establishing yourself as a reliable, and effective sales professional in 2022 and beyond.
Welcome to 2022 and the world of sales in an ongoing pandemic, supply chain shortages, tight budgets, and an unstable economy. In this rocky environment, it is more important than ever to create steady and consistent processes as well as sturdy relationships. Not only with your clients and customers but also with your internal and external sales partners. Whether you are being sure to deliver information to your company’s shipping team on time, or reaching out to brokers to secure prices, you play an important role in completing the sales cycle and getting goods and services out to your customer base! Let’s go over a couple of tips to make sure that you’re communicating effectively to build better relationships and to build a reputation of reliability.
Actively ask questions and listen to your customers.
Not only do you need to be asking questions, but it is also important to make sure you’re asking the correct questions. For example, instead of asking, “When would you like to have your shipment delivered?” ask, “Did you know I can have this delivered to you by the end of the week?” Use this opportunity to upsell and ask if there is anything else you can conveniently include in their shipment. Not only do you have a customer who is grateful to have prompt delivery, but you’ve also increased the value of your interaction!
Have full awareness of your client’s needs while respecting your company’s policies.
After you have visited or spoken to a customer it is important to act on their account. While it can be hard to remember all of the tiny details while you’re on the road, a platform like Alliance App, allows you to quickly make notes about your client’s needs. Need to check in on the wait time for a product your customer requested? Use Alliance to message your inventory department and check on supply availability before you even leave the client’s parking lot. The best part? Alliance App has the ability to integrate with your CRM so your notes and progress will be recorded as you go. No more forgotten details or missed opportunities!
Predict any hang-ups and manage expectations.
We mentioned it before, if 2022 is going to be anything like the last two years, things are going to be unpredictable. The good news is now, we expect that. You have the opportunity with every sale you make to show up as a consistent variable for not only your clients and customers but your sales network as well. Before you contact a client or customer, touch base with anyone who might be involved in the sale. Send a message to those you’ll collaborate with for updates or ask them to upload the newest pricing sheets that might apply to who you’re going to visit. Not only will you be better equipped for a sale, but you’ll also demonstrate to your counterparts that you are someone they can trust.
While the buying process can be anything but foreseeable with your client, make it a point to quickly communicate unexpected changes to them while providing modifications that create an amicable solution. While option ‘B” might not be the best-case scenario, if you have helped navigate a potentially upsetting situation, your customers will remember how well you assisted them and fulfilled their needs.
Drop by, or check-in just to say, “Thank you.”
It is amazing how far manners can get you in 2022. Pay attention to the little things you can do to make your customers feel appreciated. A great way to do this is by mapping out a daily schedule or route. If you know you’re visiting a customer a few miles away, look on your opportunities map in Alliance App, and see if another client or customer is on your route! Then, when you’re headed for meetings, drop by and say “Hi,” or drop a thank you note with their front desk. These stops don’t always need to be grand shows of appreciation. Small, intentional gestures can help you form customer relationships that last a lifetime.
Look, no one can predict the future. We live in a time that can be drastically different from one day to the next and no one is immune to that. What we can do, however, are the little things. Be a sales professional who stays consistent over time and through each transaction. This will allow you to establish strong and predictable relationships within your business or industry.
So, control what you can and we’ll do our best to help you. Alliance App is ready to help you form relationships that are based on consistent communication while allowing you to build relationships, and pay attention to details that will make you your customer’s “go-to,” provider, and your sales network’s trusted colleague. We’d love to help you make 2022 the year you build sales relationships that last for a career.