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. 

The world of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools can be a complex one, but when wielded properly, is a powerful one. CRMs come in a multitude of different flavors: Salesforce, HubSpot, PipeDrive, Freshworks, Zoho, and a million more! This guide will help you understand concepts that will make your time with them much more effective. 

Tip 1: Keep customer info updated

Maybe an obvious one, but an important one, constantly update your customer information. This is the bane of sellers’ existence! I know it feels like most of your time is taken up by these monotonous minor modifications, but when information isn’t correct, it can lead to an even longer sales cycle or worse. In fact, if you use Alliance to share leads with other sellers, soon you will have the capability to populate that lead straight into your CRM. Easy peasy. 

Tip 2: Take time to train 

As a certified sales professional, you’re going to be spending a lot of time on this platform, so take the time to look up your questions and watch videos on the features. Some of the best sources of information come from your fellow coworkers. Most times, the CRM has been customized to meet your business’ demands, and who would know better than the people around you. Remember: you don’t have to overwhelm yourself with every single feature right away, but it’s good to familiarize yourself with what the product has to offer.

Tip 3: Integrate CRM with other business software

A CRM acts as a focal point to many other business software. You see, a CRM can connect and synchronize to different types of programs, making it more effective than each software individually. Alliance’s seller communication tool will soon have the ability to sync beautifully with most major CRMs and help cut down on the sales cycle by streamlining communication.

Tip 4: Use previous purchase history to your advantage

This is a tip much overlooked, but looking back through your CRM about what items a customer has purchased gives you insight into what they might buy next. For example, think about the person who buys a car. One could offer products in the same realm to complement the purchase, such as a car care kit or some sweet leather driving gloves.

“Upsell, resell, no free sale, sell.” – Seller’s Credo. 

Tip 5: Automation vs. personalized messaging?

Many automated features within a CRM can expedite sales; at the same time, you don’t want to come off as a robot. Using the automated features to send out soft touches after it’s been a bit can help make sure an opportunity doesn’t slip through the cracks. Sending out personalized messages to clients wishing them a Happy Birthday is often received as thoughtful and helps take the relationship to the next level. Keep in mind how your messages are coming off and whether the situation calls for an automatic response or a personalized one. 

The learning journey that you’ve embarked on with CRMs has just begun, and hopefully, these tips and tricks will set you up in the right direction. Remember that the Alliance App is another tool that will help you cut down on CRM busy work and expedite your sales cycle. Sell on my friends. 

It is vital as a sales professional throughout your day-to-day life to communicate efficiently. Not only with your customers but also with your staff, partners, and colleagues. By doing this, you’ll build an effective and mutually beneficial relationship with each of them.Here are a few ways that Alliance App can help you streamline your communication.

Quick and relevant access to data.

Whether it is the details of their most current promotion or the latest pricing sheet, Alliance allows you to make it easier for your selling network to access the most up-to-date information. With our straightforward document uploading, you’ll be able to eliminate any unneeded information to prioritize your current customer or client. This will lead to improved decision-making while with your customer and allow for growth in the long term.

Improved Communication with your WHOLE Network

The sales professional that use Alliance can create a well-integrated connection with all of their selling partners. You’ll be able to stay on top of the operations and mechanics that go into each customer or client. You’ll be able to manage lead-specific groups that cut out the confusion and allow you and your network to focus on the current sale. Alliance App will enable you to share and convey information that previously may have been time-consuming or difficult to communicate.

Full access to the information you need

Document and information and your chat communications on each lead are easy to access on Alliance. You’ll be able to save time and effectively communicate the correct information to the right people! Having a single place to house this information makes you a more productive professional. You’ll save time by eliminating the moments spentWith Alliance App, you get an all-in-one platform that solves problems you face daily as a sales professional. With a simple app download, you aid your career and continually work and network toward success.