Customers aren't buying. Sales cycles are longer and more
complex. Welcome to the world of sales in 2003. For you and your
sales team, selling isn't as easy-or as fun-as it was just
three years ago. In fact, for many salespeople, selling has become
an exercise in pain tolerance.
"The demands on salespeople today are greater than ever
before," says Joe Galvin, vice president and research director
of CRM strategies for Gartner Inc. "The bar has risen.
It's not just a more competitive environment, it's an
environment that requires greater skill."
When you wake up at 3 a.m., anxious about a morning sales call
that will make or break you for the quarter, you might wonder how
the great salespeople not only make but also consistently exceed
their numbers. Well, we sought out top salespeople navigating the
trenches at well-known companies to find out how they sell. What
goes through their minds as they make a sale? What's their
process? How do they land customers? Whether you're selling
wholesale, retail, B2B or technology, you'll see the sales
process through their eyes-and get their top tips for generating
more sales.
Selling Retail
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It's a tough market out there, but not for Kathy Williams, a
top salesperson in Charlotte, North Carolina, for women's
clothing store Chico's, which has about 400 stores nationwide.
"On a good day, I might make three big sales," says
Williams, 47. This may mean an $1,100 sale, a $900 sale and a $600
sale all in one morning. "A lot of customers look at me and
say 'I just came in for a belt, and I'm leaving with a bag
full,'" she says. Here are her tips for bagging the
sale:
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1. Beat a cold greeting. Many retail salespeople struggle
with the "I'm just browsing" rebuff. Williams asks
"Have you shopped with us before?" as an opportunity to
reveal her knowledge of Chico's product line. Williams wants to
know why a shopper came into the store. "If a customer says
'I'm just looking,' well, what is she looking
for?" Williams says. "You're just trying to
trigger what's of interest to her."
2. Think for the customer. Once Williams triggers an
interest, she starts a dressing room and selects an outfit based on
that one item. Chico's doesn't put mirrors in its dressing
rooms, which puts Williams front and center with the customer.
"I don't consider myself a salesclerk. I'm a wardrobe
consultant," she says. "I take the thinking out of it for
them." Williams takes notes on each customer after a sale,
then follows up with a call or a handwritten note.
3. Attack the sack. Williams sees opportunity in returns,
a philosophy she calls "attacking the sack." She finds
out what didn't work for the customer and finds a solution,
which could be another color, another size or another look.
"Nine times out of 10, if they bought once, they'll buy
again," she says. "A lot of times, they end up buying
more merchandise. They may return $300 [worth] and buy
$500."
Selling B2B
Michael Minelli is a New York City-based media and entertainment
business manager for SAS Institute Inc., the world's largest
privately held software company with sales of $1.8 billion in 2002.
In his five years at SAS, Minelli has consistently surpassed his
quotas, averaging $2.5 million in annual sales and winning clients
like Sony and Time Inc.
1. Remember, it's about
someone else's job. In B2B, a bad multimillion-dollar
decision can be a career killer for the ambitious manager who's
making the purchase, and this fear colors the buying process.
"One of the key challenges is the implication to someone's
career. They're so emotionally attached [to the purchase],
it's a hard sell," Minelli says. "If you can't
show how you'll increase revenue and decrease operating costs,
you're out of the game. You have to pull [buyers] into the
process so they can articulate how this will add value."
2. Focus on first quarter. "With B2B, you're
asking the customer at every step for a 'go' or
'no-go' decision, and sales cycles are much longer-months
on end," Minelli says. "First and second quarter are the
magic months. You have to make it happen then if you're going
to close lengthy sales cycles within a fiscal year."
3. Don't sell a need; sell a vision. Minelli asks a
lot of questions: How does this potential customer generate
revenue? What is important to them, and where does our solution
fit? "Customers don't care if you make your quota,"
he says. "They're concerned about their side of the
equation. You have to find compelling reasons why this is good for
their company."
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