The days of ‘telling’ prospects about your company and services are long gone. It is not enough to be an expert on your products or services to succeed today. Even product demos or prospect presentations must be 100% focused on your prospect’s priorities. In other words, it’s always about ‘them’, not about ‘you’.
Bottom line – professional salespeople must find ways to add value for their prospect during every conversation if they want to advance in the buying process. Sellers can embrace numerous strategies that add value for their prospects, but here are seven rock solid ideas to get your account team thinking.
One
Learn about your prospect’s priorities and share information about how a similar client was able to achieve their goals. Prospects like to know about the ins and outs of how others achieved their goals. For example, a benchmarking study, report, or analysis.
Two
Help your prospect by offering to simplify something for them. Prospects are overwhelmed just like the rest of us and don’t have much bandwidth. Think about what you can do to make their lives easier. For example, recap the important elements of their pain points after a meeting so they can easily share with the rest of their buying team. Or offer to assist them in the development of their internal business case to justify their project. Use stories or anecdotes to make things simple and memorable.
Three
Provide helpful information just when they need it. The Goldilocks’ Principle applies here: Not too little, not too much, but just right. Salespeople should use their business acumen to determine the correct balance. For example, buyers are seeking information at points during the process. They will appreciate it if you can provide it.
Another example of providing solid value for your prospects would be to share a similar project scope with a prospect struggling with their own project scope. Your prospect would certainly find that type of meeting beneficial.
Four
Ask questions that stretch their thinking or help them with a realization they hadn’t considered prior. The adage that a ‘problem well stated is a problem half solved’ applies here. If you can help them define or clarify their problem through solid discovery questions, they will feel they have a handle on the solution as well. Helpful questions for your prospect spark new ideas, offer an insight to clarify their problem or opportunity, make things easier for them, reveal new resources, educate them, or provoke thought. A few question starters include:
- What is the underlying issue…?
- Can you describe the gap or difference between where you are now and where you would like to be?
- What are the pros and cons associated with…?
- Have you considered….?
- Are you familiar with…?
Five
Share relevant data such as trends that might affect your prospect. Most informed sellers have access to trends for their industry that prospects want to know about. Savvy salespeople know how to interpret and translate trends into invaluable insights for their prospects and clients. Prospects can use trend information for planning purposes, training for their staffs or simply to grow their knowledge and expertise.
Six
Offer valuable resources to your prospect such as introductions or access to people that they would find beneficial, invitations to events they may wish to attend, and useful tools such as templates, samples or pointing them in the right direction.
Seven
Be honest and transparent by asking your prospect, “How can I add the most value for you?” Prospects will respect you as a truly professional salesperson if they believe that you’re on their side and want to help.
Ring the Bell!!!
Salespeople will ring the bell more often when their prospects find value in each interaction
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About Lisa Magnuson and Top Line Sales
Lisa Magnuson has walked in the shoes of sales leaders. She was an award-winning sales manager and led the charge as a Sales VP for several Fortune 50 companies. Totaling over 35 years of experience, Lisa has worked with large, medium and small corporate clients across a broad spectrum of industries.
Top Line Sales, founded by Lisa Magnuson in 2005, has a proven track record of helping companies overcome the barriers to winning TOP Line Accounts™. Any sales consultant can claim they strategize and close large deals but not many sales consultants can prove it, especially in recent times. We can point to more than 350m in new 5X deal revenue for our clients. Consider the impact on your organization when you close 5X deals repeatedly.
Businesses who engage with Top Line Sales get results. No wonder that 100% of our business comes from referrals! Top Line Sales is also proud to report that 90% of our clients are repeat customers.
Lisa is the author of two highly acclaimed books: The TOP Seller Advantage: Powerful Strategies to Build Long-Term Executive Relationships and most recently, The TOP Sales Leader Playbook: How to Win 5X Deals Repeatedly.
Lisa D. Magnuson, Mastermind Sales Strategist of 7-Figure Deals
To advance your enterprise sales efforts with free tools and resources, visit www.toplinesales.com
About Lisa Magnuson:
Lisa Magnuson is an expert in corporate strategic sales and TOP Line Account™ revenue building. As a respected sales consultant and author, Lisa works with clients to build successful strategic sales programs that drive revenue from large new accounts and enable growth from existing high-value customers. Learn more at www.toplinesales.com
