Most businesses out there (whether they are B2B or B2C) have sales teams of varying sizes. However, few are those who know how they can maximise the potential of their salespeople to ensure they get the best results possible.
In this episode of The Digital Prosperity Podcast called “The Essential Mindset to Have in Modern Sales”, Andy Gibbins is accompanied by JDR’s very own managing director, David Roberts, to discover how businesses that are actively involved in sales can get the best results from their sales teams.
The Importance of Mindset in Sales
With the rise of AI & technology, the mindset sales teams should have has changed and evolved. Nowadays, it is important for them to embrace technology and use it alongside all their other tools.
David Roberts defines mindset in sales as “knowing that you’re up for the challenge every day”. He describes sales as a difficult job where only people with the right mindset can become successful. According to JDR’s managing director, the mindset in itself hasn’t changed over the years, it is all about embracing the evolution of technology.
Salespeople should not only have great listening skills and body language but should, most importantly, be relatable. With technology, sales teams are able to collect a lot more information about prospects. Having the ability to use this information to your advantage, to understand the buyer’s journey and the part you play in it, is a crucial skill that modern salespeople need to keep in mind.
However, mindset is not everything. Making sure that you have a successful system shared across your salespeople will ensure that your teams hit the maximum targets possible.
David Roberts said: “When you have a formula to follow, you can easily find where you have gone off track. That sales system will take you to your destination - ie, the winning of clients”.
AI & Technology: The Effects on Mindset
With customers and future prospects having a higher amount of knowledge and information about your product or services, thanks to technology, it is important to realise that this mindset change has also affected the time at which salespeople should come into the buying journey.
In today’s day and age, people come to a conclusion or decision on their own without having to interact with anyone trying to convince them or sell them something, however, it takes prospects and potential customers longer to make their decision due to the amount of touchpoints required. According to an article from email tool tester, it can take up to 50 touchpoints for customers to reach a decision and for sales to occur.
Technology not only plays a part in how your prospects behave but also in the way you should approach them and what attracts them.
Salespeople: The Skills Required
Now, you might be wondering whether the people you are working with have the right mindset and will ensure you maximise sales opportunities. David Roberts has put together a list of things to look for when hiring salespeople, and that will help you determine whether they are a good fit for your business:
He said: “What I look for in a good salesperson is character.
“Let me explain what I mean by character: their values, their personal credibility, their morals, their communication, do they care about people.”
“You can't be a successful salesperson if you don't have that in your character, especially nowadays, people want to feel that they've experienced a trusted advisor.”
According to JDR’s managing director, it is essential for your sales team to build trust with your customers; they need to be genuine and have integrity as well as care about the products and the services they provide.
Sales is not only about skills, but it’s also about self-belief and knowing that no matter what the outcome is, your salespeople are able to move on and pick themselves up. When those elements are combined together, this is what is considered a good sale.
The Future of Sales
For Mr. Roberts, the sales process is going to change significantly in the future, as, depending on the industry, salespeople are less likely to be required.
David said: “Take the car industry, for example, they used to have big motor shows, across the world, on every continent, and all the major brands would invest heavily to take their best vehicles across America or wherever it might be so that they’re physically there, and people could see the newest, latest, greatest models.
“Now those shows are declining. Now people don’t need to be physically there because brands like Mercedes can see that the consumers get all the information they need and turn up to the showrooms telling the salesperson what they need.”
Nowadays, sales teams are not the only ones who need to have a change in mindset, business owners also need to realise that technology is a major part of sales and that if they don’t understand this, their business is going to get left behind.
At JDR, we stay up to date with the latest technology: from software to tools and techniques, we are always learning new things to ensure that we are able to help businesses like yours stay on top of the game.
If you are afraid that your business is starting to be outranked by new and upcoming ones, please contact us.
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