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The ABC of effective selling [going back to the often-forgotten basics…]

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In the fourth article in this five-part series, Barrett Consulting founder, Sue Barrett, explores the knowledge, skills and insights needed for successful selling.

Bold statement alert: Everybody lives by selling something. Why then do so many of us leave the sales process to chance?

It’s interesting that the majority of Australian business leaders – whether from big business or the SME sector – all experience similar challenges with sales planning, sales prospecting and sales communication. Many businesses lack robust sales processes for its products, services and people – this is a big business blunder.

At Barrett, we call the three staples in every salesperson’s arsenal ‘The ABC of Selling’. These processes lay the foundation for any organisation. They include:

  • A. A sales planning process – to create an actionable go-to-market sales plan
  • B. A sales prospecting process – to prospect efficiently and successfully
  • C. A sales communication process – to have productive dialogue with clients and prospects

Businesses using a documented process to guide selling dramatically increase sales capability and performance. Of course, there’s plenty more to learn about effective selling, but these three basic processes provide your sales team with a foundation to deliver results.

It’s a business’s responsibility to develop a go-to-market sales action plan that informs the sales team: who they should be in front of, how often, and how to secure that all-important face-to-face time.

Any sales team worth their salt will know how to make an effective prospecting call — and should be doing so daily. Your sales team must also be effective communicators, not just good talkers. Before telling prospects about your business, product and service, your team must ask people about their priorities, problems and objectives. It’s not all about you, you know!

When you equip your sales team with these three sales essentials, their sales technique will become a ‘way of life’. By combining the three essentials with coaching, you’re giving your people the skills they need to get traction and grow.

From this, you’ll witness a more skilled sales force and a steadily-increasing bottom line.

Sue Barrett is a sales expert, business speaker, adviser, sales facilitator and entrepreneur and founded Barrett Consulting to provide expert sales consulting, sales training, sales coaching and assessments. Visit www.barrett.com.au.