No two customers are the same. Throw in an unstable market, and those same 2 customers not only are different, but their needs are changing by the minute. All this to say, sales teams have their work cut out for them, big time.
We all know by now that a single talk track will not close a deal, but now questions, concerns, and other challenges are popping up in sales conversations that were never considered before. Every prospect call is new, forcing sellers to be the most adaptable they have been ever.
So how can we prepare for these unpredictable conversations while still being able to close business, and fast? In this article, I'll share experiences that I’ve found to contribute to my own growth here at RollWorks…after many, many, many (successful!) sales cycles.
Go behind the curtain
Odds are, prospects have already researched your offering. They know the basics of what your product does and how it can serve them. They also more than likely have researched or even spoken with your competition. Your job is now to paint a clear picture of what makes your offering different from the get-go. In the case of RollWorks, I like to get right into our data foundation of 320 million contacts from 18 million companies— value that sets us apart in the world of ABM. Working with product marketing helps to come up with key differentiators. The way I see it, there is a bigger need to illustrate the WHY behind functionality—all while being enthusiastic about it.
The second deal I closed at RollWorks was with a rather large organization. It was a significant opportunity not only because of the size of the deal (compared to what is normally achieved within my segment), but also because of how fierce the competition was. My champion was a former user of one of our competitors and a completely satisfied user at that. They entered the evaluation with an inherent bias where talking to our team almost felt like more of a formality for the sake of comparison.
And just like that, I had my work cut out for me.
Through a series of extremely in-depth questions—that I also had to equally hunt down for answers to—I ended up doubling down on my own knowledge about our product in fighting to win this opportunity.
This required me to collaborate with marketing in ways I had not before. Account-based marketing leads became my unsung heroes for keeping the air cover going and engagement surging. Product marketers became my new best friend. I was sitting in meetings that I would not have prior and listening to customer calls who shared similar pain points. I knew I had to go beyond the talk track, and head into unfamiliar territory outside of sales to get what I needed to close that deal. And I did.
Delivery over everything
If you aren't excited about what you are selling, why should prospects be willing to invest? Sure there are slow seasons that affect our morale from time to time, we are human at the end of the day. But a good salesperson never gets disheartened. And they aren't relying on passion as the “it-factor” to make them a strong seller. It takes more than that. No matter how crafty you are with your words, in order for your pitch to be received well by prospects, you must genuinely care about what you're selling. And care about the account (and buyer) on the other side.
Much like having a genuine conversation with someone you know well—it doesn't feel choppy, it doesn't feel scripted. It's fluid. And while a dose of passion does help, being genuine in your delivery fills conversational gaps that effortlessly creates trust with prospects. When you are real with others, others are real with you. It's contagious, it's human behavior.
This approach also helps to decipher what prospects actually have a real need or open initiative that your product can solve—as in they are ready to move forward. There are a handful of folks I speak to that are totally "qualified" on paper (they have the right tech, they have budget, their org is in the right spot) but they simply aren't ready to take things seriously. I know that if I enter the conversation at my most authentic with all the BTS value points ready to go, I can tell what prospects will drag their feet in the sales cycle or are simply not ready. (Of course, a healthy dose of marketing tactics can help move the needle, but the 1:1 human factor will always play a role).
In the end, your delivery serves you. Become a master at delivery to control the conversation and weed out your top sales-ready leads.
Coach & Invest
Working at RollWorks is truly an account-based experience all around. The organization knows that's the key to being a top sales professional. I am enabled to prioritize & personalize and am in lock-step with marketers bringing me the best-in-market accounts. One of my greatest strengths is that I’ve not been given handfuls of high-volume, low-quality leads. Instead, there is a team effort that enables me to have better sales cycles and close more deals faster.
What's also so appealing to me about RollWorks is the amount of growth opportunity, both professionally and financially. From my experience at other organizations, you're a salesperson at one level and that's all you can ever be. It’s refreshing when leaders you can trust provide consistent feedback to improve, even when you’re knocking deals out of the park. More importantly, it's incredible to know that there are multiple promotions I can work towards over the years.
So here we are in the middle of a downturn market and yet I'm still motivated to keep pushing because I know I have the support of my team AND can see the investment RollWorks puts into me.
I have no crystal ball, but at this rate in my sales career, I can see the positive changes in my life and future.
About the Author
Follow on Linkedin More Content by Tanner Cahoon, New Business Sales at RollWorks
