Read the possibilities how the sales baton can fall as this will help us analyzing and preventing it in future.We shall discuss few time proven methods a company can implement and increase the sales.
“If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough,” says Mario Andretti, one of the successful car racing drivers. In the fast-changing world, it is the pace that matters. Everything should happen swiftly but accurately especially in the Business and Sales World.
We all would have seen the track relay race right from the school days. The people who have participated would know the thrill and excitement. The crowds watching the sports go enthusiastic when the athletics pass on the batons. In fact, the race generates more excitement on the tracks rather than on the finish line.
In spite of vigorous training sometimes the athletics drop the baton or fumble when passing the baton – eventually losing the race. During the Olympics of 2008, USA 400m relay race team had the best runners but lost the finals as the baton was dropped at a pivotal moment.
The risks of a fumbled handover are not confined alone only to sports, its regular features in the Business World. In sales, in the process of handing over the sales baton, there will be many slips. In the sports arena, if it happens you lose the race and if it happens in business you lose the deal.
Even the well-trained experienced sales team can make such mistakes. Such events fall out are prone to happen between the customer and the salesperson, between marketing and sales handover, during sales and operations hand over, from one stage of the sales process to the next, or even between members of the selling team, all this can frustrate the prospect and lose the sale.
First, we shall discuss the possibilities of how the sales baton can fall as this will help us analyze and prevent it in the future.
FACTORS YOUR SALES TEAMS MAY BE DROPPING SALES THE BATON
1. Resignation of Sales Staff:
If a sales staff following with a customer right from the time of lead generation, decides to leave the company then there might be a little turmoil. If there is no relieving staff or the staff is new to the company then the handover process will not be absolute. Moreover, if the company is not using any CRM system, eventually there will not be necessary data to follow and chances are the customer might lose contact and lose the lead.
2. Sales Rep using primitive methods of Sales:
If the company is not using any CRM system then the salesperson will be manually entering the sales data. Manually keeping track of the field visits and appointments is a herculean task. To make things easy the staff might request the support staff for support like sending the technical information or price quotation. Once the request goes into the hand of the support staff, chances are the salesperson might lose contact with the customer.
3. Unorganized Sales Run:
Salesperson regularly contacts the different potential customers but fails to make the record of the same. In absence of proper, it will not be easy to follow up with the customers. Unorganized sales run will not yield many sales conversions.
4. Single Point of Contact:
The major mistake the salespeople do is the make one-point contact with the client. They fail to build a relationship with the purchasing team of the client. A salesperson will be with all the hopes the contact person will do the complete follow-up. Such cases usually fail, when the client staff has not relayed the details to his supervisors and decision-makers. In rare cases, the contact person plans to quit to company. This eventually makes to lose the sales baton.
5. No Proper Handover:
Marketing Department leads are placed in the pipeline without a clear understanding of where the customer has come from, what they already know, who they’ve talked to, or what they need. Salespeople have to build a new relationship with the customer, by the time the rapport is built the customer might change the decision.
The situation looks grave from a business point of view. Such situations look grave but also there is a solution for every problem. We shall discuss a few time-proven methods a company can implement and increase sales.
1. Focus on Qualified Leads:
There might be a lot of unqualified and duplicate leads in the sales funnel. The foremost task is to organize the data, jettison the redundant data. Followup only qualified and genuine leads, as it yields better results and saves a lot of time and energy.
2. Pay Attention To Data Quality:
Clear the unwanted and duplicate data by clearing the CRM system. Organized data will help in healthy engagement with potential leads.
3. KYSS – Know Your Sales Staff:
People are more inclined to work with the salesperson they trust and know. Trust is built slowly over a period of time. The company can send the details of the staff who will be handling their account, this familiarity helps in building long-term relationships.
4. Two Sides Of The Same Coin:
Sales and Marketing are like railway tracks, they run parallel but never meet. At times they behave like Tom and Jerry. With the advent of the latest technology, including sales baton, both the teams can help each other through the sales cycle. Well-oiled teamwork will yield the best results
5. Selecting The Right CRM System:
Select the CRM system which is compatible with your business. Most of the companies overlook the after-sales service aspect while purchasing the CRM system. Look for CRM from the companies that give you seamless after-sales service and who can tailor the product as per your business requirements.
Toolyt, as leaders in Sales Productivity Automation System and CRM, have been helping the companies with CRM management. Toolyt has integrated with other digital solution systems like Floatbot and Mobillor to give the customer absolute sales solutions. The flawless automated bot solutions for increasing sales and customer satisfaction.