Both musicians and B2B sales pros can benefit from regular jam sessions. The difference is that while musicians need to practice their chords, sales pros need to ensure they strike the right chords with B2B buyers.
While you may think you get enough “practice” just by completing your appointment schedule each day, there are definite reasons to explore deliberate role playing. You will encounter high-stakes situations and buyer considerations that are unique to each sales scenario, and your ability to handle them in real time can have a profound impact on your success. By taking time to practice role playing exercises with a trusted coach or colleague, you can fix problem areas during your jam sessions. That way, when you have a real audience, you’re prepared to persuade them that your product or solution is worth the price of admission.
In this week’s trending sales content, learn how to use role plays to prepare for specific situations, why 3 a.m. emails are okay, and why you should disclose pricing when asked.
Here’s What Sales Professionals Are Reading and Sharing This Week:
Want More Sales? Role-Playing Is the Key to a Bigger Bank Account
Many of us cringe when we hear “role play.” But according to Grant Cardone, shying away from these types of exercises may prevent us from achieving success. Cardone says that working out a hypothetical deal with a teammate is a low-stakes way to try out a new sales technique, identify issues, and develop a strategy before sitting down with a valuable B2B buyer. Click through for more benefits of role-playing, 10 tips for successful role plays, and four things to never include in a sales pitch.
Why “Don’t Send Emails At Night” Is Terrible, Outdated Advice
Good news! It’s now okay to work 24 hours a day. Okay, that’s really not the point of this post by Scott Tousley which asserts that we should send emails when we feel like it. The three main reasons cited by Tousley include boosted productivity, improved communication, and assurance that we don’t forget to send important messages. Tousley believes it is most productive to deal with email when our energy is lowest and, for many of us, that’s at night. If you feel weird emailing customers and B2B buyers outside of office hours, schedule them for delivery at a more reasonable hour. Check out the post for a list of tasks that require high mental energy and low mental energy, and more reasons to give into your urge to write that 3 a.m. missive.
Disclose Your Pricing When Asked
It’s common sales practice to withhold pricing information until after a lengthy discovery process. This is especially true in a competitive market or if your product has a premium price. Anthony Iannarino argues that staying mum leads buyers to assume you’re hiding something negative, making it harder to defend your product’s value upon the big price reveal. Read on to learn how and why to be transparent with your product’s price.
My Worst Blog Post Ever
This post by Jill Konrath is a good reminder to give ourselves a little leeway in our quest for perfection. Sometimes when we’re immobilized by self-doubt or “cognitive overload,” we just need to do something, even if it’s not the most perfect thing, to start moving forward again. Check out the post which is decidedly not the worst blog post ever.
6 Steps to Setting Strategic Sales Goals
While you may not have been involved in setting corporate sales goals, your company will need you to think strategically in order to reach them. In this post, Alice Heiman breaks down six steps for sales leaders to use in establishing corporate sales goals, many of which can help sales pros assess strategy, timelines, and new opportunities within their own sales territory.
Sales Is NOT About Talking...It's About LISTENING
If you could identify the one thing that’s holding you back as a sales pro, what would it be? Presentation skills? A stronger close? Jeff "The Sales Pro" Goldberg believes that for most of us, the biggest opportunity is improving listening skills. In this post, Goldberg highlights the fine line between respecting the wishes of the prospect and not giving up at the first “no.”
Postcast: Succeeding as a Woman of Color in Sales Leadership w/ Mandy Bynum McLaughlin
In this podcast, Barb Giamanco has a conversation with Mandy Bynum McLaughlin about what it takes to succeed as a woman of color in sales. For McLaughlin, using data and a consultative approach have been key to overcoming bias. Additionally, McLaughlin extols the benefits of using other female sales pros as allies who can add perspective to difficult situations and help determine next steps. It’s another excellent listen in the Women in Sales podcast series.
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Topics: Sales trends
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