Selling in the Modern Sales Environment

The sales environment is constantly adapting. As we find ourselves now selling more via digital channels and tools; you need to develop techniques, analyse, and review your sales process and strategy to understand the buying behaviour, communication styles, and personalities of your future clients.

Here are some integral areas to be focused on when selling in the modern sales environment:

Identifying Your Future Clients:

Before contacting a prospect – take the time initially to develop a sales strategy and process to make your sales activities more efficient and effective.

Identify who your Ideal Client Profile (ICP); the decision maker who is predicted to buy your service or product. These new prospects could be your clients’ clients, the competitors of your clients, etc. The focus here should be to qualify or disqualify a prospect prior to approaching them, social media profiles or sales enablement AI platform tools can assist you with this.

Identify the behaviours of your prospects, e.g., what social media channels they use and how they engage on it. You can identify more about their personality and communication styles by the way and how they are corresponding to their network? The more you find out about your prospects early on within the sales process, the easier they will be to sell too.

Sales Process:

After identifying some key prospects to approach, research and your due diligence are key skills that will help with the next steps for developing a relationship with these prospects/decision makers during the buying process.

There are various channels (especially in a modern environment) for contacting a prospect, e.g., social media (including groups), telephone, text, email, post, video conference, WhatsApp, Slack, website enquiries, networking events, referrals, podcasts, and so on… Adopting automation services can help save time, but is this a personalised approach for your target prospects?

In the sales process – a consistent approach, with several personalised ‘touch points’ i.e., interaction with the prospect/decision makers’ learning and communication styles during the client buying process should be applied.

Decision Makers:

When selling to some companies, there are several decision makers. Each decision maker has a different personality, communication style, and requirements for your service/product.

Are you aware of your decision makers’ interests? What groups they are a part of on LinkedIn/Facebook, etc.? In the modern sales environment, decision makers will experience many pitches from your competition, as well as ‘noise’ from digital channels, i.e., social media, marketing ads, promotions when they look to buy.

Some types of decision makers below:

• Starts the buying process
• The check writer
• Final decision on the purchase or your service/product
• The end user (could be a decision maker or an employee)

How to sell more effectively to each type of decision maker?

• Starts the buying process

They are likely to research services/products thoroughly via digital channels, e.g., websites, social media, or referrals before they present a service or product to other decision makers within the business.Have you connected with these decision makers on social media channels? Do you engage with their content? Build rapport with these types of decision makers, they will buy from people they like.

• The check writer

These decision makers would be looking for formal written communication (email, brochure, proposal) with all the facts and figures to be accurate – any error in detail will have an impact on their buying decision.

• Final decision on the purchase or your service/product

These decision makers will react to their gut emotion. They would need to be convinced visually (video marketing, Google reviews, LinkedIn recommendations, etc.) during the buying process by you/other decision makers. Likely to be focused on the outcome your service/product offers; these decision makers are logical buyers. An engaging demonstration/case study would be an ideal way to demonstrate a return of investment and close the deal with these decision makers.

• The end user (could be a decision maker or an employee)

Likely to explore buying a service or product with several of your competitors. These decision makers will want to know all the benefits and features, including elements such as the service/product’s life cycle, implementation, ease of use, etc. Video testimonials or client feedback (highlighted on website/in a brochure) are good resources to win these end users to buy from you.

Remember – in the modern sales environment, some decision makers might prefer to communicate via social media ‘private message’, WhatsApp, text, video conference, etc. Advice – Ask the decision how they prefer to communicate with you!

Building Rapport:

Cold calling is becoming a sales activity of the past. The renowned sales term: Know, Like, and Trust (KLT), as well as referrals is more important now for building rapport and long-lasting relationships.

A prospect is likely to engage with you through the buying process if you take the time to listen and care about their values and interests. A strong rapport built can make the negotiation and closing stages easier. People do buy from people!

To build rapport in a modern sales environment – build a connection with your prospect by getting to know them personally. Engage with them on social media. Actively listen to how they communicate with you (their body language, their tone of voice, etc.).

If you identify a connection/interest in common with your prospect, you are more likely to be remembered during the buying process.

Selling Your Service or Product:

Before the advancement of the digital world, the selling activity included approaching prospects in volume, during the buying process a smaller number of prospects would qualify and be converted into clients. Yes, this approach included ‘wins’, but how many hours/costs/resources were required?  

In the modern sales environment, various digital channels (social media, automated emails, articles, videos, landing page, etc.) can be utilised for lead generation and your sales funnel. These tools should be personalised and adapted to the emotions and buying behaviours of your target prospects.

For identifying new prospects and qualifying more prospects swiftly and efficiently; your business should focus on their personality, communication style, their needs; how your service or product will make a significant impact on their business in current markets? Social media profiles (such as LinkedIn) can provide insights into some of these areas.

In the modern sales environment, we can utilise a variety of modern touch points to keep in contact with our prospects during the buying and follow up process, i.e., newsletters, video messages, social media.

Using Social Media for Selling:

There are various social media channels: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Social media is for information sharing – what are you an expert in? How will your service of product benefit prospects and your clients? If you are not producing constant social media marketing posts; how will your prospects know who you are and what you are selling?

In one of my surveys, ‘83% of Sales Professionals feel they require support in using social media for building business relationships’ (Correct Careers Coaching, 2019).

If you do not embrace social media, you are missing out on building relationships with future clients, i.e., LinkedIn has registered over 30 million companies. Utilise social media to stay visible, promote your brand, engage with new prospects, etc.

Personalities will thrive when selling in the modern sales environment!

Jamie works with companies globally to enhance the employee's B2B selling capabilities for generating and converting prospects. Jamie also improves the sales process and strategy to increase your gross sales by winning and retaining clients. 

If you would like to have a more detailed discussion and explore selling techniques further, contact Jamie via emailing [email protected], call 07599 332178 or visit the wesbite.