5 Out-of-the-Box Sales Techniques
Conventional sales techniques work much of the time but adhering to what’s “tried and true” may not always be the most effective sales strategy. After all, there are many ways to persuade customers to “get to yes,” so when it comes to sales, why not try a different approach?
A solid sales lead is always something of a puzzle. Without the right preparation, you can inadvertently “sabotage” a sale if the customer’s specific pain points aren’t addressed. As Skaled notes, “As the marketplace becomes more saturated and competitive, it’s become harder than ever to capture the attention of your target audience with conventional sales strategies.”
Here are some suggestions for out-of-the-box sales techniques:
1. Tell a story through compelling case studies.
Everyone, including prospects and other leads, loves a good story. If your team’s sales presentations can generate a positive feeling or inspire favorable emotions, they may be on the way to a successful sale.
What better way to tell a story than through a persuasive customer case study? If you haven’t done so already, start producing brief testimonials from some of your most satisfied customers.
Feature your best customer case studies on your home page. (Video testimonials are often the most effective way to tell a story.) Scatter quotes from these case studies throughout your company website, with links to the testimonials themselves. Then create a “case study archive” where prospects can view these case studies at their leisure. Here’s what we do at TAB.
2. Adopt the role of “industry expert.”
Depending on the configuration of your sales team, it might be worthwhile singling out one or two individuals whom you can trust to connect with prospects at trade shows and elsewhere.
“By speaking at industry events, you can establish thought leadership and provide added value to prospective customers,” notes CrankWheel. This subtle sales technique enables you to “drive brand awareness and generate buzz around your products or services.”
3. Generate a feeling of exclusiveness.
Prospects and existing customers alike want to feel that, as a provider of desired products or services, you can be counted upon to treat them with special care. Why not devise a strategy around this feeling?
Identify your best potential customers. Make them “feel extra special when you give them early or special access to sales or promotions,” notes Helium Marketing. “Give them that exclusive warm fuzzy feeling to initiate yet another purchase from your business.”
4. Boost sales through “customer shadowing.”
How well does your sales team know or understand the customers your business serves?
It seems logical to assume that the deeper that knowledge, the more effective your sales techniques will be. Peak Sales Recruiting recommends pairing up your sales team members “with actual customers for a day,” so they can “shadow the customer in their environment, learning firsthand about their specific needs, challenges, and decision-making processes.”
After that, an in-depth debriefing with the rest of the sales team can generate useful perceptions about a prospect’s particular issues and challenges. That way, you can customize your sales pitch in terms that more effectively resonate with those customers.
5. Explore social selling.
Social media is increasingly a popular venue for generating sales leads. Your team can leverage its presence on key platforms to more closely identify the target audience and gain fresh insights into customer concerns. “It’s not about the hard sell,” says business leader Adel Khatib, but rather about “building trust brick by brick.” Use social selling to “tailor your solutions” and “make every interaction count.”
Bonus tip: Salespeople should pay close attention to their profiles social media platforms. After all, notes Khatib, your profile “is your billboard—make sure it speaks volumes before you utter a word.”
Out-of-the-box sales techniques have the potential to dramatically boost sales activities. Want to learn more about creating powerful case studies? Check out “Effective Customer Case Studies Can Boost Sales.”