I help founders who sell, but aren't "sales"people. Are you open to one hyper actionable sales tip per week, useful for your very next sales meeting and consumable in 4 minutes or less?
#007: Struggling to move from first conversation to $$
Hey, đź‘‹ Scott from The Sales Mastermind here.
Today’s edition can be read in 2 minutes.
Moving a buyer from first impressions to $$ is tough.
Yet this is what sales actually is.
9 reasons founders struggle to convert first meetings into won business:
1. Thinking buyers care WHAT you do.
Buyers are always thinking “what’s in it for me”, speak only to that.
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2. Making the buying journey messy.
A buyer usually only has 1-3 priorities, sell only to these and stop talking about anything else. The rest is a pleasant surprise when they become a customer.
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3. Staying too low or aiming too low.
Individual contributors are rarely buyers. They can put you in touch with buyers if you ask nicely.
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4. Thinking the product is more important than the process.
Most people will love your product/demo/pitch. The hard part is helping them to get from excitement to solving the actual problem they have
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5. Forgetting most B2B buyers don’t actually buy that often.
A founder might need between 5-10-50 sales per year, a buyer might make 1-2 purchases a year. Sellers need to teach buyers as if it is their first time.
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6. Not giving your contact/s enough support.
More than half of the buying journey happens without you (over 57% according to RAIN group). Empower your buyers with support and collateral to sell without you.
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7. Pushing the wrong people at the wrong time.
Most contacts can only say no, very few can actually say yes. Never push a “No’er” to say yes or they'll revert to the only answer they can give.
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8. Having a timeline that ends at signature or payment.
Sellers are often finished at payment. The buyer's timeline doesn’t end until the problem is solved. Sell to their timeline not yours.
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9. Lacking flexibility.
Any buying journey is a team sport, the buyer needs to be an equal part in co-creating the journey.
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What did I miss?
Are there any of these you’d want me to expand on?
And that’s a wrap….
Something a bit different today - let me know what you think! it to a friend
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Until next time,
Scott Cowley
Hi! It's The Sales Mastermind
I help founders who sell, but aren't "sales"people. Are you open to one hyper actionable sales tip per week, useful for your very next sales meeting and consumable in 4 minutes or less?
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