Sales Focus: Customer Testimonials, Price Negotiations, Email Tips
Are your sales efforts stuck in a Groundhog Day-like rut? Does it seem like this winter is not EVER going to end (that it’s going to be cold, it’s going to be grey and it’s going to last you the rest of your life?) Are you having a Ned Ryerson moment? Well here’s a fresh spring breeze of sales inspiration to clear out the stale air and get those prospects growing again. We’ve got insights for you on how to cultivate powerful customer testimonials, avoid heated price negotiations and more.
These come from sales expert Kendra Lee, writing for sister site The VAR Guy. Check them out today and dig your sales out of yesterday’s snowdrift to get ready for spring.
5 Questions that Lead to Powerful Customer Testimonials
In almost any context, a well-written customer testimonial can be hugely impactful. In fact, those stamps of approval often replace the need for customer reference checks because they serve as validation of your offerings’ value proposition and confirmation of your company’s capabilities. Simply put, testimonials instill confidence in your prospects’ minds and, ultimately, help you close sales faster. Here are the questions you need to ask to make these happen.
When Options Avoid Heated Price Negotiations
When you go to a dealership to buy a car, it’s no mistake that you’re presented with myriad options. Want a black car with tan leather, GPS, stow-away back seats, and surround-sound speakers? No problem. Prefer a hybrid vehicle with cloth seats and no frills? You can probably get that, too. The argument for providing that diversity of options is twofold: It ensures that the customer gets what they want and need, and it takes some of the attention away from price. The same is often true in IT sales.
Selling via Email: A Case Study
Email is the new phone in today’s sales world. Some say it is one of the most effective online customer acquisition tools, ranking just behind organic search and paid advertising, but ahead of social media. If you are looking to harness its power, read on for a hands on story of how one organization experimented with changes to its sales process that focused on email.
Do Your Prospecting Voicemails Sound Robotically Redundant?
While looking to buy a new car, I got several calls from dealerships that all followed the same script: “Hello, Mrs. Lee. I wanted to follow up on your recent visit to our dealership. We’re experiencing high demand for used Hondas, but our inventory is currently in short supply. We’re very interested in yours, and wanted to see if we could get you in a new car right away.” Each time I received that message, I chuckled. Had every dealership hired the same sales trainer? Instead of grabbing my attention by declaring their desperate need for my 25-year-old Honda, the word-for-word delivery of their messaging felt diluted and insincere. I realized that I was simply being fed a regurgitated script.
