Selling in the “New Normal” – CHALLENGE to Win

In today’s “New Normal” business environment, the key to a sustainable business mission is having a sales/marketing team that can engage with your customers. The issues that customer’s are grappling with exceed what is perceived to be a “standard solution”, even though that solution may be creative and fresh. Better said, the issues are perceived to be more complex to the customer, and they find it difficult to pick the right solution out of the “noise”.

Most professional sales reps are trying to land an appointment with the “decision-maker”, and when they do, the typical approach is to “pitch” a new solution to a common issue apparent in that market segment. “You want to sell more? You need to use my Dooper-Whopper X13. Here’s what it will do to sell more of your stuff.” The customer decision-maker now gets the third or fourth presentation of “a solution” for the day. Do the pitches begin to sound similar?

Your Customers

As a customer in this environment of “The Great Recession”, I’m trying to chart a course for my business segment, and I’m trying various ideas and solutions. I listen to a string of pitches almost every day from various levels and sources…and there are many “standard solutions” to my perceived issues.

• How often are your customers exposed to an individual that seems to understand the challenges the customer faces daily in the business, from the customers’s point of view?
• What if this person actively engages the customer on specifics of what’s actually happening in the customer’s business?
• How engaging could it be if this person has actual details on the customer’s business that are enlightening and diagnostic?
• Would it be engaging if this person respectfully challenges the customer to consider what is happening in their market area, utilizing very specific data/info?
• What if this person is discussing the business intelligence on a basis of trying to diagnose the problem and potential approaches to fixing that specific problem?

The customer is not being pummeled with a pitch about a solution…they are engaged in a discussion with a well grounded and disciplined business person that has ideas that are not “pitches” or 99 slides of the product/service they must sell one of on this day.

Why is this “Challenge to Win” approach more effective in the New Normal terrain?

1. Customers are tired of, yet still agree to suffer through another presentation of a “hot, new” solution.
2. The key is not to measure your sales team on “activity levels”.
3. Measure them on building the business relationship and real credibility with targeted decision-makers…to OWN the account.

What is your mission? To increase sales in this New Normal? What are you doing to cut through a very thick fog, and the customer’s reluctance to act?

Your Challenge

One notable goal may be to have each of your reps capable of engaging the customer as a business person, with a mastery of the account development process, utilizing the predictive value of business intelligence to engage the principals in the targeted/qualified customer location.

We challenge you to consider an innovative approach to develop your team’s capability to productively engage customers in the New Normal…we call it CHALLENGE TO WIN!  Click here to learn more.

Thoughts? Feel free to contact us, or leave a comment below.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net