Inside Sales Lead Management Featured Article

What is the common element in failed sales attempts? If you ask the sales rep, they aren’t likely going to answer the question correctly. In fact, some sales professionals rarely slow down enough to evaluate their processes and determine how better to approach the sale the second time around. The focus tends to be geared toward the buyer and their inability to understand the value presented.

Such a focus can create an environment of more missed sales, however, and negatively impact inside sales lead management. Unfortunately, such an environment is often inspired from the top down.

A recent Business2Community article referred to the trend as “Seller Deficit Disorder”, a concept that suggests salespeople don’t understand the client’s business and don’t listen. Such a description isn’t that far off from a number of inside sales lead management efforts that are so focused on what they want the client to know that they forget that the key to making the sale is connecting the value to need. Assuming they already know what the customer needs is an opportunity-killing mistake.

In the sales environment, it’s too easy to be solely focused on the number you have to hit each month. It’s a common symptom of Seller Deficit Disorder as it completely ignores the things you and your sales team need to do to hit that number. Successful inside sales lead management means that you are able to build a team that can help you hit that number by better connecting with your prospects and solving their problems. In order to solve their problems, you have to be able to listen.

The same thing applies to the internal sales team. What you demonstrate is what they will perform. If the only thing you are ever focused on is the number at the end of the month, you will condition your sales team to do the same. As a result, they are less focused on building relationships that turn into long-term revenue opportunities and more interested in closing the easy sale. They may be able to get a yes on the low-end widget, but what the client really needs is the high-cost solution. The sales rep went for the low-hanging fruit instead of attacking the process strategically to get more value.

This is a common trend among sales teams – it’s easier to close more simple sales than to concentrate on the few hard negotiations that may or may not come to a successful close. If you train your team how best to do both, however, they are more likely to blend the two and only settle for the easy sale when it’s actually applicable. Knowing where it applies comes from actively listening to the customer, not focusing on the bottom line.

Companies like VanillaSoft can help provide you with the inside sales lead management tools you need to better guide your team toward long-term success. The process starts with active listening and keeps the focus on building value over time. In doing so, you’ll soon see the monthly number is easy to hit.