We talk a lot about the stages of selling, but engagement is still a fundamental to keep in mind throughout the sales cycle and deserves special attention.
This week, with Tom Le Cocguen (Team lead AE international), we suggest that you go over 6 points to double-check with all your sales representatives, to ensure an end-to-end commitment.
1. Master a precise timeline
From the very first meeting, your prospect needs to know what is going to happen throughout the entire sales process:
- the various discussion highlights
- the content of each interaction
- the actions to be taken for a decision
- a clear and precise to-do list.
The more the prospect understands what is expected of them, the greater their attention and commitment will be.
Don't forget to involve them in this timeline: "What do you think are the different steps needed to set up Modjo? How can I help you? "What would prevent us from working together?"
At the start of each interaction, clarify:
- Where this meeting fits in the overall timeline
- The prospect's expectations for this meeting
- Your expectations from this meeting
- The duration of the meeting
- The expected at the end of the meeting
This is what the beginning of each meeting can look like:
- "The goal of this demo meeting is that at the end, you can know if Modjo meets your expectations and we can discuss next steps, or if not, that you can tell me at the end of this demo so we don't waste time. What do you think?"
- "We've scheduled 45 minutes for this demo, does that sound like enough time? Does anyone have an earlier requirement?"
- "I'm going to show you the demo in this order, and then we can talk about this and this. Need to add or remove a part? Okay, we're ready."
Finally, without a slot in your prospect's calendar, there is no engagement. The follow up should be as close as possible, with a clear agenda, and the to-do for your prospect.
- "I'll let you invite to the demo Thibaut, can you spell his last name for me?"
- "I understand from what you are telling me, that the next steps would be A B C?"
Send the recap in an email, and if you recorded your conversation, send the video link as well.
2. Build relationships
It is no surprise that a prospect who likes you will be more engaged with you.
Before the call:
- Do a background check on your prospect, look at their interests on social networks.
- Read the latest news on the market, their company to ask them a question
- Review your last exchange to remember the name of the absent colleague, bounce on an story
During the call:
- Always turn on your camera when doing a video call.
Video meetings are 30% more likely to be converted when the camera is on. You go from an "interrogation" mode to a "conversational" mode.
Your background can also create more connection, so don't blur it if you think your surroundings can create more connection.
- Reuse 1 to 3 words that the person you are talking to uses often. By using their vocabulary, you give the impression that you belong to the same group.
- Rephrase the stated problems by trying to express the feelings of your interviewer.
"We can't motivate our sales people to fill out our CRM properly"
"Does it frustrate you not to have a clean and accurate CRM?"
"It stresses me out, because I need it for my weekly reports".
Once you talk about feelings with your prospect, you gain intimacy because you become someone who understands them and can potentially help them feel better.
After the call:
- Make your prospect feel that they are being treated in a privileged way: be responsive if they contact you, be contactable and available to them.
- Send a message to wish them a happy new year, a happy vacation (now is the time!), an article or a contact that might interest them.
3. Maintain a dynamic in your questions and answers
The objective here is to never engage in a monologue, either on one side or the other.
However, don't just jump in with any question. Try to get verbal validation from them every time you introduce something new:
- What do you know about Modjo?
- Does what I am showing you really answer the problem we have identified?
Still, there is a limit on the number of questions you can ask, more than 15 and statistically, you will bore your prospect 🙂.
Market research suggests that the ideal number of questions in a 30-minute meeting is between 10 and 15.
4. Work on the "sales intensity".
We've talked about it several times, including in this article about why you need to put dirty intensity in your deals.
Sales intensity remains the best way to keep prospects engaged.
Look at your timeline and interactions with your prospects, and make sure you always keep in touch if you identify a week without interaction.
- Call back
- LinkedIn forpingingon a particular topic
- Also use all the activities offered by your marketing: webinar invitation, e-book, customer feedback, etc.
Be tactical and don't hesitate in your follow-up interactions to ask, "What's changed since the last time we spoke?"
This approach allows your interlocutor to talk to you about a subject that may or may not be directly related to your sale, and to pick up on weak signals.
Good news or not, this will keep you in control of your sales cycle.
5. Meet the right person!
One last tip: find the right way to meet your prospect's hierarchy. You're probably talking to your champion, but the real person you'll need to convince together is the decision maker.
For each opportunity, you must have one or more champions. They are essential, because you will need them to close your opportunity. The more you engage your champion, the more they will feel responsible for not wasting the time of the decision maker, who is often their manager.
All that's left is to put all of his advice into practice. 😎
Best,
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