The Telephone Should Not Be the Black Sheep of Your Sales Strategy
If you're in a sales or marketing role, I'm sure you hear about inbound sales and marketing a lot. Out with the old and in with the new; after all, all the cool kids are doing it. Inbound marketing certainly works and metrics prove that it does drive results. However, do you close every sale via email or a social channel?So many sites and thought leaders are speaking abound inbound sales and marketing tactics and the importance of social media. It's been proven that the methodology works and increases your company's bottom line value. Yay, we can all go home now... Just kidding! Inbound methodology works, but let's face it - at some point you need to pick up the phone and have a quality conversation regarding a prospect's challenges and how your solution can help. Everyone talks about inbound sales and marketing and social selling, but please tell me how you can close sales and increase revenue by doing just inbound without effectively communicating on the phone?
As a marketer, I am so happy that new sales and marketing techniques are being shared daily. It's great that we can have interactions online and via email with prospects, partners, and customers, and even be able to push prospects down the sales funnel. It's amazing what we can do online now. But we still need to be able to have the skills to communicate on the phone and be able to pair up your goals with the goals of your prospect. Your prospect has a challenge, and you are going to make it a priority to help them overcome that challenge and work with them so that you both achieve your set goals. Then, you'll receive the sale.
How well do you listen? Do you let the prospect finish speaking before you chime in? Do you really see the big picture of how your product or service will integrate with the prospect's company and prove to be beneficial? How many parties are there involved in the decision making process? Are you sending the correct and targeted messaging to each? I could list more questions, but I think you get the point. In order to be successful in sales and marketing, you need to be able to effectively communicate over the phone, unless you can gain all of the knowledge you need and make your quota in 140 characters or less. If that's the case, please tweet me at @megan_marie_t because I'd like to learn a few pointers from you!
It's great to send emails with helpful information and engage with prospects online but never forget the importance of picking up the phone and having a quality conversation. I'm sure you'll uncover more necessary information and make a more personal and memorable connection with prospects.