Best Practices for More Meaningful Sales Conversations

Having a conversation with someone is a pretty straight froward process, but conducting a successful business conversation with a potential buyer can be tricky. Often, some of the habits and mannerisms we are used to in our day-to-day conversations can hamper or even kill sales opportunities. In the past, a good pitch may have been all you needed to win deals, but that’s not the case anymore. While the pitch is definitely a part of the process, what moves your prospect to a “yes” is dependent on many of the other events in between: engaging conversations, impeccable follow-ups and more and more conversations. Conversations form a large chunk of the selling process, and having deeper, more meaningful ones is what will help you boost sales in the long-run. Here are our tips to have deeper conversations with your prospects that will lead to more sales.

1. KNOW 'WHY'

Before sitting down with the client for a business conversation, it is essential that you be absolutely clear in your mind as to what you are trying to achieve out of this conversation. Start off by asking yourself these questions:

• What do I want to achieve today?
• How far am I ready to negotiate?
• Am I providing enough  value to the customer?

It is important that you know why you are having this conversation with your prospect. Every business conversation has  an agenda - whether it is getting to know your prospect better, or trying to elucidate the benefits of your product and how it can help their businesses. When you know why you are having the conversation in the first place, it will be easier for you to take it forward.

2. KEEP IT RELEVANT TO THEM

Most of your customers come to you after having done a fair amount of research themselves. You can gather how much they know by observing how they have been interacting with your brand on your website and other channels; that is, if you have been tracking that traffic activity. Forming a relationship with your potential customers is important, but avoid bonding for the sake of it. Don’t force the conversation. Instead, use the data you have collected to focus on their needs and interests. That way, the rapport feels genuine and doesn’t seem like a forced attempt at friendship. Plus, when you talk about something that’s important to them, they will open up more.

3. MAKE IT PERSONAL

Being professional doesn’t mean you have to keep your conversations cryptic and technical. Moving forward, make your interactions more genuine by adding a personal touch. Recognize a milestone for the prospect or their company, ask them about a new venture or a situation they are facing. Or, pick up an interesting anecdote or tidbit from your previous conversation and build on that. By keeping the conversation a little casual, you’ll help break down barriers to communication and have a better conversation.

4. RESPECT THEIR TIME

One of the most important aspects of having a good conversation is to respect the prospect or customer’s time. You may not need an hour to have an in-depth conversation; 15 minutes can be just as effective. You need to respect the prospect’s time and call them when it’s convenient for them and schedule follow-ups to suit their time. There’s a reason the prospect is asking you to call back at a certain time: they will be in a better position to talk to you. You can also make a note of when they have free time; some people may be early risers and have more time to talk at length in the morning, where others may prefer an longer call on the commute back home. Plan your calls around their time to get more out of the call.

5. TELL THEM WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD

One of the first lessons of sales is to talk less and listen more. This habit helps you to gain a better understanding of what's plaguing your prospect, how your product or service aligns with his need and expectations and to decide on your negotiation terms . Listen closely to what they have to say, and before offering up your thoughts and solutions. Quickly recap what they have told you; by paraphrasing what they said, you not only show that you were listening intently, but also prevent yourself from moving forward on misconceptions or misguided understanding.

6. PLAN MOVING FORWARD

After each conversation with your prospective clients, make it a habit to maintain notes on all that happened, the outcome of the conversation, and also mark down the dates if you should get back to them to take the conversation further. As pointed out above, every sales conversation needs to have an agenda; by keeping track of each conversation and logging it in your records, you will have enough information to build your pitch. Use each conversation as a stepping stone to closing the deal. More importantly, keep track of what happened in your sales conversations. Use Salesvue to make the next conversations more meaningful.

About Salesvue

Salesvue makes it easier to schedule follow-ups and have more meaningful conversations. Salesvue simplifies and automates follow-ups so sales teams make an average of 50 percent more calls. Thanks to our Salesforce integration, the combined power of Salesvue + Salesforce gives you sales business intelligence that is sharper, smarter and more valuable. All the data you need- previous call records, prospect preferences, reports and analysis – is available at your fingertips. Make faster connections and close deals quicker by uncovering what makes your prospects tick. You can also use Salesvue’s built-in or customizable plans to streamline and standardize your customer onboarding experience. Customers will love it and you’ll be able to know at anytime where a customer is in the process and how each and every member of your team is performing. Request a demo to learn more.