<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=349935452247528&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Search
word-map-thumb

The Alternative Board Blog

Does Your Sales Team Possess Client Engagement Skills?

Dec. 28, 2020 | Posted by The Alternative Board

We hear a lot of talk about the importance of employee engagement, but how well do members of your sales team engage with current and prospective clients? Whenever a customer and salesperson talk directly, or a prospect reaches out to a business on their social media platform, the process of engagement takes place. It also serves to highlight that customer’s key needs and pain points.

Each time “you put your name and brand in front of your customer you go to the front of their thinking,” notes Forward Focus, a change management company. Client engagement “increases brand awareness,” and, in turn, “recognition of brand trickles down when it comes to contract renewals or buying additional products.”

In other words, an engaged client is one who will more likely say “Yes” to your sales pitch.

Here are tips on boosting client engagement among your salespeople:

Be the expert on what you sell.

Salespeople should be well-prepared ahead of any contact with prospective customers. Preparation in this case encompasses a full range of knowledge about the company’s products or services, as well as how these offerings can benefit prospects.

But expertise should be broader than this. Be prepared to come forward with unique solutions to a client’s pressing needs. Bring pertinent data and industry examples into the discussion. Do everything possible to demonstrate you are the expert the client can rely on.

Want additional insight? Read 5 Ways Business Owners and CEOs Prepare to Seize Opportunities now to learn more

DOWNLOAD

Know your buyer’s persona.

A lack of knowledge about your customer base can mean valuable time and resources are wasted chasing after unqualified prospects. No business can succeed for long by pursuing a one-size-fits-all approach to customer acquisition.

Instead, be sure to craft a buyer persona for your business:

  • Ask current customers why they buy your products or services (as opposed to those of your competitors).
  • Look closely at which customer appeals are most effective, and with which group of customers. Compile information relating to customer age, gender, location, job title, education level, etc. Make sure the sales team understands why customers make the decision to purchase your products—and, conversely, why other prospects choose not to buy.
  • Focus on what it is prospects require from you and your business. What problems do they face that you may not have considered before? Are there ways to upgrade your products to better solve these problems?

By leveraging buyer personas and other pertinent data, your sales team will likely see a higher percentage of qualified leads ready to move through the sales funnel, with less time and money spent on the qualification process.

Provide relevant information to prospects.

Prospective customers want to have a sense of who they’re dealing with. The key, says Camino Financial, is building “an emotional connection with your customers by showing them they are dealing with an actual person, not a ‘faceless’ corporation.” To do this, make sure the “About Us” page on your company website offers clear information, not bland self-promotion. Send along introductory information prior to your initial meeting or call.

This way, prospects better understand where you’re coming from and how you are well-placed to assist them.

Be active on social media.

Leverage your social media platforms to further “introduce” yourself to newcomers. And, when your products or services are reviewed online, be quick to respond to inquiries and/or customer complaints. Any prospect who investigates your business beforehand and sees how much attention you devote to customer interaction, will likely be more open to your initial approach.

Effective client engagement often begins well before a salesperson reaches out to make the initial contact. By focusing on what is of most importance to clients, businesses can move ahead through the purchasing journey with a greater likelihood of success.

Want to learn more about effective sales techniques? Register for our free TAB Boss Webinar, “Sales with Truth and Integrity.”

Read our 19 Reasons You Need a Business Owner Advisory Board

DOWNLOAD

Written by The Alternative Board

Related posts

5 Ways To Show Customer Appreciation This Holiday Season & Year Round
Nov. 30, 2022 | Posted by The Alternative Board
While showing your appreciation for your customers should be a year-round activity, the holidays are a particularly fantastic time to express gratitude to those who support your company. Never...
3 Customer Service Hacks That Will Keep Them Coming Back
Nov. 23, 2022 | Posted by The Alternative Board
Great customer service is one of the biggest drivers of customer satisfaction and retention. Customers care about the treatment they receive from a business - and how that engagement makes them feel...
How to Improve Website Traffic Conversion
Aug. 23, 2022 | Posted by Boris Kimelman
Advertising prices are steadily rising and the measurability of advertising tools is eroding. Brands are currently operating in a state of blindness, so it is important for business owners to...
Quick and Easy Way to Maintain an Active LinkedIn Presence
May. 27, 2022 | Posted by The Alternative Board
LinkedIn is a mainstay social media platform for business owners and professionals. No news flash there. But while most of us understand that having an engaging LinkedIn presence can bring tremendous...
Tips For Improving Your Networking Skills This Spring
Apr. 19, 2022 | Posted by Phil Spensieri
Love it or hate it, networking is essential for business growth and success. It’s often the bane of existence for many business owners that I work with. But if done right, you can take the hassle of...
How Social Media Can Drive Product Innovation
Apr. 15, 2022 | Posted by The Alternative Board TAB
The process of product innovation has, for some time, relied upon a cadre of forward-thinkers within an organization, and/or soliciting input from customer surveys and focus groups. These methods...
When a Business Owner Wears a Selling Hat
Mar. 4, 2022 | Posted by The Alternative Board
If you are like most business owners of small or mid-sized businesses, there are times you must put on your Selling Hat. When you put on that Selling Hat, your mindset needs to change to one of “What...
How to Thank Customers for Supporting Your Business
Feb. 24, 2022 | Posted by The Alternative Board
These days, after what seems an eternity of business restrictions due to Covid-19, companies are rightfully grateful for returning customers, and new prospects willing to give their business a...
Use Customer Feedback to Pivot Your Business
Nov. 17, 2021 | Posted by The Alternative Board
The global pandemic has prompted a wide range of businesses to pivot and repurpose their products and services in new ways. Changing market conditions often mandate that businesses evolve (whether...
5 Ways To Manage A Remote Sales Team
Nov. 5, 2021 | Posted by The Alternative Board
Sales leaders have struggled with managing remote sales teams even before the pandemic. Today, with an increasing number of organizations moving partially or fully remote, the need to put practices...