These days things are changing at a speed never seen before. Furthermore, the invention of the internet has completely changed the way we communicate in the last 20 years.
However, if there is one thing that did not take the same path, at least here in Brazil, it was the complex sales area. As our culture preaches a lot of camaraderie, charisma and smugness, what should be a structured process aiming to bring benefits to both sides of the coin, sometimes becomes just a push-and-go game, with people trying to talk about products with features that might not even exist, just to hit the goal at the end of the month and guarantee yours.
Read More About: Different Languages
Selling is necessary, but the culture that selling is necessary in every way must be changed!
You see, I didn’t mean to say that camaraderie and charisma are bad things…in fact, they aren’t. However, they are only part of a piece of the process, which needs to be structured based on a multi-diversity of factors that encompass much more than just “being a partner”.
At Sky Marketing we present this article to achieve the maximum number of sales.
Difference between Simple and Complex Sales
This is not a new theme here on the blog, but it is always worth remembering that there is a huge difference between these concepts.
While for a simple sale, charisma and the ability to create relationships are attributes that immensely help to close a deal, as I said earlier, these attributes also contribute to closing a complex sale, but in a much smaller proportion.
Let’s get to the concept:
Simple Sales is performed by retail sellers and the like. Most of the time, customers already have a certain intention to buy, and the seller is only responsible for convincing them that this is, indeed, the ideal time to make the purchase .
The pressure in this case is also less, since this type of sale is much more common in B2C businesses, where emotions and impulses end up driving the final decision.
The techniques that help the most here are rapport building and closing techniques, which are basically based on creating a sense of urgency. If you want to learn a little more about this subject, I recommend that you give this text a read on simple vs. complex sales.
Now, unlike the simple sales scenario, where the focus is exclusive on closing, Complex Sales requires several methodologies and a well-structured process to work.
Understanding your particularities is vital when building an efficient and scalable process. The seller, in this case, needs to take a more consultative approach, which requires a high understanding of the product being sold.
In the case of complex sales, technical criteria, more tangible, are responsible for closing a sale.
Another fact is that the product offered is generally more difficult to understand and has a high price, which makes the consumer want to know even more how that purchase will bring a minimally guaranteed and sustainable return on the investment made.
As it is more common to see complex sales in B2B, this wealth of data is essential as the person responsible for making the decision takes responsibility for bringing results to the company and may end up putting their work at risk.
For this reason, it is really important for the salesperson to focus on understanding the customer’s pain and, with this information in hand, position himself as the expert who will solve it. This can help a lot in reducing the sales cycle, which is usually quite long. I’ve seen cases where this cycle exceeded 1 year. Yes that’s right!
Understand how important this is? Have you ever thought about the gain that can be obtained if this cycle were reduced by half?
Thus, it is vital that efficient prospecting, qualifying and closing methodologies are used because, in addition to shortening the sales cycle, the seller will ensure that they are not leaving money on the table.
Mastering Complex Sales
As our name is Outbound Marketing, it’s natural to expect us to be experts on the subject, right? In this case, yes, you are absolutely right! However, we are also specialists in Inbound Marketing and Complex Sales. The salespeople at nova city islamabad have easily tackled the concept of Complex Sales.
Therefore, I will try to explain as clearly as possible how outbound and inbound marketing can work together in qualifying, nurturing and closing complex sales.
When the solution is hard to understand
One of the first obstacles encountered by those who have a complex or (e) innovative solution is precisely the fact that it is little known in the market or difficult to understand.
Legal examples in this area are companies that have cloud computing and big data solutions, subjects that are relatively new to the market.
Here both inbound and outbound can be of great help. Producing manuals, video lessons and other materials that help people understand a little more about how your solution works, what pains it solves and why it is the ideal choice can greatly advance the process of qualifying and nurturing a lead.
Leads coming through inbound, for example, usually already have a very large fit with the solution, in addition to already knowing exactly what pain he has. All you have to do is convince him that you are the ideal person to help him. And here the outbound process is essential.
As we talked about before, complex sales usually involve a product or service with a very high average ticket. For this reason, it is unlikely that a potential customer will make a decision without first consulting a salesperson.
Another case that can happen is that a sale is made entirely through direct contact, where the seller, already knowing his ideal customer, starts to actively prospect (outbound) since the beginning of the buyer’s journey.
Here, basically everything is important!
Knowing how to create rapport, qualifying, understanding whether the lead is already nurtured or not and knowing how to close, in addition to knowing how to go through this process respecting each step, is the task to be performed. Techniques such as neurolinguistic programming can help a lot in this type of situation.
Last but not least, optimizing a process is what everyone wants, right?
So, if you want to achieve that goal, a tactic that can be adopted and that is suggested by none other than Aaron Ross, one of the most famous gurus in this field, is the division of the sales team between Hunters and Closers.
Need personal contact
I think that’s already a little clear, isn’t it? However, just in case, I decided to approach this subject with a little more emphasis anyway.
Using inbound to qualify and nurture leads is a strategy that can work quite well, but a person will not make a decision to invest a very large amount without first making sure that there is a structure behind it all.
Even if the text has a more personal feel, the contact will still be necessary, especially when dealing with B2B business (which is the focus of this text, by the way).
Contact by phone and especially face-to-face can do the job.
Besides being possible to clarify doubts that sometimes only appear during the conversation, it is possible to use some arguments that will support the quality of your solution, such as success cases, team expertise, etc.
need good reasons
Often, even if you are talking to the decision maker within a company, that person will need to present your idea internally before it can close.
Therefore, it is common for some to ask for proof that your product/service really brings the benefits that are being offered. In the case of consultancies and some other services, for example, this can become a little tricky to demonstrate, as the result will only be obtained hands-on and also because we are unable to offer a trial so that the person can test before closing. So what’s the way out? The first, and also the best, is being able to present successful cases. And if you have cases from the same area of expertise of the company that has been looking for you, even better! Success stories are a powerful argument, as you can talk to a third person to get an opinion, and they are proof that your solution really works.
Another solution in this case, but not as efficient, is to present your team’s expertise. Having people who have already worked in renowned companies and being able to point out how they made a difference in their areas also helps a lot. Finally, and perhaps a little less effective, but which can make a difference, is the action plan. It contains all the points that were covered during the entire sales process. You show visually, in a structured and organized way, how you are the expert who will solve each one of them. Now, for those who have a SaaS product, in addition to the options above, there is always the possibility of a trial, if your solution does not require a very complicated setup
The trial is a watershed, as with it the lead will be able to see in practice how your product will benefit them. So, if the lead (which in this case must already be at least an MQL) decides that what it delivers is a must have, that solves a big problem at a very low cost, for example, BINGO!
Conclusion
If you’ve made it this far, I hope you’ve already understood a little more about Complex Sales done by smart city Lahore . In addition to being a sale that needs to be worked on and nurtured for a longer time, it requires that this entire process be done methodologically, understanding and respecting the buyer’s moment.
Finally, if you liked this text and want to discuss something else or talk about any other point that interests you within the marketing and sales area, send me an email at thiago@outboundmarketing.com.br and I will be very happy to exchange one. a word with you.
