Would you like to have better momentum with your customers? Here’s how.
The dictionary defines “Velocity” as the measure of speed in objects that are in motion. Troy Harrison (that’s me) defines Sales Velocity as the measurement of a customer’s need to act on, buy, and implement your proposal. In short, Sales Velocity is the difference between a proposal that lands in the customer’s inbox and gathers dust, and a proposal that stays at or near the top of your customer’s action list – until you are awarded the business.
When I put it that way, Sales Velocity sounds like something we all want, doesn’t it? Yep, it is. But how we get it is the big question. The good news is that the potential for Sales Velocity lies within every sales call you make. The “bad” news is that finding out what will trigger Velocity in your particular customer’s mind is up to you – and sorry to say, it’s not a one size fits all solution.
You see, customers all have their own needs and wants, and those needs and wants range from the direct (the stuff you’re selling) to the indirect effects of what you sell (less hassle, better image, other indirect benefits). Usually, those indirect benefits are the key to Sales Velocity. Even more often, the typical sales call doesn’t really dive into those indirect benefits. To get at them, you have to ask good questions that speak to the big picture needs of the customer, not just product-centric. If your questions are mostly centered around your product, rather than the effects of your product, I can virtually guarantee that you’re missing factors that create Sales Velocity.
Here are some questions that can help you find your customer’s Sales Velocity drivers:
- What are your company’s expansion plans?
- How do your employees feel about their jobs?
- What would you like your customers to think about your employees’ appearance?
- How are people rewarded in your company for good decisions?
- What is the impact of decisions that don’t work out?
- Define a successful program from the perspective of yourself, your employees, your boss, your customers.
There are a lot more, but essentially you want to find out what your customer’s dream-wheel definition of a successful program is. Then, you figure out how to give it to them; customers don’t buy products, they buysuccessful outcomes. That successful outcome – and your ability to give it to your customer – is the ultimate creator of Sales Velocity.
Once you know what your customer’s Sales Velocity drivers are, though, you’re not done. There’s one other ingredient, and that ingredient is passion on your part. Where does sales passion come from? Well, for too many people, it doesn’t. Where it exists, it comes from an excitement, involvement in, and commitment to the selling profession. It comes from a true belief in what you are selling – have you sold yourself before you try to sell anyone else? It comes from a need to make buyers feel the same excitement you do. It comes from recognizing the buyer’s needs, seeing what is going to happen through the adoption of the product, and feeling the same result as the buyer.
Here’s a quick five-step plan to creating Sales Velocity in your calls:
- Ask GREAT questions. Only great questioning, that gets to the heart of your customer’s indirect needs for your stuff, will allow you to uncover your customer’s real priorities and Sales Velocity drivers.
- Make sure to catch and note those drivers; they’re easy to spot. Anytime your customer gets excited or emphatic about a need, that’s a driver of Sales Velocity.
- Tie your products and services to the customer’s Sales Velocity drivers; i.e. “This is how our programs address this issue.” Use testimonials and case studies when you can (if you don’t have them, get them; we’ll talk about Case Studies in a future issue).
- Present your products and need solutions with passion. If you can’t get excited about solving your customer’s needs, how can your customer?
- Close directly and enthusiastically.
Incorporating these five steps into your selling will keep your proposals out of “inbox purgatory,” and instead will make you an action item for your prospects. You’ll also find that your calls will be more fun and interesting for you and your prospects. That’s not a bad deal, is it?
