Over the last decade, buyers have turned to the internet instead of salespeople for information.

Instead of indicating that sales teams will become obsolete, it just means that we need to evolve to meet this new breed of buyer. Recently with Andy Paul on the Accelerate! podcast, I had the chance to address some of those topics. Have a listen here!

We cover the following topics – and many more:

• Outbound calling yields single-digit results in leads and sales. It is demoralizing to the rep. Their efforts are better spent attracting customers with inbound marketing.
• Steve replaces personas with a customer intent model — those who have shown signs of having researched and invested time to show they are ready to take action. Focus on those who have started the buying journey.
• Steve measures intent by looking at resources and time, to see that the customer is invested in getting to a solution. He cites Google’s Beacons and Eddystone to track offline behavior.
• If the customer is not investing resources and time, that’s a red flag that they’re not on the buyer journey. Hand it back to marketing to nurture the customer through the process until they’re ready to buy.
• It’s important that the salesperson understand what role each particular influencer plays in the buying decision and what benefits them in the purchase.
• Ask follow-up questions to each question. The first answer is rarely the whole truth. Other stakeholders may have different factors to consider in the purchase.
• Don’t confuse the buyer(s) with the persona(s). There are always individual concerns that motivate a buyer. Sales reps should not go on autopilot. Always listen to the customer. Don’t try to herd them into following the script.
• What value can you bring to the customer at each meeting? What insight and experience can you deliver? What information of value do you hold for the customer?
• Start with the end in mind and work backward. Help the customer visualize what success looks like. Be clear with the customer what decision you are looking for them to make, and what the benefit is to them.