Sales on-boarding covers the basic processes of working with customers, but many trainers fail to focus on specific cases. Managers teach their new agents skills to deal with potential issues and hope they’re prepared to deal with difficult situations. For instance, recently hired representatives don’t know how to work with major clients.
Landing a customer like a multi-national chain can have an enormous impact on a business, especially a growing enterprise. Angelique Rewers, CEO of a consulting firm, said there are benefits beyond a new revenue stream.
“Working with marquee clients can also bring added credibility and visibility that can lead to bigger and better things. For the small business owner trying to make a difference in the world, bigger clients can also translate into a bigger positive impact,” Rewers told Inc. Magazine.
Dealing with marquee clients is a world apart from working with average consumers. There are certain skills that sales performance management (SPM) professionals should focus on when training new agents.
Contact the decision-makers
Business-to-business (B2B) sales are predicated on a representative’s ability to pitch goods or services to multiple parties. Organizations require groups of decision-makers to sign off on a purchase to ensure that it is in the best interest of the company.
Managers should teach their agents how to contact high-level executives who have purchasing power. Representatives must know how to communicate with CEOs, district managers and similar authorities to increase the likelihood of closing a deal.
Additionally, decision-makers would rather hear solutions to their problems than standard sales pitches. Teach agents how to address consumers’ needs with your company’s goods or services so that marquee clients are receptive to the information.
Prepare for every little detail
Major clients perform their due diligence before finalizing any of their purchases. Frugality is on many people’s minds as the economy slowly inches toward recovery, so representatives must be prepared to explain the value of their goods or services.
During sales on-boarding, teach representatives all about your products so they can answer every question without hesitation. The more confident your salespeople are in their answers, the better their relationships will be with marquee customers. Practice responses to create the perfect answers before meetings.
Managers should empower their representatives to talk about financial issues. The bottom line is the most important feature to every consumer, so agents have to be able to discuss various price points and come to terms for large purchases.
