Think about your sales quotas for 2023 and your journey to meet them. Did you feel like you spent the year chasing those goals or did you build up a momentum that left them in the dust? It can feel exhausting and frustrating to spend your year doing the former. While we’re still early in 2024, you may want to find a head start so you can avoid that fate.
Fortunately, we have you covered. Here are a few ways to crush your sales quotas in 2024.
#1 – Refine Your Sales Process
What is your sales process? Is it clearly documented with steps that guide you through each phase of the sales pipeline? If not, it should be. A clear sales process can make the effort of going after those sales much smoother and more streamlined. A tested and refined sales process based on your past successes and prospect preferences can prove more effective.
If you find you’re struggling through the sales pipeline, take a look at your sales process and see where it could be improved.
#2 – Build Relationships With Your Customers and Prospects
Don’t treat the people on the other end of the sale like a means to an end. Take time to build relationships with your customers and prospective customers. Learn about their needs, their preferences, and the issues they’re faced with right now. When you meet with them, make sure you listen to them more than you speak.
Why does this matter? Because it helps to build trust between you and those customers. The more your customers trust you, the more likely they are to come back, leading to further sales. And the more your prospects trust you, the more likely they are to become customers.
#3 – Back Up Your Promises
Consumers are tired of hearing empty promises from salespeople — and they’re suspicious of them. That doesn’t mean you can’t offer them anything remarkable. It does, however, mean that if you offer something big, you need to be prepared to make that a reality. Once you tell your customer that you can provide something, commit to it and make sure you do: not just the first time, but every time.
This is another way that you can build trust with your customers. It helps to set you apart, which can show up in customer reviews and potentially bring you new sales.
#4 – Provide Above and Beyond Service
When you’re reaching out to a prospective customer, don’t just speed through your sales process. Take time to educate them about the product or service you’re selling. Provide the who, what, when, where, why, and how. When you can impart that knowledge to your customers, they will feel more confident in your service and more confident in their investment.
You can also boost your chances of future sales by responding well to troubleshooting issues. Sometimes your customer may call shortly after the product is delivered because something went wrong. This is a crucial turning point in your sales. Get it right, and you’ll have a loyal customer who will come back to buy from you again. Get it wrong, and they’ll be turned off to your brand forever. Guide them through the issue patiently and give them the tools they need to help going forward. If it can’t be fixed, don’t hesitate to send a replacement as an apology.
#5 – Focus On Prospects With Potential
Rather than trying to sell as widely as possible, consider narrowing your focus to the prospects who are most likely to actually make a purchase. Do your research — and a fair share of listening as you go through the sales conversations. If it seems like this will be a dead end, don’t spend too much time and energy trying to turn that around. It’s likely that you have other prospects who offer much more potential. This is where your focus should be. You won’t be able to sell to everyone, but if you know where to look, you can sell well to the right crowd.
#6 – Look Towards the Latest Sales Technologies
This ties back into the first point: the more effective your sales process is, the more sales you’ll make. And some of that effectiveness comes down to the tools and technologies you use. Technology, especially in the digital world of sales, is rapidly changing. The same tools you used five years ago may no longer be the best options. So keep an eye out for the latest sales technologies like software and tools that you can implement for a more effective sales process.
