Close More of Your Leads

A lot of businesspeople believe sales is about convincing a lead to become a customer. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I’ll make it simple for you. I saw this quote by Peter Drucker: “Marketing aims to make selling superfluous.”

That doesn’t mean you should axe your sales process entirely. Rather, selling to leads should be easy and simple—not pushy, cajoling, convincing, and all of those things that you typically associate with sales.

So to help you increase your sales pipeline and lead conversion rate, I’m going to share a few truths your sales team can implement today. But let’s start with a little myth-busting.

3 COMMON SALES MYTHS

1. IT'S A NUMBERS GAME.

Say you make 100 cold calls daily.

It’s possible to get 20 leads to commit to an appointment and convert 10 people to customers, right?

Yes, it works. But it’s a hard slog. It’s soul-crushing. Not to mention it’s an inefficient and counterproductive sales strategy.

So sales is not a numbers game. It’s a performance game. It’s about how your sales team deals with people who want what you’ve got.

2. IT'S YOUR JOB TO OVERCOME OBJECTIONS.

“No” is a tough pill to swallow, but it doesn’t stop a lot of salespeople from overcoming objections. Die-hard salespeople tend to push qualified leads who aren’t ready to purchase over the line.

So don’t skip steps in the sales process; it will position you as a pushy salesperson. Instead, focus on nurturing a lead in your funnel. Keep the communication lines open, and when they’re ready to buy, convert them to a customer.

3. ALWAYS BE CLOSING.

Everyone has seen the movie Glengarry Glen Ross where it’s all about closing the sale and making the deal at any cost.

This is an old sales tactic. And it’s a losing strategy. Being aggressive positions you as needy, and it reeks of desperation. Instead, use your marketing efforts to get leads into your sales pipeline.

THE PSYCHOLOGY AND MINDSET OF A TRUE SALESPERSON

Salespeople typically face an uphill battle to win customers and generate more sales. In my 20-year career as an entrepreneur I’ve learned that conversations are more likely to lead to sales. That said, there is a right way to approach conversational sales.