So, I was talking with a friend who works in sales (selling technology professional services to the C-Level) about how things are going. I asked him the question, “Are clients buying?” Of course his answer was not the resounding “Yes, they’re signing contracts left and right,” that we are all hoping for. But, it wasn’t a solid “no” either. What he’s finding, and I found interesting, is that clients are now talking more than they were a few months ago about what they will be doing in the near future. They’re agreeing to meetings and demos, and brainstorming solutions that will take their company to the next level.

Now we all know that those conversations are great, but what we all need is the signed contract. But given the fact that conversations are happening, companies are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, things are loosening up even a slight bit-we can all count on the fact that those signatures are going to start hitting the paper soon.

In the meantime, there are several things that we can do to stay in front of clients so when the time comes that the proverbial coffers for technology investments are opened back up, we’re all ready. Here are some tips my friend shared with me, along with articles on each topic:

1. Create Valuable Reasons to Connect. Identify your top prospects and research material that might be useful to their company. Maybe you’ll find an article about an industry trend that relates to their business, perhaps you’ve seen some statistics pertinent to their industry, or it’s possible that you can share a best practice that might be helpful to them either from your own business practice or a non-competing client. Try inviting your client or prospect to a business-related function as your guest. The more face time, the better. As an example, Steve Ballmer recently presented at a Chicagoland Chamber event. Great opportunity to invite (and pay) for a client to join you at an event. Identifying ways to connect with prospects at low or no-cost is an art mastered by nonprofits that have much to share about how to deepen relationships by maximizing existing communications. Come up with a value-added reason to reach out and keep your company name in front of the prospect.

2. Build Trust. It’s no surprise that the level of trust in companies across the U.S. is at a record low. And since people tend to do business with companies they know and trust, now is your time to make sure that your company is viewed as trustworthy in the eyes of your clients. Simple things like calling when you say you’ll call, providing information that you say you’re going to provide by the time you said you’d provide it, sharing success stories, all of these actions add up to trust in you and an increased likelihood of being selected when the time comes to sign on the dotted line.

3. Recognize and Appreciate Your Customers’ Situation. Obviously in a sales role, it’s important to touch base with clients and prospects. What’s important right now, though, is to meet them where they are in terms of the status of their business. Be empathetic to their current situation. If they are unable to buy today, listen to their concerns, probe them about how they’re overcoming challenges and ask about areas unrelated to what your company has to offer. From your customers’ perspective, demonstrating true concern for their company will go a long way when they reemerge and are ready to make purchasing decisions. Just because companies are hit with hard times doesn’t mean an end to business opportunities.

4. Make the Most of the Buffalo. Make the most out of every marketing effort possible. It’s not a big surprise that most companies want to achieve big marketing gains with little marketing spend. So, once you identify a message or an article or a case study that is relevant for a group of prospects, be sure to e-mail the link, post it on your Web site, include it in a newsletter-use it wherever feasibly possible to increase your connection with clients and prospects in a way that is beneficial to them. Also, be sure to leverage the tools you already have in place and maximize your own marketing opportunities.

5. Be Patient. It’s extremely hard to be patient, especially today when the typical sales cycle is being dramatically extended. However, patience is a strong virtue in negotiation, and without it, you typically can kiss a sale goodbye! Patience shows a customer that you care about their success, not just your deal. Whatever strategies you implement for increasing sales and setting the state for future success, be sure that you practice your patience.

We’re all in this together. We invite you to share some of your tips and stories of sales survival.

Jennifer Higgins
Senior Writer
ClearEdge Marketing

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 16th, 2009 at 4:42 am and is filed under Sales Best Practices. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.