Selling in the Now

There is no doubt that business development today is a whole new ball game. Buyers have changed, how we get our information has changed and pure sales training has taken a backseat to finding prospective customers. Gone are the days when sales people were invited in to educate and bring up to date information to prospective buyers. That was the era of “Want more sales, just talk to more people.” Little attention was even placed on if they were the right profile for our products. Just work harder and make it up with volume was the pathway to success.

Today the internet has replaced the salesperson’s role as information provider. It has opened the flow of available information but has almost eliminated cold calls. It has made the do-it-yourself buyer more independent and inaccessible. The need for products and services hasn’t changed but the dependence on a salesperson surely has changed. So how do we sell today? How do we sell in the now?

The answer is locked away in three disciplines. All are interrelated and must work in unison. The three disciplines or keys to business development and successfully “selling in the now” are:

1. Identifying and finding the ideal customer profile for your product or service.
2. Implementing the right strategy to drive that prospect to you.
3. Know how to nurture that prospect through the buying cycle.

Using this holistic methodology with an integrated plan is how to Sell in the Now. You can be the best salesperson that walked the earth however, you can’t sell to an empty chair. You can fill seats but if they are the wrong prospects and have no need for your products or services, it’s another “No Sale.” And what happens when the right prospect finds his way to your door but the sales force doesn’t have a clue how to guide today’s prospect to a close?

This leaves us vulnerable to chasing after the latest sales idea or gimmick randomly with all the logic of, “Let’s try this.” Looking for that silver bullet that must work because it’s in fashion. We jump from one thing to another more like 4-year-olds playing soccer than an integrated team approach. We have in all of us the natural ability to uncover and execute, not a magic silver bullet, but a process to get on track and stay on track. This is where The 180 Rule for Business Development comes in.