Why do only half of salespeople use social media to sell?

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Social media is now a well-established part of the marketer’s toolkit. Many companies invest a lot of time and money into cultivating their social media presence. However, while social media is valuable for lead generation, many people question whether it can be useful for an individual salesperson. A recent survey by SmartPulse found that:

  • 45% of respondents do not use social media for sales.
  • 21% use social media as part of the process but then move to other channels.
  • 18% use social media for sales, but not on a 1 to 1 basis.
  • 15% use social media for the whole process.
This suggests a clear division among salespeople. However, there are more and more suggestions that those salespeople who are not using social media may be missing out. A large part of a salesperson’s job is to listen to their customers and to maintain in-depth knowledge of their market. Social media produces many opportunities for both of these activities. Whether it is reaching out to a frustrated consumer on Twitter or noticing that a previous contact has a role at a new business, social media can provide valuable information for salespeople.
Many salespeople also question the value of putting in the time and effort of maintaining a social media presence. It can be difficult to prove return on investment directly from social media and it requires a lot of commitment to be useful. However, it could be argued that social media is the modern equivalent of cold calling, and if it is pursued with the same level of determination it can be just as effective.
Do you have any social media success stories?
Hays Sales UK are experts in all areas of sales recruitment. To find out more about how our highly skilled consultants can support you, please visit our website. 

Top tips for IT solutions sales

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IT is one of the quickest changing industries and IT salespeople need to make sure their approach reflects this. As technology adapts and changes, and more companies promise they have the best solutions, customers are getting increasingly confused. This means it’s vital to engage with clients on a personal level and develop relationships with them.
The key way to do this is to establish yourself as their trusted advisor. Ensure you spend time discussing the client’s IT needs and make them feel that you really understand their situation. Try to offer them extra value, beyond simply pushing your services to them. Help them to make sense of the vast amount of information available to them. Continue to stay in touch and support them once the contract has been signed.
To achieve this, you need to listen to the client. Ask them about their current situation and identify their areas of concern. Once you have found this out, make sure that you reflect this in your communications with them and clearly demonstrate how your solution addresses this. This will help to establish trust between you and the client.
Most sales are more dependent on the person than the product, but this is especially true in IT solutions sales. How do you make sure your clients trust you?
Hays Sales UK are experts in all areas of sales recruitment. To find out more about how our highly skilled consultants can support you, please visit our website. 

How to make the perfect cold call

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For better or worse, cold calling remains a large part of many salespeople’s lives. While some dismiss it as a waste of time, many sales experts insist that it can play an important role in the sales process, if done correctly. Often, if cold calling is not succeeding, it is either due to the script itself or the way the message is presented. We’ve put together some tips on how to increase your success through cold calling.

Most importantly, consider the person you are calling. They are probably very busy and thinking about several other things. You need to show them that you are worth their time. Ensure you are polite and respectful, and do not insult them by lying or trying to trick them, as they will probably see through this and hang up on you.
You should also ensure you are focused on the point of the call. For the majority of businesses, the sale is not going to happen over the phone. The point of the cold call should be about setting up an appointment, when the prospect is more likely to be in the right mindset and focused on your message. Prepare a simple script that outlines who you are, what you do and asks for an appointment. Do not worry about selling the product at this stage.
Finally, stay positive and be persistent. Cold calling is tough, but a negative approach will not help. The person you are calling will be able to hear it in your voice and will not be interested in your message. Remember that you are calling to offer something of value to the prospect and make sure you are prepared to overcome objections.
Do you have any other tips for making the perfect cold call?
Hays Sales UK are experts in all areas of sales recruitment. To find out more about how our expert consultants can support you, please visit our website. 

3 steps for building a successful sales team

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Any good sales manager knows that they will only succeed if they have a good sales team behind them. It is important to make sure that everyone knows their role in the team and that any new hires will also fit into this model. So how do you make sure your sales team is as successful as it can be?


1. Evaluate your team

Think about who you currently have on your sales team. Make sure they all have a clearly defined job role. What do you expect from them? Should they be maintaining relationships with your key accounts or cold calling all day? Are there any skills that are missing from the team? You should have a clear idea of the goals for the team and whether they are achieving these.

2. Establish sales productivity

In some cases, this might be as simple as dividing sales volume by size of sales team. This will give you an average for your team and allow you to see how each salesperson is performing against this average. However, it is important to bear in mind that there are likely to be other factors. For example, are they focusing on selling low margin products rather than those that are more profitable? Are you seeing a high level of returns from their sales? Work out what is important in your team and see how your salespeople compare.

3. Employ great salespeople

Bad salespeople will cost companies money and can do serious damage to your reputation. Some salespeople may just need further training or support. Some may be in the wrong job. It is important to determine which category any underperforming salespeople in your team fall into. Do you need to hire some new salespeople? Think about how a new salesperson would fit into the team. What skills or personality traits will they need to succeed in your team?

Do you need to find some fresh talent for your sales team? Visit our website to find out how our expert consultants can help you.

Why did you lose that sale?

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No matter how good you are, hearing ‘no’ is unavoidable in the sales world. While it is frustrating, it is important that you look at what happened and make sure you learn from it. There are some external factors that may have been against you, but it is also important not to make excuses and to really think about what you could have done better. There could well be something simple that you could change that will mean you hear ‘no’ less in future.

Firstly, think about your mindset. Were you positive and confident throughout the pitch or did you go in worried that you would lose the sale? A client will sense when you are not confident about your product and will not buy from you. It is important to identify and resolve this quickly, as a negative attitude will lead to more rejection, which will then reinforce the attitude.
Next, examine and review your message. Were you focused on the product or did you sell a solution? A recent survey found that both winning and losing salespeople tend to know their products very well. However, winners understand how to prove their value and expertise, demonstrating that they can solve the customer’s problems. Think about whether your message needs to be more value-led.
Finally, consider who you were selling to. Did you make a connection with the right person? While you may have impressed the person you pitched to, if they were not the final decision maker, your message is likely to get lost in translation. While it can be difficult to get access to the right person, you are much more likely to improve your chances in the long run. How can you make yourself stand out and impress the C-level executives?
Thinking about your failures might be painful, but it will be worthwhile in the long run. What could you do to increase your chances in your next sale?
Hays Sales are always interested in hearing from positive, determined salespeople. To find out how we could help you make the next step in your career, visit our website. 

Are you motivated enough?

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Sales is a difficult career and many people struggle to succeed. It’s hard to continue hearing people say no, not returning your calls, stringing you along before finding someone cheaper. On those days, it can be easy to forget why you love being in sales. Here are a few ways you can stay positive, focused and successful.

1. Develop long term and short term goals. You should have a game plan in mind and know exactly where you want to be in 5 years time. Break this down into smaller goals and review to make sure you’re on track. Make sure these goals are realistic and measurable.

2. Keep reminders of what you want to achieve. Maybe there’s a new car you’ve had your eye on? Put a photo of it in your briefcase, as your iPhone background or somewhere else you will keep seeing it throughout the day. This will give you a boost and remind you why you need to keep picking up the phone and organising your next meeting.

3. Recognise your achievements and treat yourself. Did you hit double your quota this month? Go out for a nice meal to celebrate your success. Hold on to that feeling and remember it the next time you’re having a bad day.

How do you stay motivated?

Hays Sales are always looking to support talented, successful salespeople in their careers. To find out more about how we could help you, please visit: our website.

How to sell the cloud

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Cloud computing currently offers huge potential in the IT industry. A recent study found that more than eight in ten companies currently use some form of cloud solution and more than half plan to increase cloud investments by 10% or more in 2012. Knowing how to sell cloud computing is becoming an increasingly valuable skill, but it can also be challenging as it is easy to get caught up in technical details.
When selling cloud computing, the focus should stay on the business case, discussing how the service can save the client money, with minimal technical discussion. An effective way to do this it to ensure the discussion is solutions-led. Ask your prospect to outline two or three of their current IT issues; these are likely to include common subjects such as cost, reliability, security and outdated technology. Ensure you have prepared answers to these common questions and that you know how your service will overcome these, keeping the focus on the solution rather than the technology.
You should also take a similar approach to any objections that the prospect is likely to raise. Common concerns regarding the cloud will include security, reliability, ownership and technical support. Again, ensure you have prepared answers and have examples to back up your case. Where possible, your company should utilise its own service, meaning that you can confidently talk about your own experiences.
While the focus should be on solutions, you will also need to be able to explain the service to the prospect in a way they will understand. Keep the language simple and try to relate it more familiar concepts. As before, the focus should be on the benefits it brings and should not get bogged down in technical concepts. Rehearse your explanation and, if possible, practice it on people who do not have a technical background to ensure its clarity.
Do you have experience in selling cloud computing? To find out how our expert consultants can help you to find your next job, please visit our website. 

5 tips for managing salespeople

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The qualities that make a person fantastic at selling – such as passion, perseverance and confidence – are often the same qualities that can make them difficult to manage. It can be difficult to find an approach that is suitable for a mix of strong-willed people. However, there are a few general approaches that tend to make the process run more smoothly.

1. Avoid setting rules
Salespeople want the freedom to do the job in the best way they can. If you set rules that they think are holding them back, they will find ways around them, or ignore them entirely. Rather than making them spend time coming up with ways to undermine you, embrace their creativity and allow them the freedom to do what works.
2. Help them find their own solutions
Salespeople are often confident enough in their own abilities that they will not listen to advice. Rather than try to force this upon them, help them to identify the problem and work through the cause and the solution. If you guide them in the right direction in this way, they are more likely to make the necessary change.
3. Ask for their feedback
Your salespeople spend all day speaking to current and future clients. They know the issues that frequently come up and they probably have some thoughts on how these can be addressed. While they might not be able to see the bigger picture, they will definitely have valuable insight – and they will appreciate being asked.
4. Give them positive feedback
Many salespeople are motivated by recognition as much as – or possibly more than – money. Ensure that their successes are recognised and rewarded. A public “well done” will always be well-received and will motivate salespeople to continue achieving great results.
5. Remember they are individuals
While the advice above will work for the majority of people most of the time, it is not set in stone. Salespeople are individuals and there will never be one approach that works perfectly. Take the time to get to know your sales team individually and find out what works best with each of them.

 Hays Sales UK are experts in all areas of sales recruitment. To find out more about how our expert consultants can support you, please visit our website. 

Do you sell yourself effectively?

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Whether you are looking for a new job or looking for a promotion in your current job, it is important to be able to sell yourself. However, it is surprising how many successful salespeople struggle to sell themselves in the same way as they sell their product or service. If you take the same approach to career management as you do to your sales, you will be more likely to gain the role you want.
As with a sale, you should plan your next career move by creating a plan with clear objectives. Carry out an assessment of the situation, make sure you have a clear idea about what you can bring to a company and what you can expect to achieve. In particular, identify what your unique selling point that sets you apart from the competition and ensure your CV clearly demonstrates this.
You should then prepare for an interview in the same way you would prepare for a sales meeting. Make sure you do your research and clearly understand your prospect’s business and what benefits you can bring to them. Prepare convincing examples that you can use to prove your value to the prospect. As with a sales meeting, the more time you spend preparing and rehearsing, the more successful the meeting is likely to be.
By approaching the process in the same way as you approach your sales, you will be more likely to achieve your ideal job.
Can you sell yourself as well as you sell your product?
Hays Sales UK are experts in all areas of sales recruitment and can provide advice at all stages of the process. To find out more about how our expert consultants can help you find your next role, please visit our website. 

Does your company have a well-designed commission scheme?

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There is no single commission plan that will be suitable for all situations. However, there are a number of guiding principles that will ensure a scheme is successful and that the salespeople feel it is fair, no matter what industry they are working in. We’ve put together three questions that will help evaluate your company’s commission scheme.

1. Is it simple?
Salespeople should be able to understand the commission and very quickly figure out how much they are earning each month. The less time they have to spend working out their sales commission for the month, the more time they can spend focused on selling and keeping clients happy.


2. Is it enough to motivate people? 
Salespeople keep a business going. Without money coming in, nothing else the business does will make a difference. For this reason, it is important to ensure that the commission is a fair reflection of the contribution salespeople are making to the company. While high commission might not turn a bad salesperson into a good salesperson, it is more likely to keep a good salesperson happy and keep them within the company.


3. Does it reward the top earners? 
A good commission scheme will integrate a tiered scheme, to ensure that those who work hardest are also the most valued. By having a number of tiers, you will ensure that all salespeople are receiving some commission, but there continues to be a higher goal to ensure the top performers do not become complacent and continue to have something to strive towards.

Are you happy with your company’s commission scheme?

Hays Sales UK are experts in all areas of sales recruitment and can provide advice at all stages of the process. To find out more about how our expert consultants can help you find your next role, please visit our website.

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