3 Things Sales Professionals Clamp Down On To Avoid Leaky Sales Pipeline Syndrome.

“There is no easy button in sales. Prospecting is hard, emotionally draining work, and it is the price you have to pay to earn a high income.”

Jeb Blount

What's your plan, process and procedure towards keeping and growing your existing client base?

A smart sales professional doesn't chase new business at the expense of their current clients, instead; they leverage their current clients to help them nurture and grow new business.

If you want to build an ever-flowing sales funnel, you must build an ever-flowing relationship funnel

Stop for just a moment and think...

What can I hold myself accountable to do to move my client relationships from good to great in order to help me prospect for more new business?

GOOD TO GREAT RELATIONSHIPS

Jim Collins book "Good to Great" is a must read for all salespeople. The principles within the book can be applied to how salespeople build relationships.

Let's take one example, the “Hedgehog Concept” which means having a simple, extremely clear concept of what is best in your business.

Do you have a simple and extremely clear plan when it comes to client retention?

Do you have a simple and extremely clear plan when it comes to new business growth?

Is what you're doing right now with your client retention something you can...

• Generate incremental revenue and referrals from on a consistent basis
• Be passionate about
• Be the best in the world at

The Hedgehog Concept is not about a goal to be the best, a strategy to be the best, an intention to be the best, nor a plan to be the best. It is a deep understanding of what you can be the best at. The distinction as it relates to client retention and integrating them into your business growth plan is absolutely crucial to catapult your sales success.

Within the Hedgehog Concept, there are three questions. Set aside some quiet time. Reflect upon each question focusing solely on what you can potentially do better than any other sales rep.

This can become your path to greatness.

Here are the questions...

• What are you deeply passionate about?
• What can you be the best in the world at?
• What drives your economic engine?

The key word with these questions is YOU. What can YOU do to drive yourself to new business growth greatness? The key is in the last question... What drives your economic engine?

I believe what drives your economic engine is your ability to grow your client relationships and ask for help to grow your business.

Prospecting for new business through your client base, prevents leaky sales pipeline syndrome.

SALES PROFESSIONALS BUILD REAL CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS

Your clients are much savvier then in years past. They expect you to pay attention to them. They have instantaneous and much louder methods of voicing their displeasure as well as the support they're getting from you.

Greatness is a conscious choice and a discipline

The oldest, most effective growth strategy is as powerful today as it has ever been; real relationships.

Relationships enhance revenue opportunities, relationships sell, relationships bring in connection and human acknowledgment.

I urge everyone in sales to get engaged with their clients. Create marital bliss with your clients.

Shift your mindset as engaged relationships translate into increased sales opportunities.

Build true, deep and meaningful relationships, not just one-sided affairs and watch your sales skyrocket and your leaky sales pipeline become ever-flowing.

SALES PROFESSIONALS PROACTIVELY AVOID LEAKY PIPELINE SYNDROME

The investment you make isn't about money, it's in the relationships you build with your clients. These relationships become sales currency and prospecting gold.

I encourage you to invest in the relationship economy. You can take this one to the bank!

THREE THINGS SALES PROFESSIONALS CLAMP DOWN ON TO AVOID A LEAKY PIPELINE

The more you know about your clients, the more you grow with your clients. The more you learn about your clients the more you earn from your clients.

Sales professionals double-down on these three things to grow their business and to avoid leaky pipelines.

AUTHENTICITY

How many salespeople are build a brand around a facade? Far too many! They feel like they have to act a certain way, appear a certain way and even communicate a certain way. 

Your client relationships are built upon trust and trust is based upon authenticity. Your clients B.S. meters are extremely sensitive. They can spot insincerity a mile away. Unless you're authentic in your relationships, your clients aren't going to trust you. In fact, they'll actively avoid you as they spread the message to all their friends and colleagues.

Your authentic you must be a genuine reflection of who you are. You must believe it. You must own it. You must know what it stands for. You must know your strengths and your weaknesses.

Sales professionals proudly wear their emotions on their business sleeve. 

People connect with other people. It is all about the personal connection. If you are 'blowing smoke' up your clients backsides what's the likelihood they will trust you or even help you to grow your business?

"Authenticity is a Magnet"

STOP BEGGING

Developing new business or expanding upon existing business relationships is not about selling – it’s about establishing trust, rapport, and creating value; all without selling. 

Engage with your clients, communicate with them, add value to their business, solve their problems, create opportunity for them, educate them and inform them, but don’t drop the sales hammer on them all the time!

How can you grow your new business by dropping sales bombs on them all the time?

Stale sales experiences and disciplines simply die a slow and very painful death.

What's concerning me about salespeople today, whether you believe me or not, is the lack of truly building genuine relationships.

In other words, just plain giving a rip! Stop begging and bugging your clients to buy from you when you've done very little to enhance the experience.

Why would your clients help you to grow your business when you haven't helped to grow theirs?

If you want to increase new business revenue, increase profitability, and increase client satisfaction, then stop selling so damn hard and start adding value

INTENTIONALLY LISTEN

Successful sales professionals simply listen.

There is so much you can learn when you just listen

Listening is the key to becoming a powerful sales professional inside the relationship economy. Developing excellent listening skills separates the good from the great. When you listen to your clients you uncover their pain points, their business goals, their personal data; all this to do one thing - strengthen the relationship and grow your business.

When you don't listen, you miss all the critical material to build a meaningful relationship.

Sales professionals are inquisitive. They learn about their client's needs, challenges and their pain points. They ask open-ended questions, peel it back even more and probe for clarification.

The simple act of listening just might be the key to growing your business and strengthening the sales pipeline.

CLAMP DOWN ON LEAKY PIPELINES

Start paying more attention to your clients and build real authentic relationships. Soon you'll find out you no longer have a leaky sales pipeline.

The single most important factor in creating additional sales opportunities - become a relationship engineer. If you don’t engineer absolutely everything around your clients, then your client relationships will vanish right before your very eyes and so will your sales pipeline.

I am here to inform you that digging in deep with your clients will plug the holes inside your sales pipeline.