🦖 Salespeople Are Dinosaurs
🛍️ Send Proposals, Not Contracts
💼 Close the Briefcase
🦖 Salespeople Are Dinosaurs
At my core, I identify as a salesperson. Sales is even baked into Sticky Branding. We position ourselves as “branding for sales.”
So what I am about to write pains me: Salespeople are becoming dinosaurs.
Over 25 years, marketing has grown exponentially. In 1999, marketing was an administrative function. In 2024, marketing is data-driven.
Marketers evolved with technology, data, and processes — all of which have profoundly impacted the sales process.
Marketing has increased reach, reduced customer acquisition costs, improved sales predictability, and they have the data to prove it!
Sales, on the other hand, went backwards.
We’ve lost an entire generation of salespeople who are professionally trained in the full sales cycle — from prospecting to closing to account management.
It is not uncommon to meet salespeople who have never cold called or networked to generate new business. And why would they if they can thrive on marketing-generated leads?
This is problematic for organizations, especially in a slowing economy.
Companies need salespeople who can sell! But recruiting them is becoming increasingly difficult because “hunters” are aging out.
I don’t have the solution, but I am acutely aware that the profession I love needs to catch up to our peers in marketing before we go extinct.
One Stat to Watch
$4.53
$1 invested in sales training delivers a $4.53 return in sales performance, a whopping 353% ROI, according to TaskDrive.
🛍️ Send Contracts, Not Proposals
“Send me a proposal” is a classic way to say no without saying no. It’s a nice way to get a sales rep off the phone. It doesn’t cost anything to say, “Send me a proposal.”
In many instances, you can eliminate sales proposals.
An effective sales process is based on creating a set of agreements. The salesperson is helping the customer navigate the buying process, evaluate the product or service, compare their options, and make a decision. If executed well, the salesperson’s questions will qualify if a customer is a fit for the service.
To prove your sales process is effective, if a customer asks for a proposal offer a contract instead. You will know right away if the customer is interested in buying or not.
A contract has very different implications than a proposal. It means you’ve come to an understanding with your client. You understand their needs, and they understand what your firm will offer, how the service works, what they will receive, and the cost.
If a customer isn’t ready to receive a contract, they are not ready to receive a proposal either. Wouldn’t you rather know the customer has doubts and tackle those head on versus writing a sales proposal?
💼 Close the Briefcase
Closing the briefcase is one of the most powerful and effective sales tactics.
Early in my career, I brought my sales manager along to help me close a big deal.
After 40 minutes of going nowhere, my sales manager shocked me. He closed his notebook and said, “Gentlemen, I appreciate the time you have invested with us, but it appears we can’t do business with you. You’re not a fit for us.”
I was in shock. In a daze, I stood up and headed for the door.
Before we even made it past reception, the customer called us back. The next five minutes were a breeze. The customer accepted the terms and the deal was done.
My manager explained, “Not all deals are good deals. Be proud of what you sell, and never let anyone beat you up on price or denigrate your brand. You have to have the courage to walk away if a customer doesn’t fit.”
If you’re willing to be strong and proud of your brand, you can walk away from a bad customer. And you should.
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