Sales Best Practices, Part 2: Acquire and Keep

In my last post I discussed the top half of the sales funnel and four best practices that help small businesses identify and communicate with potential clients. Here at SalesCocktail we have broken the funnel into four high level stages: Prospect, Engage, Acquire, and Keep. I encourage you to read part one, where we discuss Prospect and Engage.

For Acquire and Keep, consider the following best practices.

Acquire: Present Solution, Negotiate, and Close

  1. Know when to walk away: The same rules apply to sales practices as they do with networking follow-ups. Be respectful of people’s time and ‘define and refine’ who is worth your time. Determine who is worth pitching to, and know when it’s time to step away and move on.
  2. Identify the Big 10: Identify 10 prospects that you believe you can close within 45 to 90 days, and put 50% of your sales effort into those 10. Separate the Big 10 from the rest of your pipeline.

Keep: Service & Support, Customer Retention, and Ask

  1. Ask for referrals:  The easiest way to get past the gatekeeper is to have current clients endorse your product/service to their networks. Great sales people are not shy about asking current (satisfied) clients for access to their networks. If you are delivering or over delivering, your clients will have no problem recommending you or your company. A closed mouth won’t get fed!
  2. Use repeat engagement: Not only can current clients open doors and help close new customers, but also they can be leading revenue generators for you. An essential sales practice for generating revenue and reaching business goals is to actively re-engage with existing customers. ‘Check in’ with customers via email, telephone or other communication methods, to see how they are getting on with a service or product and if they require additional support.

Don’t miss part three – Seven additional best practices! Happy selling!

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