Melanie
Welcome to the Monday Morning Marketing Podcast for all decision makers and action takers. Take it away, Esther.
Esther
Good morning and welcome to another episode of the Monday Morning Marketing Podcast. Today we're talking about your sales process and why it's important to have one. So what's the sales process? Don't sales just come flooding in?
Melanie
I just knew you were going to start there. I just knew it. A sales process is a structure. It could be also referred to as a strategy, if you like, but it's normally referred to as a sales process. Process, process. Lord, help me. It doesn't really It doesn't really matter whether you're a sole trader, a large corporate body, a state body. Every single business should have a form of sales process.
Esther
So what does that entail? This is the Monday Morning Marketing podcast. How does your sales process fit into your marketing?
Melanie
We're going to have fun with this word today, aren't we?
Esther
Process a potato, potato, tomato, tomato. I mean, process, process, process. Process, the word is a process.
Melanie
And there's Americans gleefully giggling in the background. Going, what are they talking about? Okay, moving on. What is entailed? Like I said, it's definitely to do with structure. But where it starts and where it should end, really, is understanding who your customers are first. If you don't your business in front of where your audience is going to be, then the process won't even start. There'll be no beginning. The intent is, first and foremost, to find your customers and then build some real trust with them.
Esther
How do you build trust with them?
Melanie
By becoming more personable, by letting them know your goods and your lows and your your growth, your improvements, the mistakes you've learned from. I'm talking smaller businesses here. Obviously, I can't see corporates doing any of that, of course.
Esther
No. They're all perfect.
Melanie
Absolutely. But it's understanding that you've got to build a bond and a relationship with them. And that's really difficult online in many ways. It's actually quite hard to do in person, let alone online. And when you build this process from the beginning with them, you're building that relationship and that rapport, and that builds trust. But it goes beyond that, because it's not just meant to be about them. The sales process helps you because it also helps you streamline things. It helps manage expectations. So most of us, unless you're a sole trader, have somebody that we have to answer to, correct?
Esther
Yes.
Melanie
So if you can streamline what you're going to do as a sales process, you've got a way of reporting its success or not. You've got a way of measuring the touch points and where people are engaging with your products or your services. And it helps you better understand which of the processes that you're using, that you're employing, is actually working or not.
Esther
And it's obviously important to do more of the stuff that works. Absolutely. And get rid of the stuff that's not working.
Melanie
Yeah. The hope is over time that as you learn the process better and it becomes more effective, you can scale up, you can improve, you can build upon what has worked and slingshot the stuff that hasn't, hopefully.
Esther
Okay, so we define our audience. We've talked about this many times. We out where they hang out. We just go there and talk to them. Yeah, that's it?
Melanie
Well, that's where it starts.
Esther
Oh.
Melanie
Yeah. Come on.
Esther
Right. So does this work for both service-based businesses and product-based businesses?
Melanie
It should do, because the hope is that you can bring people over to a point where they become a lead, correct? That's where all sales and all marketing begins. It How do you reach a wide audience that is generally interested in your product and/or service, and you then hook them with something and gain them as a lead. You can do this in many, many different ways. And obviously, we're largely talking about the online forum. But marketing, like the podcast describes, can be done in many different ways. So you can get your leads through networking, through social media, through your Google business profile, And obviously you can do blogs and videos and you can attract people and bring them through to your email list. So the sales process is very much like the marketing process, but the difference is is you've got a direct call to action where there is an actual sale at the end and not just the desire to have them on your email list.
Esther
Okay, so that direct action, how many times or at what point should When you start talking about the thing that you're selling?
Melanie
Well, the lead magnet, if you like, is where you spark the interest, where you get the tangible interest from your support a closed audience. But then you need to qualify the lead. That's when you need to better understand why they've become a lead. Maybe that's a place where you can cross-sell and upsell as well, if you do it properly, which is why it's known as a sales process, because you can do things with the people on that list afterwards. I think one of the best ways to understand what your lead is looking for is to go back to your ideal avatar, your ideal customer, and think, what is driving them to buy this product or service? What is their ultimate aim? What issue are they trying to overcome by buying your product or service? What problem are you solving? Haven't we said this time and time again?
Esther
We have. Yeah.
Melanie
Yeah. And if you can understand all of that and you've got a way of understanding the money that they've got available to them, the budget. And the sales process also helps you understand where in the sales timeline they're going to buy your product or service.
Esther
Yeah. Yeah.
Melanie
So once you've done the qualified leads, that's when you present them with a solution.
Esther
Okay. Because people can be qualified in many different ways. Like you say, they can be qualified because you know that they need your product or service. They know that they need your product or service. But the obstacle may be the budget. The obstacle may be lack of timing in order to implement what you're offering or what you're presenting them with. It may be that they aren't in the market for it at that exact moment, but they will be eventually. So how do you keep those leads warm before they become full on customers?
Melanie
Well, this is where the sales process comes into its own, because if you do the sales process correctly, now, if we count how many times we say those two words, I bet it'd be interesting. But this is where it comes into its own, because what you're doing, what you're saying there is trying to handle objections. Everybody has objections to something or other. I was at a coffee shop before I recorded today, and they said, Would you like your usual coffee? And can we offer you this cake? And I said, Sure, it's the last one there. They said, Oh, it's X amount of money. And I was like, well, Annie came in for a coffee.
Esther
Can't have coffee without cake. I mean, that's just obvious.
Melanie
Yeah. But the way they resolved that is... Because I don't typically buy the cakes from them. They know me pretty well. For those who don't know where my office is based, I have a coffee shop just down below the office. So they see me in there all the time for a decaf cappuccino. They said, Look, it's the It's the last one. Do you want it? And I said, Not really. And they said, Look, it's the last one. Here, have a discount. Sure. Okay. So they understood that I don't typically buy from them. They just wanted a shot of it. It could have been a couple of days old for all I know.
Esther
Still tastes good, right?
Melanie
It was lovely, actually.
Esther
It always tastes nicer, too, with the discount.
Melanie
It does, doesn't it? Have you noticed that? It's a real psychological thing. If you can understand the the possible objections. So it might be something that you might want to workshop with your team or with your partner, or with your counterparts, your peers, and try and work out what possible objections that people can come up with and counter them somehow.
Esther
It doesn't always have to be with the discount, though. Sure it doesn't.
Melanie
No, absolutely not.
Esther
Sometimes you've made a product and you're barely scraping a profit off the product. So After you take into account all your overheads and all your promotion and everything else you have to pay out. So giving a discount on something you're making very little profit on might not be the way to go. But maybe, I don't know, buy 10, get a free gift. It doesn't have to be the same.
Melanie
It could be something you can add on for free. Absolutely. But just remember, a lot of the reason why people don't buy or have an objection to your product or service isn't actually to do with your product, genuinely not to do with your product, they don't understand the benefit of buying your product. We've said it before, features tell, benefits sell. So if the way of handling that objection is to do features tell, benefit sell, then prepare for that. Even write them down before you start the whole sales process.
Esther
Yeah, because it's one thing to say, I always go back to candles.
Melanie
What is it with you I just love them.
Esther
I have an obsession. I accept all free candles.
Melanie
I think you're a mini-arsonist.
Esther
But it's not just They're made of soy or they're made of this or they have no smoke is emitted. Those are the features. But what benefit is that to me as... The benefits that I want is that it'll make the room smell nice. I don't I actually care what it's made of. But I might care that it doesn't emit smoke if it's in a small space and I have pets. So don't tell people what it's made of, because then you're giving away some of your trade secrets, too. But tell them why it will make their life better. And yes, a candle can make your life better. Trust me on this. When the lights went off a few weeks ago all over Ireland, candles were the way to go.
Melanie
Yeah. So the other thing you can offer is a discovery call, because sometimes people don't want that free social media calendar or a list of things that is a benefit to them. They want the personal one to one care. So you could also do a discovery call, like 15, 20 minutes. And if people have gone that far down your sales process, then that could It just be the shift you need. If you've got that list of objections already written down that you can respond to, then doing a discovery call, how easy would that be?
Esther
Yeah, okay, in that one- It depends on It's a product or service, doesn't it? Obviously, yeah, because you can't really do a discovery call about a candle.
Melanie
I bet you could.
Esther
Probably. If there was Smell-O-Vision, definitely. But be very careful with those discovery calls not to give away too many top tips. Because some people, there are those people that use discovery calls to glean off all your information. And then they think they're going to implement it all. But I don't like saying it, but there are people out there who are just using you. So be very careful not to give longer than 15, 20 minutes of a discovery call and make sure that it is more of a chit chat, because then you can build that rapport in that relationship. Because at the end of the day, if you're going to be, especially in the service-based businesses, where you have to be talking to them more frequently, you don't want to have that barrier of communication when it comes to, how does this person like me to refer to them? Are they a very formal person? Do I have to use Mr or Mrs? Do I have to sign off all my emails with your sincerely or yours faithfully? Or is it a more, oh, hey, how's it going? Sort of thing or somewhere in the middle. So use that to build a rapport rather than, I can do this, this, this, this, and this to help you get that Because then they're just going, oh, so I need to do this.
Melanie
See, I think people use discovery calls in the wrong way. I think this is your opportunity to understand what brought them to you in the first place. And understanding their journey to you helps your sales process. I think if you can say, look, I appreciate you've only got so much time to talk to me. So that's immediately admitting a boundary. Not saying I've only got so much time to talk to you, but I appreciate that your day is busy, and I'm very pleased that you've given me your 15 minutes of time, boundary. You can then say, Look, let's just talk top level here because I don't want to hold you up too much. Obviously, there's more value I can offer you, but that's further down the line.
Esther
You're upselling in the first meeting or leaving them wanting more.
Melanie
That's how a discovery call goes. It's as much you discovering as much about them as it is about you.
Esther
Yeah. No, and I agree people use the discovery, both parties use the discovery call incorrectly.
Melanie
Yeah.
Esther
With one party trying to glean as much information on what is it you will be doing and the other party trying to glean the information on what's in it for them. It's a part of the process that you have to practice as well. It's like if you're going to lift a a phone call. If you're going to have to lift the phone and make a cold call, I had to swallow down a little bit of puke there. But a cold call... Well, who likes doing cold calls? They're horrible. Who likes making videos? Not me. I know Melanie's got her hand up, but no. There's things that people just don't like doing, and Sales cold calling is one of them. But if If that's a way for you to improve your business and get more customers through the door, metaphorically, physically, or whatever way they come to you, then you might just have to suck it up.
Melanie
So let's continue with the sales process. So once you've gone to all the trouble of qualifying this lead and going through their objections and everything else, you need to actually take them to the end of the actual process, which is closing the sale. And that depends on so many things, because you don't just say, buy me now, because you've got to understand when they want it, how they want it, why they want it, where they want it, when are they expecting the delivery? Can you manage the expectations of the delivery? And then it shouldn't stop there because like every decent funnel of its worth, there has to be a retention section, a a follow-up, a retention section, I suppose. And that's where you go back and add ongoing value, which is how your lead magnets through to your email list works. And if you can continue giving value, then you hopefully make them an advocate and an ambassador for your business. And then they're advocating for your business to others, and it hasn't cost you anything more than potentially a short sales process or maybe a 15 minutes discovery call, depending on your product or service and your confidence as well, of course.
Esther
Yeah. Okay. So the confidence part can be worked on. I mean, you can take advantage of friends and family and bounce it off them. Use a mirror. And I had to practice saying that word.
Melanie
I could tell.
Esther
Look at yourself in a shiny, reflective object and practice, because if you're not comfortable doing that, then you won't be comfortable talking to a stranger.
Melanie
But honestly, some of the best ways to practice is to do networking, because it gives you the opportunity to not just hear a cadence on the phone or watch the top half of a person's body. And heck, we all remember what it was like, don't we? So get that experience, get that confidence by networking and meeting people, because it is the top part of your sales process and it's the top part of your marketing as well.
Esther
Yeah. And I'm a firm believer in networking and going to events and attending conferences. And I mean, we've got a few already scheduled in for the next 12 months and probably beyond, if we think about it. But it's not just enough to go to these events and talk to the same people.
Melanie
Oh, you mustn't go and speak to the same people. That's an imperative.
Esther
Yeah. So if you attend a local chamber of commerce or your local councillary, a networking group, be sure to invite other people so that there are new faces to talk to and to interact with and to practice on. I mean, they might not be your ideal client, but they might know somebody who is. I remember going to one recently and there was a bookkeeper. Now, I don't need a bookkeeper, but I know my brother does. So I took her card and gave it to my brother. I don't know what he did with it, But that's his problem, not mine. But always be looking out for ways to help other people, too. And that can be a good way to give back to these people who are as nervous as you are doing their sales pitches. And yeah, you can go to some of these events and they're just talking away and given all their information. And you're like, oh, these guys are the pros. Don't let it put you off. Start with 20 seconds, 30 seconds. Work your way up to a minute. Don't waffle in your thing. Features tell, benefits sell. Always remember that one.
Melanie
Absolutely. It's an absolute gift that keeps them giving that particular forward sentence. So I hope this has given you guys somewhere to either update your sales process, process, or-.
Esther
You got it right the first time.
Melanie
Or Perhaps structure your first one. It is a living, breathing, moving object. It shouldn't stay the same all the time. There are ways that you can review and update your process at any time. You don't have to wait a year. You can relook at it if you hear about new tools or implements or new events, or if you suddenly find yourself with a marketing budget. So I hope this gives you some inspiration. If you get stuck, you obviously know where to find myself and Esther. And you can also read my blog, which was about this particular subject matter today. And we'll put the link in the show notes. Just visit my website at stomp. Ie and look up sales process, or if you're American, sales process. It's the same spelling, it doesn't make any difference. And you'll find my blog. So that's all we have time for for today, but we'll be back again next week with another podcast.
Bye for now.
Esther
Bye-bye.
Tomato, tomato.
Melanie
Potato, potato.
Esther
Process, process. How many others are there? Well, no, no.
Melanie
Well, this is you goes flower or flor.
Esther
Flower.
Melanie
Flor.
Esther
It's not a mirror, it's a mur.
Melanie
Er, that was hour.
Esther
R?
Melanie
But it could also be error. Error. Can you say error?
Esther
Error?
Melanie
Error.
Esther
But the other one's an R.
Melanie
There's an R. An hour and an error, and an error and an hour.
Esther
Hey or hey. We can start on you with the Paul and the pur and the poor. It goes both ways love.
