Do you want to improve revenue and the performance of your sales team? Then do your homework! Now that’s a pretty obvious better business basic!

Last week my partners and I began a new consulting relationship with a new sales team in the energy management industry. We coached them on ways to improve sales performance. And what did we focus on? Do the research!

How much do you know about the company you’re approaching? Do you know who the CEO and CFO are? Are you familiar with the organization chart? Have you been tracking them on the Internet? Are you connected with anyone who knows them through LinkedIn? For their key deciders, how much do you know about their values, what’s important to each of them? Have you spent time building productive relationships with them?

Most sales people who approach potential customers about a big or complex sale think they know enough about their prospect, but they don’t. In many cases we’ve found they don’t even have basic information like what I just listed, and more.

Effective sales people are all about building productive relationships. They do that by gaining information and knowledge. They do that by understanding the prospect’s situation. They do that by understanding the needs of the prospect and how their solution might fill that need. They do that by being honest and sincere, and building credibility with that prospect. They do not do that by pushing a prospect into buying a product or service that they do not need!

So I raise the question; have you built that productive relationship with your prospect? Are they really ready and wanting to buy from you? Have you done your homework?

Just a little common business sense folks…