Creating a perpetual sales boom requires being ahead of the curve, anticipating what is coming, and taking advantage of where the market is headed. With this in mind here are 8 trends that you must consider in your planning for 2013 in order to achieve continual growth.
1. Feature and benefit selling is out. The new buyers only care about value and outcomes. The question buyers are asking is: How will this make me better?
2. Small businesses are on the rise worldwide. In North America and South America in particular. As a result, you will need to create small business solutions for your products and services if you want to continue to grow.
3. Speaking of South America…..Are you set up for success in Brazil? While there will always be challenges, the population is young and very entrepreneurial minded. Smart companies are now looking at how to capitalize on Brazil now and especially as we move past 2016.
4. There is a movement towards hiring sellers with a specific skill set and the right attitude from outside your industry rather than those simply from inside the industry. Having a “Rolodex” is no longer the most important hiring consideration.
5. Sales leaders are trending away from “personality profiling” and “buyer persona” and concentrating more on skill development for peer to peer conversations. This is a good thing! Leaders are finally waking up to the fact that personality profiling results in sellers making assumptions about buyers. And, assumptions result in lost sales.
6. Sellers must become experts and publishers of high value content to attract and retain buyers.
7. Executive presence is a learned skills that must be developed in the next few years. If your team in not comfortable in the CEO’s office either teach them to be, or replace them.
8. There is a move towards more face to face selling. Buyers want to see their sellers either in person or virtually. The smartest companies today are investing heavily in technology to video conference effectively with their buyers as well as putting their sellers back on the road.
How are you incorporating these trends into your business?
Dedicated to increasing your sales,
Colleen