How to Succeed in Sales

In recent research from Gartner Inc., the analyst firm found “information connectors” to be the most successful sales reps, increasing the likelihood of purchase ease by 40%. This new breed of seller serves as a curator or broker of information, directing customers to the tools, data, and insights they need to make informed purchase decisions.

Gartner’s research confirms that not only do information connectors make it easier for customers to complete purchases, they also increase the likelihood of buyers making larger, complex and low-regret purchases by 90%.

“Sales reps should now think of themselves as ‘buying Sherpas,’ actively guiding customers along the difficult buying journey. We’re seeing a redefinition of sales, where sales reps who are able to connect customers to helpful information are better positioned to become more important to the success of the organization over time.” Brent Adamson, Vice President at Gartner

Meanwhile, “information authority” sales reps known to deliver advice to customers based on their own personal experiences and subject matter expertise, increase the likelihood of purchase ease by just 10%.

How do you ensure you’re building a team of information connectors to improve sales and drive buyer satisfaction? Adopting an Evolved Selling™ approach can help.

What is Evolved Selling?

A few months back, I wrote a post all about what Evolved Selling is and how it can help your sales organization accelerate deal closure, increase average order value, and drive business growth. In short, Evolved Selling incorporates sales engagement methodologies to enhance how brands engage with prospective buyers, empowering sales reps to make sales interactions much more impactful and successful every time.

The four pillars of Evolved Selling are:

Inspiring – Is your content relevant and engaging? Does it educate your buyers at a strategic level or talk solely to your company details and achievements? Effective sales content will help your sellers differentiate themselves by educating buyers in areas that warrant change and inspiring them to act.

Influential – Are your sellers using your content in the right context? Or do they lack the ability to customize presentations on a pitch-by-pitch basis? For content to drive results, your reps need the flexibility to tell the story of the value your product or service brings in the context of the buyer’s business, industry, or challenge – at the exact moment the buyer needs it.

Interactive – Are sales meetings collaborative and insightful for the buyer? Or are your sellers using passive, linear pitch decks? Incorporating interactive sales tools including ROI and TCO calculators empowers sales reps to capture real-time input from buyers to help execute value-driven selling stories. According to a Forrester report, commissioned by Mediafly, sellers who are able to effectively quantify and communicate economic value to buyers find it easier to engage high-level stakeholders in sales conversations, book subsequent sales meetings, and accelerate deal closure.

Intelligent – Is your solution providing data-driven insights to help sales reps and managers understand what drives the right outcomes? Or are you relying on anecdotal evidence to determine what sales content works and what doesn’t? Understanding how your content is being used, if it is driving revenue, and utilizing those insights to optimize future content efforts ensures your marketing and sales teams have the information they need to move deals forward.

While a traditional, information authority sales rep may present a very knowledgeable, passive pitch about the capabilities of their offering and how they’ve seen previous customers use it, they’re not going to be able to provide the differentiating sales experience that an information connector will.

Information connectors or what we call Evolved Sellers uplevel the conversation. These sophisticated sellers leverage a sales enablement platform to help them understand their buyer’s business and challenge, curate insights in the form of content and data to reflect their understanding and present it at exactly the right time in the sales process. Evolved Sellers collaborate with the customer in each meeting and throughout the sales engagement, collecting real-time input and using it to quantify value for the customer. They compile this information in active presentations as well as executive-ready follow-up materials, empowering first-line buyers to engage higher-level stakeholders earlier in the buying journey and motivate fast and confident purchase decisions. Organizations that adopt an Evolved Selling approach use technology to establish sales best practices across the organization, ensuring all sellers can be information connectors that win more often.

How can you set yourself up for success and begin evolving your existing sales practices today?

Contact Mediafly to schedule an Evolved Selling Assessment to gauge where you’re at on your journey to Evolved Selling and formulate next steps.