News: Performance Management
Selectivity 'key skill to learn in sales training'
02 March 2009
Sales training could include identifying likely-to-buy potential clients as this is the key to successful performance, an expert asserts.
Tom Aley, senior vice president and managing director of Dow Jones Business and Relationship Intelligence, tells Sales and Marketing magazine that it takes more than just a strong product and aggressive attitude to remain top of the game.
He emphasises the importance of selectivity and identifying those clients who are likely to yield the largest deals.
While acknowledging the importance of second-tier prospects, he tells the news provider that resources should be primarily focused on the most promising leads.
He also advocates salespeople to widen their contacts to ensure an organisation remains a potential client even if their typical buyer moves departments or is made redundant.
Kelley Robertson, author of The Secrets of Power Selling, recently told Manage Smarter that sales pitches must focus on clients' problems rather than the company hoping to secure the deal.
