Sales Advice By Market
Selling to Answering Services
No doubt about it, answering services are high value sales targets for B2B operations that are poised to sell well in a competitive marketplace. If you're tired of lackluster sales results, maybe it's time to start selling to answering services.
Over the past several years, answering services have experienced slow, but steady growth.
More often than not, successful businesses reach their goals through the consistent application of proven selling concepts. That's especially true in the answering service industry where small oversights can translate into losses in market share.
Research the Market
Start with good market research, which is a prerequisite for profitability in this industry. Smart sales teams conduct thorough research on market demand, pricing and niche opportunities.
More importantly, they conduct research on the specific answering services that they want to add to their customer roster.
Since relationships can be critical in closing sales, meetings with answering services leaders and their staff can establish a basis for the sales cycle. These meetings can also provide information that can give your business a competitive edge.
Reaching Prospective Customers
Prospecting transforms contacts into qualified leads.
Networking can fine tunes prospecting performance and conversion ratios. However, it's important to make sure your sales force isn't so focused on adding names to their contact list that they miss the point of prospecting, i.e. the identification of likely buyers, key decision makers and high value industry contacts. In other words, the type of people you meet is just as important as the number of people you meet when prospecting for answering services.
Lead lists are advantageous because they narrow the field for your team. Third-party lists from reputable vendors (e.g. Experian Business Services) equip your sales personnel with a large quantity of targeted leads, making it easier for your company to balance the quantity and quality demands that are prerequisites for effective prospecting.
Networking Tips
The answering service industry is relationship-based. Businesses that sell in the industry leverage networking and contacts throughout the sales cycle.
Lead lists are helpful in expanding your network, but only if your sales force is willing to develop list contacts into long-term business relationships. As an owner or manager, you need to encourage networking strategies and proactively model relational sales techniques.
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