Key points for closing a sale

As a salesperson, you'll probably feel like you're talking to a wall, perhaps more often than you'd like.

If a potential customer responds to your first attempt to contact them, you should thank your lucky stars (or maybe just a professional cold caller)

If not, follow up. However, you're probably wondering: at what point do your potential buyers start to perceive your business as hopeless?

Identify the appropriate quantity of points of contact with customers and prospects (and the means of initiating these contact points) within your sales funnel are essential to optimizing your sales strategy.

The "how", "when" and "what" of follow-up are essential to understanding whether you hope to keep your potential buyer's attention and close the sale.

What is a sales contact point?

A touchpoint is any meeting where potential buyers engage a sales or sales representative to exchange information, answer questions or manage a transaction. Think of touchpoints as the point of contact for your potential buyers from the moment they become a qualified marketing lead (QML) until the sale closes.

A point of contact can be established by various means, as well as online and in the real world.

Different types of commercial contact points

No matter where or how you connect, all touchpoints need to be authentic, relevant and compelling. Here are some common examples sales funnel contact points you probably already know:

Telephone calls Contact points

The oldest and most traditional form of contact point. A cold call may seem old-fashioned and aggressive, but, assuming you've prepared for the call by meeting your prospect, your business and your interests, pick up the phone It really is a reliable step in any salesperson's strategy. Don't be afraid to pick up the phone and throw the ball.

Contact points for e-mail follow-up

They should be used after connecting with your potential buyer over the phone. Set follow-up reminders for stay in touch with your contact on a regular basis to keep in mind.

Actions on social networks

Engage potential buyers on various social media platforms by liking and sharing your posts. This is a great way to learn what's important to them, as well as find ongoing conversation topics. You can also share relevant content that can improve your understanding of your issues, or share the perspective of someone you know and trust (preferably someone who advocates your brand).

Real-world contact points

Connecting with qualified prospects in person is an invaluable experience that nurtures long-term, mutually beneficial relationships. Emails and phone calls can only take you so far; what really resonates with potential buyers is when salespeople go the extra mile to connect personally and authentically with them, and identify how they can be of value to them.

A face-to-face meeting can involve having coffee with your prospect, or taking them out to lunch or dinner to discuss their needs and objectives for the coming year. Whenever possible, include the people involved in the decision-making process and the people who influence them.

Although the tone of the meeting should be friendly, you should participate as you would in any meeting to avoid wasting time: prepared and with a concise agenda in mind.

Finding potential contact points in Nimble

AI activated Prospector Nimble's integrated tool helps you in your point-of-contact process by filling in contact data gaps in your contact records, enabling you to communicate across multiple channels without wasting time. As a result, it gives you more time to communicate with your potential customers. Witty, eh?

Consider every time the phone number you used for a given contact was obsolete or not the most direct line. Prospector provides you with the current, verified phone numbers and e-mail addresses of your most popular prospects. The dark days are over!

The mighty BANT

The best way to determine if and when to move your sales process forward is to qualify for BANT as soon as possible.

BANT is an acronym that refers to a sales qualification framework used to identify and pursue the most qualified prospects based on four factors: budget, authorization, needs and timing.

Quote

Does the potential buyer have an approved budget? If so, does your project fit within your budget parameters?

Authority

Does the perspective with which you speak have decision-making power or influence the decision-making process?

Requirements

What are the potential customer's business needs and how can you meet them?

Program

Is there a clear timeframe for the potential customer to implement a product or solution that meets their requirements?

With BANT in mind, you can easily evaluate the type and frequency of contact points to participate in, while creating a meaningful relationship with a given contact.

How many points of contact are needed to close a sale?

Evidence indicates a correlation between response rates and the number of subsequent disclosure attempts it initiates.

Don't be discouraged if your first attempt goes unanswered. On average, it takes about five to seven contact points to close a sale. At the end of the day, you have to prove what and why. how many points of contact before a sale is optimal for your target audience.

When designing your follow-up strategy, consider classifying your potential buyers according to their potential sales impact. Follow-up segmentation is particularly important, as many sellers are indiscriminate in their follow-up. Prioritizing follow-ups enables you to remain loyal to critical contacts, a powerful strategy for nurturing relationships and increasing conversions.

Shane Gibson, a leading sales expert, speaker, author and coach, advises dividing customers into three categories.

• "A are 20% which give us 80% of our business.

• B's are beneficial; they're great to call. They're decent, but not as big as the A's.
• And then C, I'll see you in the next network feature. I'm not going to continue with them. " 

Using Nimble's Stay-in-Touch feature, Shane sets his "A Contacts List" to appear every 3 weeks to remind him to take outreach actions with these people. These actions might include sharing an article, inviting them to a webinar, sending them a hint, asking them a question or commenting on their latest LinkedIn update.

"I use Nimble to drive continuous taps with my A's," explains Shane. "It automates by reminding me to do things, but it doesn't automate the customization. That's one of my favorite hacks with Nimble. " 

Factors affecting contact points

Credibility

It may take a few tries to gain credibility with a given prospect so that he understands their concerns and is qualified to help them solve their problems. If someone doesn't know your brand yet, it may take a little longer to warm up.

To help simplify the process of creating credibility, gain credibility in the industry by developing your personal brand across multiple social networks. His goal is to become a leading expert that people can trust and seek advice from.

Price

When evaluating prospects, determine your budget and create a ROI analysis based on whether your price matches your budget.

A service

What are your company's needs, and how can your product or service help solve your short- and long-term problems? Think of this relationship as symbiotic versus profit-oriented, and your prospect will surely notice its sincerity.

Competition

The market is saturated with people trying to achieve the same goals as you. You need to stand out from the crowd with a sales and marketing approach that positions you as a trusted thought leader versus an over-ambitious salesperson.

The "need versus want" factor

It's your job to change your potential customer's "want" into a "need". Communicate the purpose of your product or service in a way that adds value to your potential customer's life, or solves a problem they've been trying to solve.

conclusion

Making the most of touch points is essential to your prospect recruitment process. Your sales strategy should aim to educate and inform your prospects throughout your sales funnel.

When planning your point-of-contact strategy, prioritize your prospects according to their potential sales impact. Segment your follow-up to reach these different groups effectively and appropriately. This ensures that you always follow up with critical contacts, which is essential for maintaining relationships and increasing your annual revenue on a large scale.

Every point of contact is a new opportunity to gain the trust of your potential customers and bring them to the point of decision. The more valuable they find each experience, the more likely they are to see you as someone they can trust with their best interests in mind.

You can go beyond all the methods and practices mentioned above: use Nimble CRM to optimize customer relationships and close more deals faster.

And to further optimize your customers' influence, try Nimble CRM free of charge to enjoy the benefits of task automation, centralized activity and sales optimization.