As you probably know by this point, we are pretty big fans of inbound marketing. Inbound marketing is changing the way that businesses attract visitors and turn them into customers and promoters of your business. Obviously, a integral part of Inbound Marketing is selling and the way you sell to your prospects. 

Traditional sales tactics such as cold calling, static pitches, and being an information gatekeeper are not effective with today's buyer. Today, buyers hold all of the power. Buyers have more information available to them than ever. They have higher expectations for a relevant, personal experience when making a purchase. Giving them that relevant, personal experience that is driven by their needs and happens to be on their time line is what the inbound approach to sales is all about. 

60% of the buyer's purchase decision has already been made before even talking to a sales rep. Keeping this in mind, how do you transform the way you sell to accommodate this new buyer? 

In this post, we cover 4 ways to transform the way you sell to this new type of buyer. Don't forget to subscribe to our blog updates by filling out the "Subscribe to our blog" form at the bottom of this page. 

4 Ways to Transform the way you sell

It's all about being buyer-centric

1. Transform the way you target accounts

Make sure are targeting the right people.You need to be publishing content that your buyer personas/target audience are looking for consistently. Remember, we don't just want to bring in any traffic, we want to bring in the right traffic. By creating and publishing content that your buyer personas are searching for, you ensure the only people entering your sales process are the prospects that are most qualified. The more qualified a prospect is, the better the chance you make sale. 

Remember, not all leads should be passed on to sales. Not all leads are a good fit and not all leads will be ready to buy. Ideally, leads will be filtered before they get passed on to sales.

2. Transform the way you prospect accounts

When prospecting accounts make sure to follow these 4 best practices: 

1. Research your lead's company information: What is the company size and annual revenue? What do they sell? Who do they sell to? What is the role of your lead within the company? Are there any other key players involved? When beginning to qualify a lead, this information is very useful.
2. Read about your lead's industry: Try to understand their business. Make sure to check out their company news if they offer it. What is going on in their industry? Has their been any big industry events recently that would be relevant to your lead? Getting a pulse on your lead's industry is key to having a good understanding of your lead. 
3. Check your lead's social media: 73% of salespeople using social media actually outperformed their colleagues who weren't using it. Is your lead actively interacting with other companies on social? Is your lead researching other needs? Social media can be very revealing and you can learn a lot about a lead by monitoring their social media accounts. 
4. Use Lead Intelligence: Be sure to monitor the lead's engagement with your company. Did they download a content offer? If so, what content offer did they download? What pages on your website have they viewed? What emails are they reading and engaging with? Use the information that you have to your advantage! 

3. Transform the way you connect with your prospects

Be sure to read our post from last week on this exact subject. It really comes down to an easy 4 step process: 

1. Build Rapport: Be Genuine, be yourself. Don't try to create some alter-ego/persona or some type of salesy tone. Just relax and have a positive attitude. As Oscar Wilde said, "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." 
2. Know your audience: Before calling or emailing your prospect, be sure to do your due diligence and put some time into researching your lead. 
3. Speak the prospect's language: Be sure to use their technical jargon and not yours. Read up on the industry and try to pick up key industry terms and know how to use them. Even better, if you know an expert in the industry, be sure to have them give you a quick crash course on how to speak to people in their industry. Be sure to take notes and ask questions so that you don't use the specific terms improperly. 
4. Be helpful: Be an educator. In order to put yourself in the position to educate your prospects, you need to become the ultimate listening machine and truly understand your prospect's pains and challenges. 

4. Transform the way your prospects perceive you as a salesperson

Transforming the way your prospects perceive you is easier than it seems. The end goal with all of your prospects should be to earn what we like to call "Trusted Adviser Status". It is important to focus on building your own personal brand as a thought in your space/industry. Remember, people buy from people that they like and trust. 

In order gain "Trusted Adviser Status" and to make your sales organization and process human again, you need to break down the walls of your prospect and not come off as a sales robot that is static not matter who you are talking to. Be helpful when you can and focus on educating your prospect. Education helps build trust and rapport and in the end your prospect most likely won't perceive you as a sales professional, but as a trusted adviser and educator that they go to in times of need or even better, to learn. 

Thanks for reading 4 ways to transform the way you sell! We hope this post helps you and your organization transform the way you sell. Looking to transform you SEO game? Be sure to download our free eBook 10 SEO Mistakes to Avoid by clicking the link below.