It’s a me, me, and me world. Yet, in the world of sales, it’s all about you! “You” being the prospect and the customer. So what is it about “you” that matters?
Ultimately, if sales people and marketers have any intention of serving our consumers, our focus must point to the needs and wants of our consumer. And, how do we figure this out … through personalization.
Personalization is not just a merge code in a letter or email. Real personalization takes place in every means of dialogue wherein we try to learn the wants, wishes, and needs of our consumer. This can be in the form of phone calls, emails, website forms, sales visits, etc. In every case we seek to learn something that will help us to both serve and sell!
Much of the information we collect in the process needs to be databased in a CRM system like GoldMine software, for example. Databasing this information enables you to make your follow-up efforts more personal, and therefore more relevant and effective. It’s also the most effective way to manage, share, and analyze the information. Anyone serious about personalization needs to develop disciplined practices regarding the usage of CRM!
“You” is all about personalization. It’s also all about qualifying. But people are reluctant, by nature, to give up “personal” information at first. To earn their trust, and willingness to provide it, we need to establish our credibility and competence, as well as the relevance our offering plays in terms of their needs (solutions).
To grease the skids and help information to flow more easily, it often helps to apply the rule of reciprocity – in other words “give to get.” You can give them information that they’re asking for. It can even help just to open up and share information about yourself and your business and get their trust – trust builds trust!
Once you’ve established enough rapport, the possibilities are too long to list. Here’s some open ended questions which should provide plenty of ideas. Just finish the question below in a way which relates to your industry and organization: What do you …? How do you ….? When do you …? Are you …? Would you …? Could you …? Will you ….?
The findings from such questions can drive your future marketing and selling efforts. I know it’s easier said than done. But, again, this is one of the most significant benefits that can come fromproper usage of a CRM tool. CRM is not a “silver bullet” and it takes plenty of planning and effort to align any CRM system to your organization’s needs and processes. Nonetheless, you can pretty much forget about a “papersystem” or “spreadsheets,” let alone personal email/calendar software like Outlook as a means of accomplishing a truly “personalized” sales and marketing system.
Find out more about “Personalization and CRM Systems” – Contact First Direct Corp today!
