Account Management

Much of a sales organization's success depends on what happens after the sale. That's the valuable role of Account Management, taking care of the customer once they have closed. These posts will help you succeed.

How top sales pros add value, strengthen relationships now

by Michele McGovern

Could the best way to increase sales be to NOT sell? Instead, add value?

Yes. And yes.

Sales pros who add value to existing or budding relationships can win sales down the road.

And right now, customers might be putting off purchase decisions because of uncertain times. Or they’re scaling operations until they’re confident of what the future holds. Those are valid concerns and legitimate actions.

So it’s vital for salespeople and their organizations to stay top of mind when customers aren’t buying.

Customer Service: Your next best sales generator

by Michele McGovern

Could Customer Service be the driving force behind your next big sale?

Absolutely! And maybe the one after that. And the one after that.

Customer service professionals are in prime position to increase sales or help salespeople find new deals.

“For starters, your organization and customer service teams need to embrace the right philosophy,” says Fara Haron, CEO North America, Ireland and Southeast Asia & EVP Global Clients, Majorel. “Instead of thinking about sales and the act of selling, think about selling as a service.”

Customer Service can help build sales by creating great post-sale experiences, sharing and acting on what they learn about customers through regular interactions and actually making sales.

Incorporate these strategies for Customer Service to increase sales.

How to increase business in existing accounts

by Michele McGovern

Increasing business with existing accounts could be the holy grail of sales.

Consider this: Revenue from existing customers accounts for more than 70% of total results at companies across industries, geographies and business models, the most recent CSO Insights Sales Performance Report found.

Sales leaders say increasing penetration into existing accounts is one of their top objectives in meeting goals. Why do they rely so much on the potential in existing accounts?

“Revenues are often more predictable than other sources and ideally, as the incumbent, (you) should have an advantage when it comes to renewing business,” say researchers Tamara Schenk, Yuri Dekiba and Seleste Lunsford.

Your accounts are good, but they could be awesome.

8 goal-setting mistakes – and 8 best practices

by Michele McGovern

Setting sales goals is an exercise in emotional uncertainty.

The thrill of victory lies ahead. The agony of defeat looms large.

While actually hitting – or, missing (ugh!) – goals is all about executing solid sales practices, setting goals is a first pivotal piece in the process.

And it presents its own set of challenges and best practices.

The Ultimate Guide to Customer Testimonials

by Michele McGovern

There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about. – Oscar Wilde

Same goes for sales.

Salespeople want buzz around them, their products, service and company.

Customer testimonials are one of the most effective tools to create buzz. Two out of three organizations use testimonials and referrals in their strategies to attract and impress customers, according to the Koyne State of Customer Marketing Benchmark Report.

Stories and honest words from your customers can turn more prospects into buyers.

Q&A: Best ways to work with difficult customers

by Michele McGovern

Difficult customers create even more difficult situations for salespeople.

It’s critical to be nice. But all the while you’re thinking, Why is this customer being mean?

So what can you do when a customer is downright mean? Or a prospect is disrespectful?

When personalized pricing works – and when it doesn’t

by Michele McGovern

Smart sales professionals are in prime position to offer personalized pricing. But how do you know when personalized pricing is the smart move?

With personalized pricing, you can take a detailed look at their customers – everything you know about needs, revenue, demands, behaviors and influencers. Then use that information to offer at a price you think will close the deal, benefiting customers and you.

Effective pricing gives loyal customers better deals than customers with no history or relation to the salesperson or company. Plus, you can change terms when needs, demands and the industry shifts.

Companies agree there’s value in personalized pricing: Nearly one-third say there are maximizing opportunities in personalized pricing, a study in Retail Systems Research found.

Truth behind 12 big (and very believable) sales myths

by Michele McGovern

Cold calling is useless. Social selling is the only way. The more leads, the better. Buyers know everything.

Hogwash!

Chalk those claims up to some of worst myths in sales.

They may seem true at times – especially when no one answers your cold calls or buyers say they’ve already researched you.

But research and experience prove the biggest and most believable sales myths wrong.

Here are 12 myths and the research that debunks them:

16 ways AI is changing Sales – and how you can adapt

by Michele McGovern

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has changed nearly everything – and Sales is no exception.

It affects how customers buy – and how salespeople need to sell.

AI fuels buying choices we make every day – from the shows we watch and the routes our driver takes to the next item we order online.

Recommendation, location and association algorithms are our behind-the-scene buying influencers – and they make AI creepy and cool: Creepy that our devices know and connect so much about us. Cool that what it does is actually helpful.

“The power of selling is moving away from the individual and toward the machine – machines that can now prospect, follow up, present, and propose without human intervention,” says Victor Antonio, author of Sales Ex Machina: How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the World of Selling. “In some cases, the machine will obliterate sales functions, while in others it will dramatically shift the locus of the focus further into the sales cycle.”

As with any industry evolution, some changes are good. Some will have a negative impact.

Here are 16 ways AI is changing sales – and how you can adapt with it.

Your ultimate guide to writing kick-butt sales proposals

by Michele McGovern

Sales proposals are essentially paperwork. And next-to-no-one likes paperwork.

But sales proposals must be. Terms, numbers, promises, guarantees, specs and all the other details need to be spelled out and agreed upon – especially in big or complex deals.

So if salespeople must do the proposal, they might as well kick butt doing it.

The best way: Approach sales proposals as a strategic tool to close the sale faster, instead of a don’t think of a final administrative task to get to the sale.

Let’s get down to what a sales proposal should be and how to make it more effective at convincing prospects to sign.

Account Management

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