The modern sales professional operates in an environment not too far removed from what previous generations experienced. Sure, today’s technologies are significantly different. You might even say they improve the sales paradigm. But fundamentally, sales have not changed. The same basic principles that made sales professionals successful 50 years ago still apply today. Take the sales process, for example.
BenefitMall, a nationwide general agency with thousands of member insurance brokers, mentioned the sales process in a recent blog post discussing how to keep prospects from stagnating. They made mention of the fact that modern sales professionals are taught to avoid a specific sales process. As the thinking goes, sales professionals need to be more nimble and flexible in this day and age.
More Responsive to Client Needs
Today’s thinking says that sales professionals need to be more responsive to client needs. Fair enough. Few successful professionals would argue that point. But responsiveness and a systematic sales process are not diametrically opposed. They are not opposite ends of the sales perspective. They can, and do, work together.
Responsiveness is a genuine concern in the sales arena. Sales professionals who do not respond appropriately to their prospects lose out on the opportunity to turn those prospects into clients. Likewise, failing to be responsive to current clients will send them packing. That much we know to be true.
On the other hand, a lack of process can make a broker just as unresponsive. Without a process to follow, too many prospects can become overwhelming. Those that are not responded to in a timely manner fall off the radar and end up someone else’s client.
Process Is Everywhere You Look
It is unclear how the idea of process became a negative thing. Just look around. Process is everywhere. It is unavoidable. For example, how do you get from your home to the grocery store in order to pick up a week’s supply of food? You follow an established process that involves getting into your car, driving to the grocery store, buying up your groceries, and driving home.
You follow a process in getting up and getting ready for work every day. You have a process for brushing your teeth, combing your hair, and shaving. At work, dozens of processes dictate how you get your tasks done. There is a process involved in your commute to work and your drive back home.
Without well-defined processes, the world would be chaotic. Process brings order. It brings clarity, purpose, and an effective way of measuring results. Simply put, our entire lives are built on processes. To assume process is a bad thing defies logic.
Call It a Routine
If you are a sales professional who is process-averse, how often do you reach your sales goals? If you are succeeding without some sort of process in place, good for you. You are the exception to the rule. Most of us need at least a basic routine to get things done.
If you are process-averse and not seeing the results you want, at least try developing a routine consisting of a few simple steps that help you consistently connect with your prospects. You do not even have to call it a process or a routine. You can call it anything you like, just so long as you do it.
Whatever you do, remember that processes are good. The sales process that previous generations followed was a good thing. It got results. In light of that, why attempt to fix something that isn’t broken? Get back the process and get back to turning prospects into paying clients.
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