![]() Also, keep in mind the numbers are likely low, because employers don’t specify certifications in job descriptions the same way. This isn’t a scientific analysis in which every job description is examined – just an overall glance at the numbers. The following table lists the top sales-related certifications and the number of open positions on a single day that call for the certification specifically (or experience with the subject matter). A certification helps prove that you’re willing to go above and beyond to achieve goals. ![]() Employers look for candidates who are highly productive and have the drive to increase company profits. While many sales job descriptions now call for a bachelor’s degree, there are still plenty of employers that accept some combination of work experience and/or certification in lieu of a degree. While training and certification can’t teach the personality traits required for the job, they can get you noticed by hiring managers and give you an edge over others vying for the same positions. Succeeding in sales takes confidence as well as the ability to convey the value of your products or services to a varied audience without giving the impression of a “hard sell.” It’s truly a people-person career choice. If you are like most companies and do not have an automated follow-up system in place that involves multiple methods of touching the prospect, you should make it a top priority to put a follow-up system in place.Sales is a high-pressure job, but it can be highly rewarding. The more you can automate the follow-up process, the more likely it will actually happen, and the higher your sales-conversion rates will be. There are a variety of CRM systems for every industry that will allow you to establish automated email marketing campaigns, as well as reminders to call prospects or send mailers on a preset time schedule. Creating a sales funnel that involves automated emails and direct mail follow-ups is an ideal system for most companies. The most effective sales systems take a lot of the load of follow-up off the salesperson’s shoulders. That leaves the rest of follow-up to the other methods listed. It is hard to keep meeting with someone over and over talking about the same project. ![]() But there is almost no sales situation where more than two or three personal meetings make sense. For salespeople, personal face-to-face meetings are always the best, most effective method of converting leads into sales. It could be a phone call, an email, a personal meeting, or a direct mail piece. Let me define what I mean by the word “contact.” It’s any method of touching a prospect in a personal way. And the sad reality is very few salespeople or marketing systems effectively touch people more than a couple of times. I can tell you from my own personal experience in almost 40 years of sales, that consistent follow-up is a game changer when it comes to sales success. When there is no personal contact, it takes even more touches to get someone to respond. If your business does not have sales reps, but relies on marketing, the same statistics would be true, and maybe even worse. Because only 15% of salespeople make more than three contacts, this means 85% of salespeople are missing out of 80% of sales. 25% make only a second contact, 12% make only three contacts, and just 15% of salespeople make more than three contacts. Let me give you another set of stats from the same Association:Ĥ8% of salespeople never follow up with the prospect. But the lion’s share of sales -80% -are made on the fifth to twelfth contact. Below are a few stats from the National Sales Executive Association.Ģ% of sales are made on the first contact, 3% on the second, 5% on the third, and 10% on the fourth. I have heard all sorts of sales stats in my career related to the importance of good follow-up marketing and sales.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |