Explore My Sales Playbook
Creating a Sales Playbook was one of my favourite tasks in sales. It gives you perspective on the company you are working for, creates a bit of structure and helps you really dive into the solution you are selling. One of the best lessons I had learned from the Sales Apprenticeship course Pipeline, is that you should be an expert in what you are selling.
Today’s world is very different than it was 50 years ago. The tech industry is changing the game of selling because it is keeping up with the buyers. Before the internet, people used to go to physical locations to learn about a product first hand. This is where all the trust went into the hands of the salesperson and many people had been burned by this. Nowadays, people are very skeptical and don’t believe what companies market right away. Consumers now use the internet as a resource to learn about a product. Reviews are what can make or break a company which why sales is more transparent now than it used to be.
Sales have changed. Salespeople can’t schmooze their way to the bank anymore. They have to be smart and provide valuable information for the customer, this is done by changing peoples’ perspectives instead of playing around with their emotions. One of my favourite sales books is “To Sell is Human” by Daniel Pink. He argues that everything in life involves selling yourself, but the best way to sell a product is by going beyond general knowledge and using information as a tool for success.
Don’t hide information like costs and conditions in confusing contracts. Be transparent, explain why things are priced the way they are and convey how your solution will add value to the person's life instead of justifying the price or tricking people.
Tech sales, in particular, is very important to understand this concept of “solution selling” because the products can be very complicated and difficult to understand. Everything is now industry specific to try and solve problems, so as a salesperson, you need to be an industry expert to gain trust from your ideal customer.
A Sales Playbook is an excellent tool to understand your business, product, and company. It is a way to get new hires up to speed on your goals and an idea of how they should be selling.
Check out my exemplary Playbook. Make it your own and fit your industry.
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