Welcome to the second article in a six piece series reviewing our 5 Step Sales Process.

STEP 1: RESEARCH

Before you can sell properly, you must know a significant amount about your product or service. In the tech business especially, it’s easy to get lost in the ever changing landscape. With new and sometimes improved platforms or equipment popping up daily, the challenges of selling tech products and services is even more difficult.  Not to mention, each industry you serve generally requires a different line of business applications and software or hardware. Some industries rely on the cloud, while others remain tied to on-site appliances. If you’re efficient and highly engaged, it’s not difficult to become an expert in any area with time.

Adequate time and research.  It’s the secret intelligence process that ensures that when you make the first contact with the client, you’re making educated conversation and are appealing to them as a person. This step seems incredibly simple, but here’s the funny thing—most IT service providers don’t take the time to do this simple step. Instead, they waltz in there peddling the same solution they do to every prospect no matter the industry. It’s not hard to stand out. Just make sure you’re educated.

So, following the CharTec Sales Process, your marketing message has worked and you’ve effectively secured that first call. Next comes devoted researching. When you begin the research stage, you should seek to understand the client, as well as the industry they’re in. The main point that many a salesperson tends to forget is that selling is all about understanding.

Dust off those industry publications and investigate customer websites to get the big picture. I can’t emphasize this stage enough. If conducted poorly, you’ll never get a chance to meet with the decision maker because the receptionist will rush you out of the front door. Don’t be afraid to explore a client’s Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+ page to get a feel for what they’re about. Also, reach out to your employees and see if they are connected or have connections with a potential client. You never know who could be the cousin or uncle of a prospect!

After you’ve learned all you can about a prospect and have exhausted all means to find a connection or common ground, you’re fully prepared to conduct a First Meeting, where you’ll use everything that you’ve discovered in the next step: THE WARM-UP

See the outline for this series below: