If you’ve wondered how to get more clients and thought what you needed was a “natural-born salesperson,” you’ve fallen for one of the most potentially destructive myths facing businesses. Many people believe that the ability to sell is an innate trait found in the DNA, right alongside eye color, height, and athletic ability.
Some people have personality traits that are well-suited for sales, such as an engaging personality, an ability to make friends easily, and a hefty dose of self-motivation. But what makes the “natural-born salesperson” concept destructive is that it leads people who aren’t blessed with an abundance of these traits to believe that they cannot be successful at sales. Unfortunately, when you think that you won't succeed, you usually don't. Read on for tips on how to get more clients below.
While there may be an art to selling effectively, the most successful practitioners of that art know that there is a proven science to sales that can dramatically increase their odds of success.
How to get more clients through sales is a business process that can be measured, managed, predicted, and improved. The better you understand how the sales process works, the more effective your efforts will be, and the time you devote to selling will become more satisfying and profitable.
Selling involves many different processes. Although situations and specifics may differ, we can simplify the typical steps:
Like most things business, how to get more clients is fairly simple if you have a strategy in place. Here are a couple of examples of tried and true methods on how to get more clients if you use them with consistency.
Sales and marketing often go hand in hand. How to get more clients is often tied to the marketing messaging and channels you use to communicate. Keep in mind that consistency in both sales and marketing is the key to how to get more clients.
The difference between average salespeople and top performers is a willingness to persist in the face of rejection. As consumers become more saturated by media messages from all angles, persistence becomes even more critical. You may need to try eight to ten times before you connect with someone. Unfortunately, the average salesperson stops trying after two attempts. And, while most sales require several follow-up calls, many salespeople give up after following up just once.
The science of selling proves that the greater your persistence, the greater your success. For example, making just one or two extra calls each day can equate to 500 additional contacts over a year.
Many businesses wonder how to get more clients when time is in short supply. Because it's impossible to create more time, managing what you already do effectively is a critical sales component that takes planning. Being aware of your objectives and planning your activities into your schedule, estimating the time it will take to accomplish each task, and incorporating this into your calendar will help you focus on what’s most important and how to get more clients.
Finally, do your best to avoid activities that are unproductive from a sales standpoint. Reading social media and surfing random websites are obvious timewasters. Still, many other small actions can add up to substantial time away from the sales process, such as socializing with co-workers and taking unnecessary breaks. Failing to delegate tasks to your support staff or vendors also wastes your precious time and doesn’t allow you to figure out how to get more clients. By focusing on accomplishing your highest-priority items, you’ll be more likely to achieve your goals, ultimately resulting in success.
Another option to consider for how to get more clients and accelerate the sales process is purchasing an existing book of business. This strategy provides immediate access to new clients and potential business growth. The decision to move from organic growth to growth by acquisition requires taking a number of factors into consideration. A key factor is how to fund the acquisition and understanding your funding options. If you are considering an acquisition strategy and don’t know exactly where to begin, please feel free to contact us. At Oak Street Funding, we have experts in lending who have helped hundreds of clients make their sales growth goals a reality