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‘New normal’ sales skills

25 November 2021

‘New normal’ sales skills

Given the pace at which business is being done following the bounce-back, many personnel are facing new challenges and are under increasing pressure to meet customer demands. Perhaps this is the new normal. 

And there is a recognition that staff might well need to re-evaluate their sales and customer care skills as a result if they are to consistently achieve their goals, according to Diane Banister. She is the founder of The Intelligent Dialogue consultancy which has clients in diverse industries, including several in tool and plant hire. 

“There is an unprecedented amount of ‘noise’ that business people are having to contend with daily, like inflation, recruitment, staff well-being, supply chain issues and factors affecting their customers’ markets. And if they have a CRM system, that creates a lot of data that can become overwhelming. 

“We are having conversations with sales directors and business leaders about how they can navigate a path through it all.” 

As a result, Intelligent Dialogue has just launched a free online tool called the Sales Team Readiness Heatmap.

“It takes about ten minutes to complete, there are 42 questions and it’s very comprehensive,” says Diane. “People score themselves in key areas like sales strategy, planning & systems, processes, motivation and customer conversations. 

“A report is then emailed to them suggesting possible next steps, and we are happy to talk to help them think this through for their organisation and their team. It enables business and sales leaders to evaluate their priorities, because despite all the challenges, firms still need to hit their numbers.” 

“We have trialled the Heatmap with existing clients who found it really thought provoking. The report tells you what are doing well and what you can focus on moving forward.” 

Eventually, an element of benchmarking and comparisons might be introduced to the Heatmap tool based on aggregated data collected. 

Some companies might think that because demand is strong and they are so busy, there is little requirement for pro-active sales activity. However, personnel have many roles in the current busy climate and perhaps need to be deployed more strategically. 

“Sales people are a huge asset for a business. A busy company can’t afford to keep customers waiting because they might get frustrated and angry, and they might not appreciate a recorded message to visit a website for information. That has to be handled carefully or the customer might just go elsewhere.

“People at the end of the phone need to have a particular skills set to deal with those sort of escalations and the potential stress they can create. They need to deliver great service, spot opportunities and protect price,” says Diane.

Indeed, she tells me that during the pandemic, Intelligent Dialogue has worked with people who often have to deal with difficult situations, from supply chain issues, to charities helping vulnerable callers, to launching a new service for crematoria. This experience of helping people build the confidence and the skills to have sensitive conversations can be carried over into other commercial environments. 

“Businesses tell us that their people are now having much tougher conversations because of supply chain issues or hire fleet availability, for example.

“It’s been an interesting year to put it mildly. But it’s good to see companies recognising that if you invest in your people, it enhances job satisfaction, helps the customer and builds loyalty in challenging times.” 

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‘New normal’ sales skills

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