I know you’re reading or hearing it, sales leaders…
Whether it is the alarm bells of doom from LinkedIn sales “experts” or your own people perfecting their new excuses, these two sales challenges will define 2022:
- Supply chain issues
- Inflation
These very real (and somewhat unprecedented) issues face just about every sales organization right now.
But instead of joining the chorus of doom and gloom today, I want to share with you why each of these challenges presents a counterintuitive opportunity for sales leaders who are prepared to take action as we head into the new year.
Rest assured, if Challenge #1 isn’t impacting you, Challenge #2 is. And just like all the insane storms we had to weather in 2020 and 2021, there is upside ahead those who lead well and tackle these issues (and excuses) head on!
So let’s take a closer look at them together, shall we?
Challenge #1: Your team is selling with limited supply.
Unless you sell something like software, you’ve probably felt the strain of supply chain issues and lack of inventory. I certainly have. Even my books have been out of stock due to supply troubles at the printer.
Limited supply provides salespeople one of the easiest excuses for not proactively prospecting and developing new business: If we don’t have enough inventory to actually make sales right now, what’s the point?
The counterargument is simple. The fact that you don’t have something to sell right now makes it the perfect time to go out and have consultative conversations with prospects.
Odds are your prospects are frustrated, confused, and maybe even experiencing challenges from your competitor that’s supplying them right now. So, instead of talking about product, let’s prepare sellers to share the great outcomes you’ve been creating for customers and get them better at asking great questions about their current challenges and desired future state. What a great opportunity to invest the time to understand their issues and put ourselves in position to be seen as trusted advisors instead of just another vendor.
This is precisely what I’ve been discussing in my latest podcast series, “Why Your Salespeople Get Viewed as Amateurs, Relegated to “Vendor” Status, and Commoditized.”
Repeat after me: limited capacity is not an excuse to stop proactively selling. If you sit back and wait, your competitors will lap you. The prospecting effort your team puts forth now is going to lead to meetings and conversations that show up as pipeline in the new year (when your supply situation may be dramatically different).
As long as you don’t let Challenge #2 hold you back…
Challenge #2: For the first time in most of our careers, we are entering an inflationary period.
That makes this a scary, uncomfortable time for so many salespeople. If you’re not worried about it, I guarantee there are people on your team right who are close to freaking out right now.
“What if our prices are too high? How am I going to justify the cost? There is no way I can pass along this price increase! How can I find a way to discount?”
These are the thoughts keeping salespeople up at night.
But here is the reality of the situation: The job of a professional salesperson is to justify the premium we charge from a pricing perspective. If we can’t justify why we’re worth a little bit more than our competitor, are we even needed as salespeople?
I understand that, even during non-inflationary periods, most salespeople are insecure about pricing. They don’t like talking about it, selling at full price, or passing along increases to customers.
But the counterintuitive thing about inflation is that it actually gives your entire team a reason to be more confident and bold than ever before. Why? Because everybody knows we’re in a new inflationary environment—including the customer! They are well aware of what’s going on in the marketplace, and they expect to pay more.
The dynamic has flipped. Your people don’t need to be falling over themselves feeling guilty about passing along a price increase. Instead, you can use this as an opportunity to provide a great experience to your customer in spite of the fact that prices are rising.
Here’s to great sales leadership as we prepare our teams to attack 2022!
If you’d like some powerful help, check out this year-end special on the New Sales. Simplified. Video Coaching Series…which is my very best work to help sales teams WIN MORE NEW SALES.
CONTACT OUR TEAM for group pricing, special packages and live, online bonus meetings for sales leaders equipping their teams with this series!
Mike
