I was in a prospective client meeting this week and they were very much like many people we talk to that are looking for help in the digital world: they wanted more leads. Yep, shocker. A sales leader that wanted more leads. Well, I told him we could help in that area, but there would have to be a bit different mindset when it came to the leads that were generated by our combined efforts. Inbound selling is much different than outbound selling from the stand point that the buyer originally opted into the process early on, it was nurtured, then became a sales qualified lead.
So, ok, you might be saying it is just terminology, but I say it is more than that. I was reading an article recently from the HubSpot sales blog and it kind of struck me how sales people really need to understand how the world has changed–and for the better. As the article talks about, the buying decision power has never been more in the hands of the buyer/consumer. Whether the buyer does research via blogs, whitepapers, eBooks, social channels, peer groups…whatever, they have the ability to learn and understand your product/service more than ever before.
What is the result? The article states that the market will need to provide better products and services than ever before. That is if they want to survive. What does that mean to an “Inbound Salesperson”? Well, that means you better be honest with your prospective customer, passionate and committed to what you are selling, believe and know that what you are selling is the best and is the right solution for your customer, and truly care about your customer’s well being.
There is way too much information out there for consumption. An effective Inbound Seller knows this. They are true to not only themselves, but to their product/service and most importantly, their customer. I always say, people buy from who they like and trust, and a big component of trust is competence. Buyers today are smarter than ever. That is a good thing.
Feel free to contact me or go here if you want to do your own research on an inbound model.
