114: Amy Volas | Why Too Much Discovery Can Hurt You

Sales Tuners

Takeaways:

1. Use the Information You Get: Every salesperson has been told they need to ask great questions, but here’s the deal, if you don’t actually listen to the buyer and use the information they give you, what was the point to begin with? Yes, you have to uncover some kind of pain and tie it to a compelling event, but how many times have you made your prospect feel like they’ve wasted their time with you by asking questions they’ve already answered either to you or to an SDR who set the meeting for you? I understand you have an agenda you want to get through, but as Amy says, you have #TwoEarsOneMouth for a reason.
2. Connect the Dots: Salesforce is a place for data, not a place for reps to be successful. I know you have sales stages to update, but forget about them for just a minute. Go ask the last five customers who bought from you what they liked about their sales experience with you. What didn’t they like? Where did they feel there was friction? As you start to understand what your buyers actually want, you can rebuild your sales process to take advantage of the moments they found delightful. Combine that with the first takeaway, and you’re on the verge of getting the keys to the castle.
3. There are No Hacks: It seems like everyone wants and expects immediate success in today's worlds. Yet, I’ve met very few sales reps early in their career that want to actually put in the work. Here’s the reality, if you want to stay in sales for the long haul, you’ve got to realize there aren’t any hacks. You can create efficiencies, but those come from actually doing the work and understanding what you should do more of and what you should abandon. With so much information available to you these days, including podcasts like this, it’s easy to think you know everything. But to truly connect the dots, you need to spend time in the trenches talking to your customers.

Full notes

• https://www.salestuners.com/amy-volas

Book Recommendation

• Top of Mind by John Hall

Sponsor

• Costello - What if every sales rep inherited the habits of your best rep? With Costello, they do.