When it comes to sales performance goals, it’s all too easy to make the mistake of being overly aggressive at every opportunity. Which essentially is a loss of sales commission. It’s important to rectify this because approaching sales with a “one size fits all” approach is a recipe for missing out on your targets.
It is necessary for your team to give some thought to other approaches, in order to meet those all-important sales performance goals. One such approach is the ‘soft sell’.
What exactly is a ‘soft sell’?
Not to be confused with an 80’s synth-pop band with a similar name, the soft sell is almost self-explanatory in its simplicity. Yet many sales teams still neglect using this sales approach. The soft sell is based on casual persuasion and subtle language, which offers an all-round much lower pressure experience for your prospects. It’s designed to make them feel more comfortable and is less likely to turn down the opportunity due to feeling pressurised.
Knowing when to ask for a sale
The soft sell should not be mistaken for passivity. Rather, it’s about understanding when to attempt to close a sale with the requisite level of persistence that will ensure you meet your sales performance goals.
It involves balancing persistence with the knowledge of the product and/or service with a feeling of relatability for the prospect. During the soft sell, self-awareness and empathy are core skills. Being able to read the prospect in such a manner, as to help you keep your conversational tone comfortable. This, in turn, helps to keep the prospect at ease and makes them feel like they may want or need the product or service on offer offering. This is effective as they do not feel under pressure to make a decision.
In it for the long haul
It’s worth remembering that the soft sell is a long game. Prospects might not immediately decide to make a purchase when presented with the soft sell. However, it’s an undoubtedly useful technique for encouraging repeat sales and establishing long-term working relationships with customers.
Why not encourage your sales team to employ the soft sell technique this week? It might be worthwhile utilising your sales commission software from Commissionly to identify potential soft-sell prospects, before using to it track your success against those all-important sales performance goals.