Prospecting

• Sales representatives need prospects. In some cases, the marketing department generates leads through advertising or direct marketing campaigns. Sometimes, sales representatives identify their own prospects through knowledge of the type of companies that are likely to need the products they are selling, or through relationships they have built in target companies.
  
  

Qualifying

• Prospects must either have the authority to make the purchasing decision themselves or be in a position to influence the decision. Sales representatives must qualify the different prospects by gaining an understanding of the decision-making structure in a company and by asking questions that will indicate the role and status of the prospect in the purchasing process.
  
  

Research

• Sales representatives should have a deep understanding of the industry their customers operate in and the challenges they face. This helps the sales representative to build a strong presentation for the product by demonstrating how it will help customers overcome their business challenges and deliver benefits such as cost savings, improved productivity, faster time to market or stronger competitive advantage.
  
  

Trust

• Research and understanding of customers’ challenges can help sales representatives build trust. This is a departure from the traditional approach to selling, which emphasizes the more aggressive skills of the hard sell. By working with customers and prospects in a consultative role, reviewing challenges and discussing possible solutions, sales representatives can gain the position of trusted adviser that puts them in a strong position as the customer moves through the decision-making process.
  
  

Relationships

• It’s important for sales representatives to build relationships at all levels in a customer organization. While the main relationship may be with the purchasing department, it’s important to maintain contact with other people who influence the decision. Building relationships with members of a customer’s senior management team can help to position a company as a strategic business partner, rather than a supplier of commodity products. If a company is selling technical products, it’s important for sales representatives to maintain a close relationship with the customer’s technical team.
  
  

Collaboration

• Sales representatives are members of a customer-facing team, so it’s important for them to build strong internal relationships so that the company offers the best possible service to customers. Sales representatives work closely with the marketing team to identify and nurture the most promising sales leads. They collaborate with the technical department to ensure that products meet customers’ requirements, and they liaise with customer service staff to ensure that customers have a consistent, high-quality experience in every aspect of their relationship with the company.